London, Mar 27 : Scientists in Birmingham have created a living human ''brain'' - a development which they reckon could help them discover a cure for diseases like Alzheimer''s.

Aston University researchers have created tiny bundles of cells which act like a mini nervous system, reports Sky News.

Professor Michael Coleman, who is leading the research, said: "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cellular system.

"Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works."

The study involves altering cells from a cancer tumour and making them behave like brain cells.

London, Mar 27: ‘The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais’, a book on the future of tiny pots of fromage frais, has scooped the prize for oddest book title of 2008.

The book by Professor Philip M Parker landed The Diagram Prize for oddest book title of the year.

‘Baboon Metaphysics’ by Dorothy L Cheney and Robert M Seyfarth came in second place, and ‘Curbside Consultation of the Colon’ by Brooks D Cash in third.

The annual prize is run by the Bookseller magazine, reports The Telegraph.

London, Mar 27: British Army Chief General Sir Richard Dannatt is ready to send 2,000 troops to Afghanistan, increasing soldiers strength to 10,000.

General Dannatt fears that the US-led mission will struggle without significant reinforcements and is waiting British Cabinet approval to send additional troops to Afghanistan.

US President Barack Obama will announce on Friday an extra 17,000 US troops and a big rise in civilian officials as part of his new strategy in Afghanistan, The Times reported.

London, Mar. 27 : A client has claimed that a married British barrister with whom she had an affair charged her 250 pounds an hour for the time he spent having sex with her.

In legal papers filed before the London High Court, Anal Sheikh, 48, claimed that she enjoyed secret love trysts with high-flying solicitor Marc Beaumont, 46.

In a High Court writ, she alleged Beaumont charged her 250 pounds an hour while helping her to prepare a defence in a disciplinary case brought against her by the Law Society.

London, Mar. 27 : The revamped US strategy to counter militancy in Afghanistan and Pakistan is scheduled to be announced on Friday, but according to media reports the questionable relation between Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and banned terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) can seriously dent the Obama Administration's plans.

Sao Paolo - Next week's meeting of the world's largest economies at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in London would be a step toward transforming global power relations while the Group of Eight's (G8) role might have come to its end, British Trade Minister Peter Mandelson said.

The reforms expected at the London summit were a signal that the "era of the G8" is over, Mandelson - who accompanied Prime Minister Gordon Brown of G8 member Britain on a trip to Brazil - said Thursday at a speech in Sao Paolo.