Washington, Nov 9 : Social factors—including living in a rural county—may increase the risk of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), according to new study.

Several factors, such as older age and high weight gain, are known risk factors for pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy-related blood pressure disorders.

Now, the new study has found that belonging to rural county may be another risk factor for blood pressure disorders during pregnancy.

New Delhi/Chicago, Nov. 9 : Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is yet to receive a call from U. S. president-elect Barack Obama.

According to sources, officialdom in New Delhi is concerned that Obama has put Dr. Singh low on the list of world leaders he has telephoned since Thursday, though congratulatory messages have been sent by President Pratibha Patil and Dr. Singh soon after Obama won the race for the White House on November 4.

So far, Obama has spoken to 15 world leaders, including Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

London, Nov 9 : Nuclear power plants, which are smaller than a garden shed and are able to power 20,000 homes, shall be available within five years, according to a group of scientists.

Scientists at Los Alamos, the US government laboratory which developed the first atomic bomb, said that the miniature reactors will be factory-sealed and contain no weapons-grade material.

The experts added that they have no moving parts and will be nearly impossible to steal because they will be encased in concrete and buried underground.

The US government has licensed the technology to Hyperion, a New Mexico-based company which said last week that it has taken its first firm orders and plans to start mass production within five years.

The Jharkhand government h

Washington, Nov. 9: The Indian Government has reportedly expressed concern over US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General David Petraeus seeking advise from two Pakistani security consultants - Ahmed Rashid and Shuja Nawaz.

According to the Daily Times, Rashid is an acknowledged authority on the Taliban and Afghanistan, while Shuja Nawaz is the author of a book on the Pakistan Army.

Both have been named ‘consultants’ at the classified review starting in Florida this weekend. The aim is to review the war plans in Afghanistan and Iraq as the Barack Obama administration considers the wisdom of a troop surge in Afghanistan.

Patna, Nov 9 : A court in Patna has fixed November 14 for the hearing of a petition seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for instigating party activists to assault north-Indian aspirants for railway jobs in Mumbai.

The matter was listed for November 8, but could not be taken up. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Patna then decided that it would be heard on November 14.