Washington, Dec 3 - Married people are living longer these days, but the widowed are experiencing a higher mortality rate, according to new research.

"With the improvements in medical technology, it seems all population groups should be healthier and living longer," Hui Liu said of the growing mortality rate for the widowed. She is study author and assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University (MSU).

Research from as far back as 1858 has shown that married people generally live longer than non-married, but little is known how this relationship has changed over time in the US. Liu set out to explore recent trends in mortality by marital status.

London, November 28 : A Scottish brewery has launched what it claims to be the world''s strongest beer, and has advised drinkers to take it in small measures.

BrewDog brewers of Fraserburgh tagged the "Tactical Nuclear Penguin", a 32 per cent proof tipple, as its "most audacious and ambitious project to date".

Just 500 bottles were said to have been produced and half of them put on sale for 30 pounds each.

London, November 25 : A hotel chain in the UK is offering discount to customers who will check in their mothers-in-law over Christmas.

Branches of Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express hotels have come up with a special room rate for mothers-in-law between December 23 and 29.

Clients can avail a discount of as much as 25 per cent with the promise of a stress-free festive period, reports Sky News.

Relationship expert Kirsten Gronning said the number of arguments shoot up fivefold during Christmas.

She said: "Christmas can be an extremely stressful period, especially for the family planning and catering for it." (ANI)

London, November 23 : A new book, entitled 150 Things Every Man Should Know, offers to help men through the minefield of being a male.

The tome by Gareth May hands out pointers about certain skills, which apparently all lads would find indispensable, such as the correct etiquette in a urinal, hiding a lovebite, or spotting artificial breasts.

British tabloid The Sun handpicked some favourites from the 14.99 pound book.

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Washington, Nov 20 : When it comes to choosing a partner, people prefer marrying those with similar ancestry, but their decisions are not necessarily based on hair, eye or skin colour, according to a new study.

The study shows that Mexicans mate according to proportions of Native American to European ancestry, while Puerto Ricans are more likely to settle down with someone carrying a similar mix of African and European genes.

Hamburg  - Heike Bork was able to rescue herself - and her letters - by running screaming to her car when the German shepherd suddenly tore loose from its line.

"He was just lying there peacefully when I stopped at the letter box," said the 43-year-old postwoman, adding that since the incident fear has accompanied her on her rounds.

Germany's mail carriers do indeed live dangerously: About 600 of them annually suffer such serious injuries when attacked by dogs that they must take a day, sometimes even a week, off work.

Brussels  - Young women perform better than their male counterparts on their final university exams and are on average finished with their studies sooner.

In Germany for example the number of female freshmen at colleges and universities has been greater than the number of men for many years.

Despite these statistics one thing remains stubbornly the same: Women in top positions at large enterprises and important economic institutions are still a rarity. Economics and finance are still largely a male domain within the European Union.

Stone City, Zanzibar - They shimmer in bright colours, have patterns in multiple hues and they are adorned with messages written in Swahili.

They are called kangas and are part of every day life for the women of east Africa, particularly Kenya and Tanzania. Tradition-conscious women wear them as sarongs or as headscarves.

Some babies slumber in kanga carriers slung over their mother's back. Fashion-conscious young African women like to buy designer clothes cut from kangas. The colourful cloth with a message has long been more than just an accessory of an old-fashioned granny in a village.

Hamburg  - Asterix, the world's most famous Gaul just turned 50, bringing all of Europe into a fever about the comic book hero.

Well, all of Europe aside from Volker Pallapies of Minden, in northern Germany. He was way ahead of everyone else, he says, having collected Germany's largest collection of figures related to Asterix.

Berlin - Many women comb their hair when it's wet and end up with a wad of hair in their comb and a hurting scalp.

It's easier to comb hair when it's dry, said Stefanie Koehn, president of an association of hair stylists in Germany. That's because wet hair is supple and can easily be overstretched. When it's combed it can be like elastic and pull out from the root.

Long hair in particular should be combed starting at the tips. First comb through any tangles there, then comb through the hair from the root to the tips.

London, November 18 : One in six children in Britain confessed grabbing takeaways at meal times each day, according to a poll.

A survey of 3,000 people by the Stroke Association revealed that half of the children did not know the quick and easy option foods were loaded with salt, reports the Daily Express.

As many as 40 per cent said they did not know how much was too much salt and almost a third were least bothered about their sodium intake.

Joe Korner, director of communications for the Stroke Association, said: “High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for stroke. Eating too much salt on a regular basis, as well as not exercising, can contribute to this.” (ANI)

A 9% rise in profits was recently forwarded by online fashion retailer ASOS for the first half. The company explained that it is confident for the rest of the year and is not bothered by slower sales growth. In the six months to 30th September, pre-tax profits of £4.4 million were reported by the firm, which was higher from £4.05 million last year, bolstered by international sales and tighter cost controls.

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London, Nov 15 : Move over hotels, islands and yachts - some of the world''s wealthiest people are nowadays forking over 70,000 dollars each for a computer drive containing their personal genome sequences.

Up till now, less than a hundred members of the global elite have received the latest must-have accessory, but according to The Times, the list is growing.

The USB drive contains a digital version of its owner''s human genome, sequenced and decoded and ready to be browsed on a home computer, The Times reported.

Courtesy the USB drive, the information in it can provide insight into what ailments could threaten the person''s life - possibly allowing the person to take steps to minimize those medical risks.

Kuala Lumpur, Nov 12 : A bigger bra size not only gives your sex appeal a boost but also reflects your intelligence, suggests a new survey.

A study conducted in the United States showed that women with big breasts are smarter than those who are less endowed.

Referring to a Singapore newspaper article, Sin Chew Daily revealed that the study was aimed to find out whether the size of a woman’s bust affected her brainpower.

The study, conducted by a female researcher in Chicago, involved 1,200 women.

The subjects were divided into five groups, from extra small to extra big, reports The Star Online.

Amsterdam  - Women are not less ambitious than men, according to study in the Netherlands.

The study, carried out by a team of researchers from the Radboud University in Nijmegen and Research en Beleid, a public policy research bureau, said women find it just as important as men to develop themselves personally and professionally.

However, the study found, women are more focused on content and depth, while men concentrate on "hierarchical growth" and salary.

Berlin  - Cerebral palsy is the medical term for the neurological disorder which has confined 24-year-old Kathrin Lemler to a wheelchair since childhood.

Most people would consider her life to be severely impaired but Kathrin from the central German state of Rhineland Palatinate literally does not see things that way. She uses her eyes to control a speech computer and the rest of her life too.

Nairobi  - Daniel Chege Gichia, 39, and Charles Ngengi, 40, promised to love and be faithful to each other recently before a London justice of the peace.

The two had only a vague idea how their union would affect their lives back home in Kenya because they are the first married gay couple in the east African country. The initial reaction to their homosexual marriage was overwhelmingly opposed.

London, November 11 : The humble Scotch egg is the most loved snack served in British bars, says a poll.

The eggs knocked off triple-cooked chips and sausage rolls to the second and third place respectively to claim the best snack title.

Wrapping up the top five in the survey, by Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, were pork scratchings, sausages and pickled eggs, reports the Daily Express.

Chef Antony Worrall Thompson said: “Give me a Scotch egg with some piccalilli and I am in heaven – to me it is the best form of snack food.

The consumer care and Lighting business of Wipro has agreed to buy Yardley business in Asia, Middle East, Australiasia and certain African markets for $45.5 million from UK-based privately-held Lornamead Group.

But, the Lornamead Group will retain the Yardley business in Europe and the Americas.

Yardley sells body sprays, talcum power, soaps and other toiletries.

The revenue run-rate of the business for FY10 is $24 million (around Rs 112.8 crore).