Lusaka, Zambia - The results of Zambia's presidential by- election were trickling in Friday, showing opposition leader Michael Sata polling well in his strongholds in the capital Lusaka and the Copperbelt mining region.

Results from 16 constituencies in the Copperbelt showed him leading acting president Rupiah Banda by around two votes to one.

Sata had also taken two constituencies in Lusaka region, including Lusaka Central, while Banda had won two constituencies in his home region of Eastern Province.

With only around 20 of a total 150 constituencies announced, it was too early to call the election for either candidate. The final results could take several days.

Tel Aviv - Israeli Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has sent a message to Syria, saying he wants to step up peace negotiations with Damascus now that it has become clear he will stay in power for a few more months, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday.

Olmert asked Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul in a meeting in Tel Aviv to convey the message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Yediot Ahronot reported.

Olmert resigned last month from the premiership and the leadership of his ruling Kadima party to fight corruption allegations.

London, Oct 31: A new research has pinpointed some of the genetic changes that allowed vampire bats to evolve to subsist on a diet of pure blood.

According to a report in New Scientist, key among those changes is a knack for keeping their meals from coagulating, which they do with the help of a gene found in other animals – plasminogen activator.

In humans, the gene protects against heart attack by producing proteins that bust up blood clots and clear vessels.

Previous research had shown that vampire bats activate the gene in their saliva, too.

London, Oct 31: The Communists in USSR have accused new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko of ‘betraying'' the Soviet people in the new 007 flick ‘Quantum of Solace’.

The Communist Party of St Petersburg has condemned the Ukrainian actress, who plays Bond''s sidekick in the latest Bond adventure, for aiding “the killer of hundreds of Soviet people and their allies”.

Bharti Airtel Limited, India’s leading integrated telecom services provider, has declared the results for the three and six month period ended September 30, 2008.

The company has once again maintained its strong growth momentum.

For the quarter, the consolidated total revenues grew 42% to Rs 9,020 crore, while EBITDA stood at Rs 3,699 crore, up 37%, on a year on year basis.

The company’s net income for the three-month period ended Sep 30, 2008, rose 27% to Rs 2,046 crore over last year.