Istanbul - In the first few hours following the inauguration of Barack Obama as US president, a change of direction has become perceptible in the three areas most sensitive to the Arab world: The presence of US troops in Iraq; the Arab-Israeli conflict; and the abuse of human rights suspected at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

Melbourne, Jan 21 : Gun-toting Digital heroine Lara Croft is heading for a makeover, and will be showing even more skin in her next adventure.

Considering the waning popularity of the video game protagonist and economic downturn, rumours are abuzz that the next Tomb Raider game will be rated M rather than T
(for teen) - meaning it will be either sexier or bloodier, which may see efforts to make her more female-friendly.

New Delhi, Jan. 21 : The National Conference of Ministers of Housing, Urban Development and Municipal Administration has recommended that 2010 be declared as the "Year for Affordable Housing".

The other eleven recommendations of the conference, which met on Tuesday are:

1. State specific policy focusing on Affordable Housing with supporting action plans for augmenting supply of land at affordable prices should be developed.

2. States to draw up the road map and a vision for `Slum Free City'.

Amsterdam - Dutch Queen Beatrix and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende congratulated Barack Obama on his inauguration as 44th US president, the Dutch Royal Communication Office RVD said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Queen Beatrix sent the US president a telegram Tuesday night, wishing him "success."

Balkenende sent Obama a letter on behalf of the government following Tuesday's inauguration ceremony.

Panaji (Goa), Jan. 21 : The Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare met here on Tuesday to review the progress of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in various states.

Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NRHM) G C Chaturvedi presented the key features of the mission and the state wise progress on key benchmark indicators.

Members appreciated the remarkable progress made by the mission in the short span of time and recommended that the allocation of funds for the NRHM should be enhanced over the years.

Gaza City/Tel Aviv - Dr Nafiz Abu Shaban says he has been working for 24 years at Gaza City's Shifa hospital, 15 of them as the head of plastic surgery and the Burns Unit.

But he has never seen such burns before.

During Israel's 22-day offensive in Gaza, patients arrived at his hospital with wounds that continued burning long after the explosion in which they were injured.

The wounds gradually become whiter and then toxic. Even small burns continue to expand. In some cases, the patient's condition deteriorates and results in death.