United States

Gene that helps corals adapt to day and night revealed

Washington, September 13: Researchers have uncovered a gene in corals that responds to day/night cycles, which provides some tantalizing clues into how symbiotic corals work together with their plankton partners.

Corals are fascinating animals that form the largest biological constructions in the world, sprawling coral reefs that cover less than 0.2 per cent of the seafloor yet provide habitats for more than 30 per cent of marine life.

In shallow waters that don’t have abundant food, corals have developed a close relationship with small photosynthetic critters called dinoflagellates.

The dinoflagellates use sunlight to produce energy for the coral, which in turn use that energy to construct mineralized skeletons for protection.

War on terror: ‘Pakistan did not agree to new US rules of engagement’

Lahore, Sep 13: New rules of engagement authorising United States ground attacks inside Pakistan, signed by President George W Bush in July, were not agreed to by Islamabad, American and Pakistani officials have said.

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani was informed last month by senior US defence officials that if Pakistan failed to stem the flow of Taliban and other terrorist fighters into Afghanistan, the US would adopt a new strategy – one allowing ground strikes on targeted insurgent encampments.

The Washington Post quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying that General Kayani believed the strategy was still under discussion and that Pakistan’s counterinsurgency performance was improving.

Pak faces danger of schism in army if unilateral US strikes continue

Islamabad, Sep 13: Pakistan faces the potential danger of a schism in the army as there is a growing anti-American sentiment largely fuelled by the indiscriminate missile attacks and cross-border incursions.

The Pakistani military’s top brass finished a two-day summit on Friday that was called to consider how to respond to the US incursions in Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan.

Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani issued a strong statement before the meeting, calling the ground assault “reckless.”

Scientists may have found Australia’s first T-Rex

Scientists may have found Australia’s first T-RexWashington, September 13: Scientists might have found the skeletal evidence of Australia’s first Tyrannosaurus Rex, a ferocious dinosaur, in the outback of the state of Queensland.

According to a report in www. news. com. au, scientists digging at a secret location in central western Queensland found the fossils about two weeks ago, although it could be years before the bones are positively identified.

US strikes leave Zardari “between proverbial government and a hard place”

Islamabad, Sep 13 : US strikes leave Zardari “between proverbial government and a hard place”Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari after getting elected last week has tried to challenge public opinion by declaring the US-led fight against terror as “Pakistan’s own war,” but does not enjoy the support in the country, where there is growing anti-American sentiment largely fuelled by the indiscriminate American missile attacks and cross-border incursions.

Govt asserts 123 agreement will be legal document once operational

New Delhi, Sept 13 : The 123 agreement, when operational, will be a "legal document" in accordance with "well-recognised principles" of international law and the Law of Treaties, the External Affairs Ministry said last night. 

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Navtej Sarna said: “The Indo-U. S. civil nuclear cooperation will be guided only by the 123 agreement which clearly spells out the respective rights and obligations of the two countries. The Governments of India and the United States have agreed upon the text of the agreement. It is a public document”

This statement comes in the wake of American President George W Bush’s contention that the assured fuel supplies to India are "not legally binding".

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