Recent research has shown that intelligent men produce better quality sperm. The research was carried out to asses the idea that intelligence is favored by natural selection.

Research team at King's College London analysed data from 4,462 former US soldiers who had served during the Vietnam War. The soldiers took several intelligence tests and underwent a detailed medical examination. Semen samples were also provided by 425 soldiers. Data analysis showed small but statistically significant correlation between intelligence and three measures of sperm quality.

The World Health Organisation said that the number of deaths caused by measles dropped 74% in the past seven years worldwide, thanks to dramatic progress in Africa and nations including Afghanistan and Pakistan, The number of deaths dropped by half a million between 2000 and 2007, from an estimated 750,000 to 197,000.

There has been 89% drop in measles deaths in Africa which is two-thirds of the global reduction. There was 90% decrease in deaths caused by measles in the eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan from 96,000 to 10,000.

Recent study revealed that deadly lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) makes patients three times more prone to severe cardiac events such as a heart attack.

Research team analysed data from the computerised records of the Britain's Health Improvement Network for 920 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and
3,593 control subjects without IPF for diagnoses of coronary events and disease incidence.

President Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday that Pakistan is awaiting "concrete proof" on suspicions that a Pakistan-based militant group was behind Mumbai attacks. Meanwhile recently discovered evidence indicate that the Mumbai attacks were controlled from at least two Pakistani cities by top leaders of the Pakistan-based terror group LeT, prime suspect in last week's attacks.

"Pakistan is currently doing its own internal investigation and is waiting for concrete proof to be handed over to us," Zardari told reporters after a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Turkey and Afghanistan.

After the Mumbai attacks, Delhi has put bilateral talks with Islamabad on hold.

"The talks are on hold till the atmosphere is conducive for such an engagement. It's not possible to carry on the dialogue in this atmosphere," revealed highly-placed sources.

The decision has come in the wake of emergence of fool-proof evidence of the involvement of not only Pakistan-based elements but also its Inter Services Intelligence
(ISI) in the Mumbai blasts.