The aware (awareness during REsuscitation) study is to be launched by the Human Consciousness Project of the University of Southampton - an international collaboration of scientists and physicians who have joined forces to study the human brain, consciousness and clinical death.

The study is led by Dr Sam Parnia, an expert in the field of consciousness during clinical death, together with Dr Peter Fenwick and Professors Stephen Holgate and Robert Peveler of the University of Southampton. Following a successful 18-month pilot phase at selected hospitals in the UK, the study is now being expanded to include other centres within the UK, mainland Europe and North America. "Contrary to popular perception," Dr Parnia explains, "death is not a specific moment. It is a process that begins when the heart stops beating, the lungs stop working and the brain ceases functioning - a medical condition termed cardiac arrest, which from a biological viewpoint is synonymous with clinical death. "During a cardiac arrest, all three criteria of death are present. There then follows a period of time, which may last from a few seconds to an hour or more, in which emergency medical efforts may succeed in restarting the heart and reversing the dying process. What people experience during this period of cardiac arrest provides a unique window of understanding into what we are all likely to experience during the dying process." A number of recent scientific studies carried out by independent researchers have demonstrated that 10-20 per cent of people who go through cardiac arrest and clinical death report lucid, well structured thought processes, reasoning, memories and sometimes detailed recall of events during their encounter with death.

During the AWARE study, doctors will use sophisticated technology to study the brain and consciousness during cardiac arrest. At the same time, they will test the validity of out of body experiences and claims of being able to ‘see' and ‘hear' during cardiac arrest.

2:30 PM
Categories: Education, Something Interesting. Author: SacHu

The quest to create an Indian Grand Slam singles title winner led to the launch of the Apollo Mission 2018 on May 23, 2007 by the Apollo Tyres Limited. The idea was to select the best young tennis talents in the country and give them world-class training – mentally and physically - under one roof to ensure that they could bridge the gap between potential champions and champions. The training and grooming of the selected candidates will be under the guidance of India’s tennis Ace Mahesh Bhupathi, who is the brand ambassador consultant for the project.

In the first year of the initiative, Apollo Tyres Ltd held four tennis clinics – in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata and the national finals in New Delhi. About 4000 children in the ages of five to 14 were assessed in the two-month long process in the winter months of November and December.

The panel of judges consisted of tennis stalwarts like Mahesh Bhupathi, his father and coach C G K Bhupathi, former India No. 1 and Davis Cupper Prahlad Srinath, India’s Davis Cup coach and Arjuna Awardee Sandeep Kirtane, international physical trainer Heath Mathews and eminent physiotherapist Tony Beecroft.

Thirty-two children made it to the national finals in New Delhi of which 15 were finally inducted in the Foundation for Indian Sporting Talent (FIST) Academy tennis programme under the aegis of the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy in Bangalore. The other 17 children were awarded a two-week scholarship at the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy.

Apart from training at the academy by top notch coaches and trainers, the selected 15 will also will play select tournaments in India and abroad to gain valuable match experience.

In the first year of Mission 2018, 15 talented youngsters, of which seven are girls, were enrolled into the programme that started in April 2008. The youngest member of this group is five-year-old Rohan Mehra, while Saurabh Singh at 14 is the eldest.

Following is a list of the selected 15:

1. Spoorti Shivalingaiah (12)
2. Sansitha Nandakumar (12)
3. Dhruti Venugopal (10)
4. Nandini Das (8)
5. Romil Kamdar (9)
6. Rohan Bhatia (12)
7. Sneha Reddy (10)
8. Md Azhar (12)
9. Seeulee Upadhyaya (11)
10. S M Abdullah (12)
11. Rohan Mehra (5+)
12. Sumit Nagal (10)
13. Simran Kaur Sethi (11)
14. Jennifer Luikham (8)
15. Saurabh Singh (14)

2:09 PM
Categories: India, Sports. Author: SacHu

David Beckham is happy to longer play in every England game if it helps the Three Lions reach the World Cup in 2010.

The 33-year-old has ambitions of featuring in the tournament in South Africa but accepts his role could be off the substitutes' bench as a squad player.

Coach Fabio Capello preferred Walcott to Beckham on the right flank for the last two matches and the results were devastating against Croatia as the Arsenal teenager become England's youngest scorer of an international hat-trick.

Beckham, who came on for Walcott at the Maksimir Stadium, said: "I don't care if I play or not. As long as England win, that is the biggest thing for me.

"I'm happy to get on in the last two games and I'd have loved to have played more in both.

"I'm happy to be part of the squad and get as many games as possible. I don't expect to be in every game, that is the way it is.

"At the end of the day it's all about the team, the squad, and England qualifying for the World Cup.

"I'm part of the squad, happy with the team and the two results. "It's six points out of two games so whether I play or not is immaterial. The biggest thing is if England win."

Beckham has been in the England team when there have been genuine hopes of success, so he is wary of getting carried away with the 4-1 win in Zagreb.

However, he also hopes the victory will win back fans who have been disillusioned with England underachieving.

"I hope so because the fans we have travelling all the time deserve it and the people at home deserve it," said the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder.

"It's great to see the success we've had in other sports, in the Olympics, cricket and rugby. It would be great to see if football can do that.

"We want to get people back interested in us, that is a big thing for us. We want to get people to love coming to the games like they used to and talk about the national team like they should.

"Hopefully this result will set us up for that but we need to continue moving forward."

Beckham feels it was a matter of time before England produced a performance like they did against Croatia - and Capello will now ensure that standards do not drop.

He added: "Someone said that we've turned a corner but we felt like that before the game, so the performance didn't really surprise the players. But it's put us on a good platform.

"We as a team are not getting carried away but we'll be happy with the result. The way we performed was the biggest thing. We have a lot of level-headed lads who will be pleased but we will not get carried away.

"It's a chance for us to take this on because we want to carry on going forward. We don't want to take a step back. The manager won't let that happen anyway."

1:59 PM
Categories: Sports. Author: SacHu

The BCCI asserted that the serial blasts in Delhi will have no bearing on the upcoming Test tour by Australia in October.
The Board reiterated that the tour would go ahead as scheduled.
After the capital was rocked by a series of five blasts last evening, Cricket Australia (CA) said it was considering the option of sending a security team to India before taking a call on the four-Test tour next month.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, however, asserted there was no threat to the tour.

"I have not heard about any communication from Australia and I don't think there will be any change to the tour schedule," Shah said.

"I hope Australia also understands our position. The situation is normal and the Australian tour to India will go as per schedule," he said.

On CA's plan to send a security team to India, Shah said, "If there are any concerns, a security team will come. I don't think there will be any problem in Australia coming to India."

Cricket Australia will commission an urgent report from its long-term security adviser outlining the safety situation in India following a series of bomb blasts in New Delhi on Saturday that killed more than 20 people. The city is the venue for Australia's third Test, starting on October 29, and the terrorist attacks raise more safety issues after they decided not to tour Pakistan this month for the Champions Trophy, a stance which led to the postponement of the tournament.

Reg Dickason, the team's security manager, will work on the report with the Australian Cricketers' Association and Peter Young, Cricket Australia's public affairs manager, said he expected a decision would be made "in the next week or so". Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's general manager of cricket, will also speak with the Indian board, the Australian High Commission, which is based in New Delhi, and security agencies to gain information on travelling in the country.

"The fundamental principle that always comes first is the safety of the team and the team officials," Young said. "There's a standard process for every tour. Such is the way of the world these days that this process is completed before we go anywhere." A pre-tour assessment has already been done but if the concerns remain Cricket Australia will consider another inspection.

While the first Test is not until October 9 in Bangalore, the 15-man squad is due to leave next Sunday and play two warm-up matches in Jaipur and Hyderabad. Australia A are currently in Hyderabad, about 1500km south of New Delhi, preparing for a tri-series with teams from India and New Zealand.

Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the Indian board, said the BCCI was concerned by the explosions. "But I don't think it will have any impact on the coming Australia series," he told the Hindustan Times.

One of Cricket Australia's main reasons for its stance on Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and the earlier Test and one-day series, which were also postponed, was the terrorist threats to westerners. "The specific answer we were given on Pakistan was that it was not safe to go," Young said. "We will take advice on this situation and will make a decision. We expect that to be in the next week or so."

The Australian government's updated travel advice for India is "to exercise a high degree of caution because of the high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups". The latest attacks were reportedly planned by the Indian Mujahideen group, but there have been other deadly explosions since May in Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.

1:47 PM
Categories: Cricket, India. Author: SacHu

Indian dope testing laboratory's long wait for a seal of approval from the World-Anti Doping Agency is likely to be over next week.

"WADA has an executive committee meeting coming up in Montreal on September 20 where our dope lab is going to get the accreditation," IOA general secretary Randhir Singh told PTI.

He along with Athletics Federation of India secretary Lalit Bhanot and Anil Khanna, President Asian Tennis Federation, were part of the dignitaries at the recent India Sports Marketing Forum.

Taking a dig at corporate houses, all three felt money being pumped into sports is a mere pittance.

"Big business houses only talk about promoting sports haven't done much," said Randhir, who is also the vice-chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

He also hoped that a successful organising of the Commonwealth Games will support India's bid for the 2020 Olympics. "But for that we also have to win medals." With the centre allocating Rs 700 crore for athletes' training for the 2010 Games, Bhanot felt they were on the right track.

"The 2010 Games is going to boost the country's sporting scenario," said Bhanot, secretary-general of the Commonwealth Games.

Khanna felt there's lot other disciplines can learn from the Indian Premier League. "Tennis too needs restructuring. Today only the top players are earning while those outside the top-100 have to fend for themselves."

1:46 PM
Categories: India, Sports. Author: SacHu

Five suspected bomb blasts have been reported within minutes of each other in markets in India's capital, Delhi.

At least seven people were killed in the attacks, police said, while at least 30 people are reported hurt.

The explosions are not thought to have been very powerful but they happened in areas crowded with evening shoppers.

The exact cause of the blasts is not known but bombs are suspected. Crude explosives have been detonated in several Indian cities recently.

More than 400 people have died in separate attacks since October 2005, with the cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Jaipur among those hit.

India has blamed Islamist militant groups for these previous bombings.

CNN-IBN, a local TV news channel, said it had received an email before the blasts from a group calling itself the "Indian Mujahideen".

"Do whatever you can. Stop us if you can," the e-mail reportedly said.

The same group has claimed responsibility for two other recent bombing attacks.

Chaotic scenes

Two of the latest blasts in Delhi are believed to have happened metres away from each other in the central shopping district of Connaught Place.

Another blast took place in a market in the Greater Kailash area in south Delhi.

A BBC producer who visited the scene said a low-intensity explosion had scattered glass over a large area, near a popular cafe.

Two of the other explosions were reported in Delhi's Karol Bagh area and on the Barakhamba Road.

An unexploded bomb was reportedly found and defused at the capital's India Gate monument, local TV quoted police as saying.

Television pictures showed scenes of chaos at the blast scenes. Crowds have been seen milling around mangled vehicles, with debris and bloodstains scattered across the streets.

After the bombings in Jaipur and Bangalore, a group calling itself the Indian Mujahideen also claimed responsibility.

While it is too early to say exactly what caused Saturday's blasts in Delhi, they appear similar to the earlier attacks.

The earlier attacks involved multiple small devices hidden in small boxes or bags and aimed at soft targets such as crowded markets, analysts say.

The devices contained shrapnel such as nuts, bolt and ball bearings while the explosives used were improvised. Islamic militants in Kashmir have tended to use military-grade explosives.

8:41 PM
Categories: India. Author: SacHu

A court in India has postponed the release of a film entitled Hari Puttar, after complaints from the makers of the blockbuster Harry Potter films.

Hollywood company Warner Bros has filed a lawsuit against all parties involved in the production and distribution of the Hari Puttar film.

It has been quoted as saying the the title of the Indian movie is confusing.

Mirchi Movies, the makers of the Bollywood children's film, have denied the accusations.

It told the BBC that India's Hari Puttar had nothing to do with the Harry Potter wizard movies, to which Warner Bros owns the rights.

Mirchi says that Hari is a popular Indian name, and Puttar means 'son' in Hindi and Punjabi.

The Indian film tells the story of a 10-year-old boy who moves to England with his family and becomes involved in a plan to save the world.

The Indian production house says the name of their film was registered in 2005.

But the legal proceedings mean that scheduled release of Hari Puttar has been postponed.

It was meant to hit cinema halls on Friday, but has now been pushed back to the end of this month.

11:23 PM
Categories: Cini Mini. Author: SacHu

MS Dhoni may have bagged ICC ODI Player of the Year award but Adam Gilchrist believes Sachin Tendulkar is still the best.

"Well, it's hard to compare whether statistically or in your mind or opinion. It's a big award for Mahendra to win but I would still say Sachin is the best player of recent times," Gilchrist told an Indian news channel.

Making a comparative study of both the Indians, Gilchrist said, "Dhoni is firepower, (it's more about) his explosiveness and unpredictability. If there is anything about Sachin, it's his technicality, he is beautiful to watch and clinical whereas Dhoni is almost carefree, playing without fear that can hurt you most.

"He (Dhoni) hits some extraordinary shots that are quite unique to the game. You never see them in textbooks but are equally effective," said the Australian.

Gilchrist was also against rushing Dhoni into the Test captain's job even though he felt it was just a matter of time before the star stumper takes over the reins from Anil Kumble.

"Well, his time will come I believe," Gilchrist said.

"There is no need to rush him in, I'm sure it's just a matter of time. He looks to me like the top character who can handle both Test and one-day captaincy, and the wicket-keeping and batting roles and the many, many sponsors he has," Gilchrist quipped.

Though no more part of the Australian squad, Gilchrist is not immune to issues affecting the Aussies and he sounded equally worried about the uncertainty over Andrew Symonds' fate

11:22 PM
Categories: Cricket. Author: SacHu