Junior Digest

New Delhi, Apr 8,2016 : Over 2,000 delegates from 25 countries will participate in a two-day international convention on integrating homeopathy in health-care beginning tomorrow.

The convention which is being organsied to mark “World Homeopathy day” by Liga Medicorum Homeopatica Internationalis (LMHI), an international body of homeopaths, and AYUSH ministry will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukjherjee at Vigyan Bhawan.

“World Homeopathy day is celebrated every year on April 10 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Samual Hahnemann, the German doctor who is the founder of homeopathy,” an official statement said.

“The theme of the convention is integrating homeopathy in healthcare and over 2000 delegates from 25 countries will be participating in it. An MoU between the Central Council of Research in Homeopathy (CCRH, Armenia State Medical University and College of homeopaths, Canada, will also be signed,” it added.

@ Agency report.

Houston : A 31-year-old US man has been charged with suffocating his two-year-old daughter to death for distracting him from his computer games, a media report said.

Anthony Michael Sanders was charged with capital murder in the December death of Ellie Sanders at the family’s suburban home in the US state of Texas, Watauga police said.

He is accused of suffocating his daughter while caring for her and his five-year-old son.

Investigators believe an enraged Sanders bruised Ellie all over her body, bit her on her back and murdered her by holding her down with his hand over her face, police officials said.

“He was very involved in computer gaming… That is something he did constantly. She may have interrupted him somehow. His day may have been interrupted,” police officer Babcock was quoted as saying by the Star-Telegram newspaper.

Tarrant County medical examiners ruled earlier this month that the infant’s death was a homicide by asphyxiation.

Sanders was asked to take care of Ellie and his son while his wife went to an art show, according to an arrest affidavit cited by the newspaper.

The boy discovered his sister in a bedroom and “tried to wake her up and she would not wake up”, Babcock said.

Detectives suspected foul play as doctors found fresh injuries when they examined the infant. They found bruises around her eyes, blood behind her ear and two adult bite marks on her back, according to the affidavit.

Sanders could not explain her injuries and claimed he had changed Ellie’s diaper about a half hour before his wife came home, according to investigators.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi:  More than half of people in rural areas still go for open defecation though things seems to be changing after construction of community toilets as part of Swachh Bharat Mission, a survey has found.

“In rural areas, the percentage of persons going for open defecation was estimated to be 52.1 per cent,” said a Rapid Survey on ‘Swachhta’ Status conducted by the NSSO during May-June 2015 covering 3,788 villages and 2,907 urban blocks.

The study further found that in rural areas, 55.4 per cent households contributed to open defecation.

The situation, however, is better in urban areas where the percentage of persons going for open defecation was estimated to be 7.5 per cent, as per the study.

It stated that out of 3,788 villages surveyed, 13.1 per cent villages in India were found to have community toilets.

“Out of the sample villages, at all India level, 1.7 per cent villages were found to be having the community toilets but not using them. 82.1 per cent of all the community toilets available in the villages were being used for defecation or washing purpose,” it said.

From the 2,907 city sample surveyed at all India level, 42 per cent wards were found to have community/public toilets. At all India level, 1.6 per cent wards were found to be having the community/public toilets but not using them, it said.

In rural areas, 45.3 per cent families reported to have toilets while in cities, 88.8 per cent households have the facility.

In villages, 95.6 per cent of persons from families having access to toilet at home or common facility was using it. Similarly the proportion of such persons was 98.7 per cent in cities. “36.7 per cent villages had pakki nali and 19.0 per cent villages had katchi nali as drainage arrangement for waste water coming out of the rural households. 44.4 per cent villages had no drainage arrangement,” it said.

In 54.9 per cent of villages having community toilets, cleaning was being done by the persons employed by the panchayat or on contract payment. In 17 per cent villages, it was being done by the residents themselves. However, 22.6 per cent villages were such where the community toilets were not being cleaned.

In cities, cleaning of community/public toilets was being done by the persons employed by the local municipal body in 73.1 per cent wards having these toilets. 12.2 per cent wards were such where the cleaning was being done by the persons employed by the residents’ welfare association.

However, community/public toilets in 8.6 per cent wards were not being cleaned by anybody, it added.

@ Agency report.

One of the three authors, Professor Colin McKenzie from Keio University told the Times: “Many countries are going to raise their retirement ages by delaying the age at which people are eligible to start receiving pension benefits. This means that more people continue to work in the later stages of their life.

“The degree of intellectual stimulation may depend on working hours. Work can be a double-edged sword, in that it can stimulate brain activity, but at the same time long working hours can cause fatigue and stress, which potentially damage cognitive functions.

“We point out that differences in working hours are important for maintaining cognitive functioning in middle-aged and elderly adults. This means that, in middle and older age, working part-time could be effective in maintaining cognitive ability.”

The research comes amid moves to edge the British state pension age closer to 70.

Currently for someone born in 1989, a state pension begins at the age of 68.

The government, however, will now review the pension age every five years with many people working past the formerly default retirement age of 65 out of choice or necessity.

@ Agency report.

New Delhi : In a significant order, Supreme Court today recalled its controversial judgement scrapping single common entrance test (NEET) for admission to MBBS, BDS and PG courses in all medical colleges, saying it was delivered by a majority verdict without any discussion among members of the bench headed by then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir on the day of his retirement.

A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Justice A R Dave were unanimous in saying that the July 18, 2013, 2:1 verdict of the three-judge bench, which had paved the way for private colleges to conduct their own examination, “needs reconsideration” as “the majority view has not taken into consideration some binding precedents”.

“Suffice it is to mention that the majority view has not taken into consideration some binding precedents and more particularly, we find that there was no discussion among the members of the Bench before pronouncement of the judgment,” the apex court said.

“We, therefore, allow these review petitions and recall the judgment dated July 18, 2013 and direct that the matters be heard afresh. The review petitions stand disposed of as allowed,” it said.

Justice Dave in the 2013 verdict had given a dissenting verdict, while Justice Vikramjit Sen (since retired) had shared the views and findings of then CJI Kabir on the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

The verdict, delivered on the day when CJI Kabir demitted office, had created a buzz in the apex court corridors as an advocate had posted on a social networking site about the outcome in advance.

Interestingly, Justice Dave then too in his dissenting judgement had said the three judges of the bench “had no discussion on the subject due to paucity of time” which is normally done.

Allowing the petitions seeking review of the controversial 2013 judgement, the bench also comprising justices A K Sikri, R K Agrawal, Adarsh Kumar Goel and R Banumathi

ordered the petitions filed by Christian Medical College, Vellore and others, on which the verdict was delivered, “be heard afresh”.

@Agency report.

New York, Apr 24 ,2014: A plan is underway to donate former WWE wrestler Chyna’s brain to science, says her manager.

“We want to donate her brain. We want to know what made Chyna tick,” manager Anthony Anzaldo said.

He said lawyers reached out to him long before Chyna’s death Wednesday to test her interest in joining a brain injury lawsuit against the WWE, reported the New York Daily News.

They did not want any part in litigation but were intrigued by the science, he said.

“When she died, they called me again and asked, ‘Can we have her brain,'” Anzaldo said.

“My hope is that we can do it. I’m in the process of getting the permission to speak on behalf of family to tell the coroner it’s okay to release it.”

He identified the doctor involved as Dr Bennet Omalu, the famed forensic pathologist who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) by examining professional football players.

The true story of Dr Omalu’s fight to make the NFL recognize CTE was brought to the big screen by Will Smith last year.

@ Agency report.