Flying Car to become a Reality soon

WASHINGTON: The Flying Cars will soon become a reality! Efforts are on to develop a car with the wings, which is scheduled to be launched next year. The Flying Car is being developed by Terrafugia, a company based in Woburn, Mass. According to experts, it won't be easy to drive the car with wings, as it would still require a runway for landing and take-off. The car is designed to fly below 10,000 feet. It can fly under bad weather conditions. The base price of the Flying Car is set at $194,000 and may cost more when it will be ready. The car will also feature a radio, transponder and plane parachute. Terrafugia has already received 70 orders for the Flying Car. The Flying Car has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Gas mileage on the road is about 30 mpg. Hopefully, it will be imported to India too after its dream lunch. So, James Bond's 'Flying Car' will soon fly in the air.

Present situation of AIDS in the world

BEIJING: The 18th International AIDS Conference will take place in Vienna, Austria, on July 18-23. About 25,000 delegates from around the world will discuss the current situation of AIDS as well as preventive measures to fight the pandemic. Following is some basic knowledge on AIDS and the current situation of this disease in the world: AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid and breast milk. This transmission can involve sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids. The average delitescence of HIV virus in the human body is 12 to 13 years. Ever since it was first recognized in 1981 by American researchers, AIDS has become a worldwide pandemic attracting the attention of the whole world as a major public health hazard and a controversial social issue. In June 2001, the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS issued a Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS, pledging a coordinated action plan for all countries to fight the disease with the goal of starting to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. Statistics from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS show that around the world, an estimated 33.4 million people now live with HIV. A further breakdown shows that 22.4 million of these people live in Sub-Saharan Africa, 4.7 million in Asia, 2.3 million in North America and Central and Western Europe, 2 million in Latin America and 1.5 million in Eastern Europe. Moreover, an estimated 2.7 million HIV/AIDS infectors are added each year around the world, with 2 million new infectors from Sub-Saharan Africa. About 2 million people die of the disease every year, with 1.7 million from Sub-Saharan Africa. Drug abuse has become one of the major factors fostering the spread of AIDS. Currently around the world about 3 million people consume drug by injection and in some countries, up to 40 percent injecting drug users carry HIV virus. At present the total fund needed for preventing and treating AIDS across the world each year has increased to over $16 billion. The number of AIDS patients receiving treatment around the world now has reached 4.7 million, 10 times as many as the 2005 figure. But as many as 11 million patients have not received due treatment. While AIDS has so far remained incurable, it is nevertheless totally preventable. A healthy lifestyle, especially keeping away from drugs, is the most effective way to prevent this deadly disease. “AIDS is no longer a sexy topic. White America has moved on and Black America is in denial. We’re so paralyzed by the stigma and shame that we ignore it. That’s disheartening to me,” Lewis-Thornton told the Defender. HIV/AIDS is the number one killer of African-American women between ages 25 and 44. African Americans are three times more likely to have HIV/AIDS than any other racial group; and African-American women accounted for an estimated 69 percent of new infections for women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oil falls below $76 as poor U.S. data fans econ fears

PERTH: Oil prices fell below $76 a barrel on Monday, extending the previous session's decline, on concern about the U.S. economic outlook after data showed consumer sentiment fell to a near one-year low. News that the IMF and European Union has suspended a review of Hungary's funding programme at the weekend has also ignited fresh eurozone jitters, as the country will not have access to remaining funds in its $25.1 billion loan package set up in 2008 until the review is concluded. However, analysts said marginal slide in oil prices shows that crude was receiving ample support at above $74 a barrel, thanks to bullish inventory reports that showed large drawdowns in U.S. crude stocks over the past three weeks. U.S. crude for August delivery CLc1 fell 22 cents to $75.75 a barrel by 0126 GMT. The contract settled down 61 cents at $76.01 a barrel on Friday, closing the week 8 cents lower than the previous week. London Brent crude LCOc1 retreated 5 cents to $75.23. "The price decline looked mild considering the 2.5 percent slide in the Dow. The consumer sentiment report would have put the oil longs on the back foot," said Mark Pervan, chief of commodities research at Australia & New Zealand Bank. "The stickier oil price move may be reflecting bullish inventory reports over the past three weeks showing larger than expected declines in U.S. crude supplies and a pickup in underlying demand." Weak energy costs pushed U.S. consumer prices down for a third straight month in June while consumer sentiment dropped to a near one-year low in July, highlighting the sluggishness of the economic recovery. In the eurozone, analysts at Informa Global Markets said uncertainty over Hungary's funding programme has prompted a steep rise in the country's funding costs ahead of Friday's banks stress test results. Asian stocks are set to drop on Monday, as poor data and disappointing results stoked fears over the state of the global economy, with Japan's markets closed for a holiday. In a sign of reversing risk appetite, the U.S. dollar index .DXY rose 0.17 percent against a basket of currencies, as the market volatility index .VIX rose 4.4 percent on Friday. Dismal consumer sentiment data and anaemic revenues from GE and two big banks slammed U.S. stocks on Friday, driving down major indexes more than 2 percent. The slide in the S&P 500 was a decisive break of an 8 percent rise over the last two weeks as investors lost hope that strong earnings could overcome doubts about the economic outlook. After poor economic data and an unexpected downturn in sentiment on quarterly earnings, Wall Street will face a tough time battling back from the latest sell-off this week, analysts said.

70 dead in India train crash

KOLKATA: The death toll in India’s West Bengal train accident has gone up from 60 to 70 while over 90 passengers are said to have sustained injuries. “A total of 70 persons, including three railway employees, have lost their lives in the accident when three rear coaches including one luggage van and two unreserved general second class coaches of the Vananchal Express were affected,” an Eastern Railway said in a statement. The accident took place at around 2 am on Monday, Jul 19 when the Sealdah-bound passenger train, Uttarbanga Express rammed into another passenger train Vananchal Express. Earlier the death toll was put up at 49 while the number of injured was estimated to be between 130 to 150.

Civil nuclear pact to wait till removal of concerns: Clinton

Updated at: 1907 PST,  Monday, July 19, 2010  ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday said that US experts have been engaging with Pakistan team over civilian nuclear program but ruled out its transfer to Pakistan unless the international community and IAEA are satisfied on the matter. Addressing TV anchors and members of civil society here, the visiting US Secretary of State said evidence exists of the involvement of ‘Dr. Qadeer Khan network’ in proliferation of nuclear technology through ‘all kinds of different channels’.