New York  - Researchers in Canada have developed a blood test that could make it possible to detect mad cow disease in animals months before they exhibit symptoms of the illness.

"That would be a great breakthrough because then we would not have to examine the brain of the dead animal, instead we'd have a simple, quick test, similar to a paternity test," German molecular biologist Christoph Sensen of the University of Calgary told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa in an interview on Friday.

New York  - Pfizer faces a shareholder lawsuit over its takeover of multi-billion dollar rival Wyeth, with the smaller firm's stockholders alleging the deal undervalues the company, Bloomberg financial news reported Friday.

The world's largest pharmaceuticals maker Pfizer Inc announced Monday that it would purchase Wyeth in a deal worth 68 billion dollars.

The suit filed by Wyeth shareholders in a Newark, New Jersey court on Tuesday alleges the firm's directors breached their duty by not getting a better price.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on Sri Lanka's warring parties on Friday to open a safe corridor and allow an estimated 250,000 civilians trapped in the fighting to escape.

Ban welcomed President Mahinda Rajapaksa's announcement of safe passage for all civilians trapped in the area of intense fighting in the North to a secure environment. But he said serious concern remained for the 250,000 civilians caught in the area close to the fighting.

New York  - The United Nations said Friday Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have gone from an "overwhelming grief to a pervasive sense of anger" as they continue to face the reality of the destruction of their community and shortage of daily essentials.

"People here are coming to term with a new reality, with tens of thousands of them have no homes anymore and also the aid efforts are hampered by the lack of access," said John Ging, the head of the UN relief agency for Palestinians in Gaza.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Friday the decision by Zimbabwe's main opposition party to join President Robert Mugabe's government following five months of a political rift.

Ban said in a statement that Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai was complying with an agreement reached last September and the recent demand by the Southern African Development Community heads of state for a government of national unity in Zimbabwe.

New York, Jan 30: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner has a unique way of getting over heartbreaks - date more ladies.

The octogenarian says he''s so over his former girlfriends thanks to his new loves.

"The best solution to lost love is new love," The New York Daily News quoted Hugh Hefner, as telling E! News.

Hefner quickly bounced back after longtime girlfriends Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt headed for the hills in October last year, making way for younger loves - 19-year-old twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon and 22-year-old Crystal Harris.

"I wouldn''t trade places with anybody," he said.