London, November 27: Dogs’ wet noses often leave their owners wondering what purpose do they serve apart from making a mess of windows and clothes, but now an American research team has finally found out that they are vital to the extraordinary ability of canines to sniff out anything from cocaine to cancer.

Lead researcher Brent Craven, of the Pennsylvania State University, says that the layer of mucus in a dog's nose helps them pick up scents.

London, Nov 27: Last night’s terror strikes in Mumbai, in which nearly 80 people are feared dead so far, has cast doubts on the ongoing tour of England cricket team, e specially after news reports emerged that the terrorists particularly shot dead foreign citizens, particularly those from US or UK.

The English team is scheduled to play two more ODIs and two Tests.

England team sources said that they would take advice from their country’s foreign ministry whether to continue their tour, or immediately cancel it.

Hanoi (Vietnam), Nov.

Beijing  - China put the blame for its postponement of next week's China-EU summit on French President Nicolas Sarkozy because of the EU president's plans to meet the Dalai Lama.

China delayed the summit that had been planned for Monday in Lyon, France, because the atmosphere for it was poor and it would not achieve its expected goals, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Wednesday night, according to a report in the official Xinhua news agency.

Tokyo  - Japan's National Police Agency plans to invite Afghan officers for training in December, it said Thursday.

About 10 Afghan police officers are to visit Japan for about two weeks starting Monday to learn about such things as Japan's crime laboratory techniques and its koban police box system, which places mini-police stations in communities for closer contact with the public.

The Afghan police are to receive lectures on policing, recruiting and fighting narcotics.