Washington, Oct 28 : Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has promised to restore economic prosperity and a sense of “higher purpose” to a tired, embattled nation. 

“We are one week away from changing America,” the Democratic presidential candidate proclaimed, campaigning with the confidence of a contender nearing victory. 

Washington, Oct 28 : New evidence has emerged after an excavation in Jordan that gives scientific credence to certain Biblical events and characters.

Led by Thomas Levy of UC San Diego and Mohammad Najjar of Jordan’s Friends of Archaeology, an international team of archaeologists has excavated an ancient copper-production center at Khirbat en-Nahas down to virgin soil, through more than 20 feet of industrial smelting debris, or slag.

The 2006 dig has brought up new artifacts and with them a new suite of radiocarbon dates placing the bulk of industrial-scale production at Khirbat en-Nahas in the 10th century BCE – in line with biblical narrative on the legendary rule of David and Solomon.

Washington, Oct 28: A new study conducted on mice has found a link between the immune system and anxiety.

The research team from Rockefeller and Columbia universities have found that mast cells, which have an important role to play in immune system, directly influence how mice respond to stressful situations.

Previous study by Columbia University scientists had shown that mast cells travel to the brain from other organs early on in development.

"We now knew that mast cells resided in the brain but we didn''t know their function," said Rockefeller University''s Donald Pfaff, head of the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior.

Washington, Oct 28 : American actress Hilary Swank has made an appeal to women to cut off their hair, and donate them to a charity that makes wigs for women with cancer.

Swank donated her own hair after chopping them off for her role as aviator Amelia Earheart in a new movie.

She is now campaigning for Beautiful Lengths to encourage other women to make a contribution, by giving their hair to those who lose it when they undergo chemotherapy.

“One in three women are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. A lot of my family members have had their lives devastated by cancer,” Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

New York, Oct 28 : American actress Lindsay Lohan’s father Michael says that he regrets his outbursts at his daughter’s girlfriend Samantha Ronson.

Michael even apologized for having called Ronson “dark, hideous and a disgusting representation of humanity”, in an e-mail to X-17 online in September.

“I definitely regret all the things I said about Samantha,” the New York Daily News quoted him as telling New York magazine.

“I’m a Christian. I should not pass judgement on anyone,” he stated.

The Mean Girls star retaliated by writing on MySpace, asking him to stay out of her life.

Washington, Oct 28 : Hollywood actress Natalie Portman is all set to act in “ Love and Other Impossible Pursuits”, a film adaptation of an Ayelet Waldman novel that will be directed by Don Roos.

The flick will feature Hollywood actor Scott Cohen and Charlie Tahan alongside Portman.

The flick is based on a young woman, played by Portman, who finds the key to recovering her marriage in her relationship with her precocious stepson.

The project is the first ever flick funded by Incentive Filmed Entertainment, the financing entity, which was unveiled by William Morris at the Cannes film fest.