Reports

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that Turkey failed to protect the life of journalist and human rights activist Hrant Dink has been welcomed by press freedom and human rights organisations around the world. The ECHR on Tuesday held Turkey guilty of failing to protect Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink when authorities knew his assassination was imminent, and of then failing to adequately investigate his murder. The court said in its ruling, "None of the three authorities informed...

Those who use their cellphone to talk about news of the day or even to express opinions about issues, are more likely to be civically and politically engaged, a study by a communications expert has revealed. The study was conducted by Scott Campbell, an assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan, US, and the study’s lead author. The co-author was Nojin Kwak, an associate professor in the university's Department of Communication Studies. Among the control variables...

Nectar, a symbol of well-being – the honey that millions buy believing it is pure, natural and healthy - is contaminated with high levels of antibiotics, fed to bees and is bad for our health, a leading environmental organisation in India has found. The findings are from a new study conducted by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Pollution Monitoring Laboratory, which had earlier tested colas for pesticides and toys for poisonous chemicals. The findings had shocked...

The brain’s right hemisphere is not involved in the initial processes of reading in Arabic, due to the graphic complexity of Arabic script. Therefore reading acquisition in Arabic is much harder in comparison to English, researchers have concluded. This has been shown in a series of studies that were carried out at the Department of Psychology and the Edmond J Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities at the University of Haifa. These studies have been published in the...

A wall painting (fresco) of Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune, was exposed during the 11th season of excavation at the Sussita site, on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee, which was conducted by researchers of the University of Haifa. Another female figure was found during this season, of a maenad, one of the companions of the wine god Dionysus. “It is interesting to see that although the private residence in which two goddesses were found was in existence during the Byzantine period, when...

For the first time in more than 10 years, there has been a confirmed sighting of one of the rarest and most enigmatic animals in the world, the saola ( Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) from the Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam. The Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (also known as Laos) has announced that in late August villagers in the central province of Bolikhamxay captured a saola and brought it back to their village. When news of the saola's capture reached Lao authorities...

Two leading organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure a better protection of the Virunga National Park, a World Heritage site in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The agreement, between UN-HABITAT and WWF, marks the first time the two agencies with different mandates have joined hands in an effort to pursue the same goal of recognising their mutual interest in the management of the Virunga National Park, and other protected areas. The two organisations will...

Worldwide application of a new standard for sustainable harvesting of wild medicinal, aromatic, dye and food plants and trees is charting new ways to protect the species and their habitats and benefit the communities that depend on them. In Karnataka, India, it is now possible to collect the resin of the white palle tree used in traditional Indian medicine and incense without removing the bark and killing the trees that provide it. In Cambodia, a new cooperative has boosted returns to medicinal...

The traditional practice of using night dreams to make major life decisions is in widespread use among modern Muslims, reveals a new study. Night dreams are being used to make choices on issues such as marriage, business, career development and politics. Research leader, Durham University anthropologist Dr Iain Edgar focused on the centuries-old practice of Istikhara, or Islamic 'dream incubation'. His study is the first comprehensive and the most contemporary academic study on Istikhara prayer...

The Fairy Queen, the oldest surviving functional steam engine in the world, is once again ready to haul a heritage train from India's capital New Delhi to Sariska National Park in Rajasthan state. This train, which is a great attraction among steam engine lovers across the globe, will run between Delhi Cantt. Station and Alwar from October 23 this year to March 12, 2011. However, the Northern Railway division of Indian Railways plans to run an additional trip on October 9 during the Commonwealth...