Lifestyle

A study carried out in the United Kingdom revealed that the life expectancy for men could be reduced by 10–15 years after the age of 50 due to smoking. The British Medical Journal carried out a study over a time period of 38 years in the United Kingdom which examined the health of 19,000 men aged 40–69. They were examined between 1967–1970. After tracing the history of the men, the survey revealed that smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol reduced the life expectancy of men by 10–15 years after they reached the age of 50. The rese

British chef Keith Floyd has died at the age of 65 after a heart attack in Dorset, England. Keith Floyd was best known for his cookery programmes, particularly on British television channel BBC, although he has also featured on shows on ITV. He was arguably most popular for his Floyd on series, with shows like Floyd on Food, Floyd on Spain, Floyd on Italy etc. He also presented Floyd on GMTV in 1998. Keith had been presenting programmes from 1984 to 2001. On July 29, it was reported that Floyd had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in June. Aft

A spokesman for the Indonesian government has said that at least 38 people were killed following flash flooding in the North Sumatra province on Tuesday. The flood, which began in the early morning, struck the Mandailing Natal Regency, 275 kilometres from the provincial capital, Medan. The country's health ministry crisis centre leader, Rustam Pakaya, said the floods began at 2:00 local time (UTC+7) and soon reached a depth of two metres. Pakaya said that rescue efforts were hampered by muddy roads. "Our latest information from the local dis

Keiichi Iwasaki, a 36-year-old Japanese tourist has spent eight years cycling more than 45,000km across 37 countries with the equivalent of just $2 in his pocket, relying on his bicycle for transport. Iwasaki left his home for a short tour through Japan in 2001. He liked the trip so much that he extended his trip and hitched a ride on a ferry to South Korea and began to travel the world. "Most travellers and adventurers need money but instead of giving up an opportunity to travel the world I want to clarify that dreams can come true if you ha

A World Health Organisation study published in The Lancet has revealed the main causes of death for people aged 10–24. It has described the majority of these deaths as preventable and suggested solutions to the problems. 97% of the 2.6 million fatalities annually occur in low- and middle-income countries. The age group comprises 1.8 billion people, 30% of the total population. 15% of female deaths were down to "maternal mortality" which included pregnancy complications, unsafe abortions, and mutilation of genitals. Road traffic accidents ac

The Mexican government has said that an Aeroméxico Boeing-737, flight 576 from Cancun, was hijacked and landed safely at Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City. The plane was traveling from Cancun to Mexico City. The situation ended without incident and all passengers and crew on board the aircraft were able to leave safely. All hijackers were arrested after Mexican security forces boarded the plane. The incident began just after 1:30 p.m. (CDT) one man took control of the plane and demanded to speak to Felipe Calderon, Mexico's pre

According to the United Nations' humanitarian agency, severe flooding in Burkina Faso has affected over 100,000 people, following the country's heaviest rainfall for ninety years. Thousands of homes in the vicinity of Ouagadougou, the country's capital, have been destroyed by the waters. Officials requested international aid for those affected by the disaster. "I would like to join the government's appeal for blankets, clothes and food, because there really is an urgent need for these things," Ouagadougou's mayor Simon Compaore said. The Bel

A study performed at Edinburgh University, Scotland has shown that aspirin may do more harm to your health than good. The research at the university in Scotland was to assess the effects of taking aspirin on a daily basis where no prior or existing medical conditions would merit its prescription. The researchers monitored 3,350 patients aged between 50–75, who were thought to be at risk of heart disease, but did not show any significant symptoms at the start of the study. Over an eight-year time period, 181 of those people taking aspirin had

The spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, has begun his visit to Taiwan. He has travelled to southern Taiwan to offer condolences to victims of the recent typhoon, Morokot, which was the worst in 50 years. The visit has sparked condemnation from China, which regards the Dalai Lama as a rebel seeking independence for Tibet. Taiwan, in the form of the Republic of China, also assert their independence from Mainland China, against the country's wishes. Upon the Dalai Lama's arrival at a Taipei train station, scuffles broke out between suppo

The Shri Shyam Bhajan, a Hindu religious festival, was organised on August 15th in Hyderabad, India. This was the city's annual function, which was coincidentally celebrated a day after Krishna Janmashtami, and on the occasion of Independence Day at the Nampally Exhibition Ground. About 125,000 lamps were lit along the campus boundaries as evening fell. About 25,000 people participated at the event, and the program was broadcast live on Aastha TV. Baba Shyam's Durbar, the arena where idols of deity are situated, was very well-decorated. Fou

According to Buffalo Fire Department radio communications, at least 12 people were injured after a van carrying a church group flipped over on an expressway interchange in Buffalo, New York. Seven of the 12 people injured have been taken to a local hospital for treatment. At least two people were seriously injured. The church affiliation of the group is not yet known. The accident occurred on the on ramp to Buffalo's Route 198 Westbound at around 6:30 p.m. (EDT). The van was traveling from Route 33 Westbound. According to the fire department

Investigators with Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) have concluded that pilot error was to blame for last month's crash of Aria Air Flight 1525. The Ilyushin Il-62 ran off the runway at Mashad and struck a wall while landing, killing 17 people and wounding 30. The CAO Flight Standards Department's deputy director Faramarz Sarvi stated that the aircraft had been traveling at excessive speed. Sarvi added that lack of crew cooperation was also suspected, but denied reports that the pilots had been arguing when the accident occurred. Howev