Washington, Oct. 22 : A political scientist has predicted significant gains for the Democratic Party in the 2008 congressional elections—including 11 seats in the U. S. House of Representatives and three seats in the U. S. Senate.

Carl Klarner of Indiana State University published his forecast in the October 2008 issue of PS: Political Science and Politics, a journal of the American Political Science Association (APSA).

The House and Senate forecasts were made in late July 2008, and Klarner’s model focuses on the percent of the major-party vote that the Democratic candidate received in a state or district.

Washington, Oct 22 : A research team, involving an Indian origin scientist, has developed a new self-assembling hydrogel drug delivery system that can ill not only deliver clinically approved drugs in high concentrations, but also do away with any toxic residue in the process.

Developed by scientists from Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology (HST) at Brigham and Women''s Hospital, the system is biocompatible, efficient at drug release, and is also easy to tailor.

The structures will do way with carriers for the drug or generating toxic components—a problem encountered with hydrogel systems until now.

New Delhi, Oct 22 : Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today said that India''s airline companies are to repay upto 28 billion rupees outstanding aviation fuel dues to state-run refineries by March 2009 in six monthly installments.

Talking to reporters after meeting with Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora, Patel said that oil firms have agreed to raise the credit period for local carriers to 90 days from 60 days, and refineries would revise jet fuel prices every 15 days instead of 30 days.

Kampala  - Most of the estimated 30,000 children abducted by Ugandan rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) during its two- decade-long war with the government were sold to fight in Sudan's restive Darfur province, Uganda's Daily Monitor reported Wednesday.

The children were first forced by the LRA to fight and commit atrocities. Afterward, they were sold to various rebel armies in Darfur to fight or to serve as sex slaves, the newspaper quoted Stephen Kagoda, permanent secretary in the Ministry for Internal Affairs, as telling parliament.

Riga/Vilnius - The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff Admiral Michael G Mullen was in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Wednesday at the end of a brief but highly symbolic visit.

He had talks with President Valdas Adamkus less than a day after his eight-car motorcade cut a swathe through Riga's evening rush hour to drop him at Riga castle to see Latvian president Valdis Zatlers.

Mullen's Baltic detour came immediately after the conclusion of talks in Helsinki where top military leaders from the United States and Russia met Tuesday for the first time since this summer's war between Russia and Georgia.

New Delhi, Oct 22 : Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today condemned last evening blast in Imphal in which 17 people were killed and 34 other injured.

In his message, the Home Minister said, "I condemn the bomb blast which took place in Imphal. I convey my condolences to the bereaved families and pray for quick recovery of the injured."