Author: Starvision News Desk

New York, Oct 9 (IANS) Police are on the lookout for an armed suspect who robbed a store owned by an Indian-origin man in the US state of Virginia and fled with cash, a media report said. Shyamal Patel’s Smokies Lounge smoke shop on Woods Edge Road was robbed at around 5 a.m. on Sunday when the suspect pointed a gun at the clerk, demanding cash, WRIC TV channel reported. The Chesterfield County Police Department said the masked suspect wore a grey hoodie, dark pants, black shoes, and fled with an undisclosed amount of money. “A male with an unknown…

Hyderabad, Oct 8 (IANS) In a first-of-its kind facility in a Telangana government-run hospital, an In-Vitro Fertility (IVF) centre was inaugurated at Gandhi Hospital here on Sunday.The facility will offer IVF services free of cost for childless couples to conceive and realize the dream of becoming parents.The services include all forms of investigations, treatment, hormonal therapy, and follow-ups.The high-end IVF treatment available only in the private sector cost lakhs of rupees.Home Minister Mehmood Ali inaugurated the centre, situated on the fifth floor of the recently opened Maternal and Child Health (MCH) facility. He said this facility would not only serve…

New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) As obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) becomes a global health burden, a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in Indian adults has revealed that approximately 104 million (10.4 crore) Indians of working age may be suffering from the disease.According to the study done by researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi, about 11 per cent Indian adults suffer from OSA, with men at higher risk (13 per cent) compared to women (5 per cent).The study, published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, said OSA is a…

New Delhi, October 8 (IANS) Wars are costly, both economically and socially, with the impact not only on the belligerents but, as the fighting drags on, also on their overt and covert supporters. Outside bankrolling soon shrinks as fatigue and financial constraints kick in. The Ukraine conflict is a prime example.Now, in its 20th month, and no indications of any side gaining an edge, leave alone winning decisively, and no negotiated end on the horizon, the stalemate is causing a blowback in one key bastion of Ukrainian supporters – the European Union.While most of the European Union was united in…

New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) In the initial days after the mutiny of the Wagner mercenary group under its late leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in June this year, many experts argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been severely, perhaps fatally, weakened.His subsequent actions, however, demonstrated hiscontinuing mastery of the political situation in Russia, writes, Thomas E. Graham, distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.He purged senior military leaders of suspect loyalty, including General Sergey Surovikin, a close Prigozhin ally who once commanded Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. He compelled most Wagner fighters to join the Ministry of Defence.Prigozhin’s death…

Washington, Oct 8 (IANS) Indian-American lawmakers have been divided on military assistance to Ukraine, but are somewhat united in calling upon India to align itself with the US, choosing it over its long and historical ties with Russia.“It’s obvious that the United States would stand against Chinese aggression on the Line of Control (Line of Actual Control) far more than Russia or Putin would, and that we really need to press India to not be as dependent on Russian defensively and to be willing to condemn Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, just like we would condemn Chinese aggression beyond the Line…

Toronto, Oct 8 (IANS) Canada’s national weather service had publicly apologised and reissued an advisory, which singled out Diwali fireworks as a reason to prepare for poor air quality last October, a media report said.According to documents accessed by the Canadian Press, Environment Canada went ahead and published the advisory despite warnings by two meteorologists, saying that it could be perceived as “discriminatory”.The process of publishing the advisory began after November 2021 Diwali celebrations, when an air quality monitor picked up a small spike in air pollution in parts of the Greater Toronto Area, including Brampton and Mississauga.It moved the…

New York, Oct 7 (IANS) A team of scientists have discovered the impact of a multitude of genes that are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, but whose effects on human brain development were previously unknown.Studies have implicated at least 500 genes in such disorders. But scientists have no idea exactly how defects in most of these genes impair brain function.The new findings, led by a team from the Stanford University in the US, are likely to accelerate drug development for neurodevelopmental disorders.There are two main classes of neurons in the cerebral cortex: excitatory and inhibitory. Excitatory neurons fire impulses…

Herat, Oct 7 (IANS) At least 14 people were killed while nearly 80 injured after earthquakes jolted Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.Two 6.3-magnitude quakes hit western Afghanistan on Saturday, The Sun reported, citing the US Geological Survey.The epicentre was about 40 km northwest of the city of Herat and was followed by a 5.5-magnitude aftershock.”All people are out of their homes. Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes. Me and my family were inside our home, I felt the quake,”Herat city resident Abdul Shakor Samadi was quoted as saying by The Sun.He added…

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Over the last few months, Ukrainian forces have slowly regained territory in the Russian-occupied regions in southern and eastern parts of the war-torn nation.To date, the Ukrainians havereclaimed54 per cent of Russian-occupied land and are continuing to make progress, writes Mark Temnycky, a non-resident fellowat the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center for The Hill.But as Ukraine continues this success, others are becoming impatient. According to reports, some Westerners arepressuringKiev to speed up its counteroffensive in southern and eastern Ukraine.Others havepushedfor forced negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, believing that this is the best chance to end the…