Washington, Feb 26 : Women who are fertile for more than 39 years and have natural menopause are at a lower risk of contracting Parkinson's disease, says a new study.

The study, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009, provides evidence that longer exposure to the body's own hormones may protect women from the disease.

Washington, Feb. 26 : Golfing champion Tiger Woods, who spent eight months recovering from knee surgery, has declared it is business as usual.

Woods, up against Australia's Brendan Jones, was playing for the first time since last June when he won the US Open before needing reconstructive knee surgery.

And despite a front-nine wobble that included bogeys at the third, fifth and seventh holes, world No 1 Woods roared to a 3 and 2 victory - thanks in part to an eagle at the par-five 13th.

Woods, 33, said: "I got off to a great start but there were some loose shots that followed in the middle of the round before I got it back on the 13th.

Ankara - The United states on Thursday welcomed Turkey's commitment to peace in the Middle East saying that the country had a "unique role" to play in the region said George Mitchell, the US special envoy for the Middle East.

"Turkey is a crucial ally of the United States and an important force for the peace and security in the Middle East," Mitchell said in Ankara after talks with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Washington, Feb. 26 : Over 52 million people watched President Obama’s first address to a joint session of Congress in prime time on Tuesday, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The TV audience, pegged at 52.4 million by Nielsen, does not include out-of-home or online viewers, the New York Times reports.

Nielsen said the address, which was broadcast roughly between 9 and 10:30 p. m., averaged a 49 share across 10 networks, which means that almost half of the people watching TV at the time were watching Obama’s speech.

Washington, Feb 26 : U. S. First Lady Michelle Obama has revealed that her family is planning to get a pet dog at the White House soon.

She said during an interview that the family would be getting the dog sometime after spring break, when she and President Barack Obama come back from vacation with their daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

"So Sasha says, 'April 1st.' I said, 'April.' She says, 'April 1st.' It's, like, April!" People magazine quoted her as saying.

"Got to do it after spring break. You can't get a new dog and then go away for a week," she added.

Lahore, Feb. 26: The United States has refused to comment on the Pakistan Supreme Court's decision to disqualify former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif form contesting elections, saying it is Pakistan's `internal matter'.

According to The Daily Times, a statement issued by the US State Department said: "The disqualification was an internal matter and Washington would not comment on it."