Here is relief for gizmo-lovers with a heart condition - “electronic noise” from iPods does not cause cardiac pacemakers to trip, a new study says.

Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston were intrigued by a widely reported study last May that concluded errant electronic noise from iPods could cause implantable cardiac pacemakers to malfunction.

This just did not sound right to the hospital’s cardiac electro-physiologists who have seen hundreds of children, teens and young adults with heart conditions requiring pacemakers, ScienceDaily reported.

“Many of our pacemaker patients have iPods and other digital music players, and we’ve never seen any problem,” said Charles Berul.

“But kids and parents bring up this concern all the time, prompting us to do our own study.”

While last year’s study was done in patients averaging 77 years, the average age in the new study was 22. All patients had active pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), which were tested against four digital music players - two kinds of iPods (Apple Nano and Apple Video), SanDisk Sansa and Microsoft Zune.

All patients were lying down during the tests, and each digital player was placed directly over the pacemaker or ICD.

The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Heart Rhythm, found there was no interference with intrinsic device functioning - patients’ EKG (electrocardiographic) recordings showed no change in any of 255 separate tests, and no patients had symptoms.

“This provides reassuring evidence that should allay the fears of people using iPods and other digital music players,” said Berul, the study’s senior investigator.

Berul and colleagues are reassured by their own findings, but acknowledge that their testing was only short-term.

“We can’t conclude that it’s completely safe to have an iPod right on top of the device for hours at a time,” Berul said. “That’s why we suggest the precaution of keeping it at least six inches away.”

In a strange development, a number of cities in the US, including Chicago and Phoenix, are in the middle of a major power outage.

Reports coming in say that the power outage occurred seconds after an unidentified flying object (UFO) was seen hovering in the sky.

Unconfirmed reports also say that a strange green light was seen around the flying object.

Another report says that the flying object fired a shot of what looked like a blue beam of light seconds before the lights went out.

One witness described the flying object as a thin, circular plate, which looked somewhat like a frisbee, only it was much higher than a frisbee would go.

Strangely such things happen only on April fool’s day!

New Delhi: Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik feels Indian Premier League (IPL) will be an interesting experience as cricketers from different countries share the dressing as team-mates, forgetting they had been opponents.

“It (the IPL) is a great opportunity for international cricketers. Players from different countries will come together. It is great for the game and credit must go to India,” Malik said here during his IPL side Delhi Daredevils’ launch of its brand-partner Akshay Kumar.

The 26-year-old Pakistani said he and his overseas colleagues would play with the same passion and intensity for the Delhi team as they play for their countries.

“I am from Lahore, a city not very different from Delhi. I feel at home here and it’s great to be a part of this unique marriage between cricket and films. Bollywood stars are very popular in Pakistan and I am a great fan of Akshay.

Asked about the association of film stars with IPL. Malik said: “I am sure that Bollywoods involvement with the IPL will lead to greater fan following for the league,” said Malik.

The cash-rich IPL has attracted many celebrities from the tinsel town and Akshay is the latest to join the list after Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, owners of Kolkata Knight Riders and Priety Zinta, who bought a stake in the Mohali team along with Ness Wadia.

Chief executive of Daredevils’ franchise owners GMR Sports Yogesh Shetty said many entertainment packages had been conceptualised in consultation with Akshay for the 44-day tournament.

“Akshay’s personality matches the persona of the team. He is the first fan of the team. We have planned various entertainment packages with Akshay, but we cannot reveal it now,” he said.

However, Akshay, who is very choosy regarding his brand endorsements, said that the things that attracted him towards Daredevils were his city roots and love for the game.

“In my 18-year-old career I have endorsed only two brands — Coke and Grasim — because I feel that endorsing a product means one has to identify himself with the brand. This is my third endorsement and that’s because being a Delhite I can identify myself with the Daredevils,” said the charismatic actor.

London: Just one press of a button and you’ll take your last breath. One of Germany’s most promising conservative politicians and lawyer has unveiled Europe’s first suicide machine for people with a death wish.

The killing machine, ‘Perfusor’ can end a person’s life with a swift injection of potassium chloride.

If the machine, designed to evade strict laws banning assisted suicide, goes into production then Germany rather than Switzerland could soon become the destination of choice for those seeking to kill themselves.

“The machine is simply an option for fatally ill people,” Times Online quoted Kusch, as saying.

The machine is painted in green and it looks like a cross between an electric transformer and a paint spraygun.

“Nobody is forced to use it but I do believe that it will contribute to a debate that is moving thousands of people,” he said.

The machine would be lent or rented so that the patients could insert the needles themselves and then push the button releasing the potassium chloride.

Supporters of the ‘death machine’ say that the machine will bring about death in seconds. Death Row cases suggest the process could be longer.

Gerhard Strate, a defence lawyer from Hamburg, said: “As long as the sick person is fully conscious and aware, then lending the machine to him is no more illegal than lending him a kitchen knife or a razor blade. It becomes illegal only if the potential suicide asks someone in the room to press the button for him.”

TAKING ON MAYA: The UP government has slapped a notice on Amitabh Bachchan for evading stamp duty.

New Delhi: Actor-turned-Samajwadi Party MP, Jaya Bachchan has taken on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati.

She says Mayawati was targetting her husband, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan to gain cheap publicity.

“It’s just cheap publicity. You will take Amitabh Bachchan’s name and your name will come when the allegations are made so you will get publicity. The media will print whatever Mayawati says and she will gain publicity out of the matter. She says so many things but does not make headlines daily, but if she will attack Amitabh Bachchan, she will hit the headlines,” said Jaya Bachchan.

The UP government has slapped a notice on Amitabh Bachchan for evading stamp duty worth the princely sum of Rs 690 on registration of land bought in Barabanki for a college to be named after his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

On Monday, the Supreme Court had rejected the state government’s plea to order an investigation into another of the actor’s controversial land deal in Barabanki.

The UP Government had accused the actor of falsely projecting himself as a farmer to buy the land in question.

MUMBAI: The Gateway of India will be wiped off the Mumbai skyline. Bhelpuri at Chowpatty will become the stuff of grandmother’s tales.  

No flights will take off from Chhatrapati Shivaji airport. No couple will canoodle at the Marine Drive promenade and even heirs to the bungalow of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will not be able to resist being evicted from their home.  

Ninety-two years from now, all these landmarks of Mumbai will be underwater. That’s the apocalypse scenario drawn up in a report titled ‘Climate Migrants in South Asia: Estimates and Solutions’ that has been commissioned by Greenpeace, a non-government organization.  

Prepared by climate expert and professor from the humanities department of IIT Chennai, Sudhir Chella Rajan, the report says that a potential increase in temperatures by 4 to 5 degrees due to greenhouse emissions at the current rate would mean a corresponding rise in sea levels of up to five metres by 2100.  

This, in turn, would imply that approximately 50 million Indians would be rendered homeless and become ‘climate migrants’.  

“The low elevation coastal zone (LECZ), which comprises the coastal region that is less than 10 metres above average sea level, is obviously at direct risk. Even prime commercial properties like the Backbay complex and the Bandra-Kurla complex fall into this category. This means that it’s not just the average Koli who will be affected but even Mannat (superstar SRK’s Bandra Bandstand bungalow) would be on the wrong side of the coastline once the sea level rises,” said Greenpeace activist Shweta Ganesh Kumar.  

Greenpeace envisages that human migration 92 years hence would be equivalent to 10 times the movement seen during Partition. “This means that even the limited space in your Virar-Churchgate local will be affected,” she added.  

However, Rakesh Kumar from the National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) felt the figures in the Greenpeace study seemed exaggerated.  

“This can create a scare in the minds of the people. According to estimates of the intergovernmental panel of climate change (IPCC), the rise in sea levels by 2011 is estimated at one metre. There will be submersion, but only in the low-lying areas. At most, the foundations of buildings near the shore may be weakened due to saline formation,” said Kumar.  

Greenpeace activists, however, are on a mission to raise awareness about the impending doom. Around 40 Greenpeace activists or ‘Blue Busters’ sporting symbolic blue raincoats hit the city streets on Sunday.  

Blue cautionary signs, saying ‘Climate Change Zone Ahead’ with illustrations of drowning individuals bearing a distinct resemblance to traditional traffic signs, were put up along the Bandra Kurla Complex and other areas.  

Greenpeace Climate and Energy campaigner Brikesh Singh said, “We want to alert Mumbaikars to the blue future they have in store if steps are not taken to fight global warming. If we don’t act now, our city of dreams will be caught up in a never-ending nightmare, and we are the last generation that can prevent this from happening.” The ‘Blue Alert’ signs were part of a Greenpeace campaign launched in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, Panaji and Puri.  

“The campaign aims at bringing home the reality of climate change to the common man and empowering people to force their MPs to speak out about the issue of climate change,” said Singh.  Greenpeace activists will slap token ‘eviction-warning’ notices on the doors of structures that may be affected. These include the homes of actors Shah Rukh Khan, Rekha and Farhan Akhtar.    

ATHENS: Jules Dassin, the American who directed the film “Never on Sunday” and was married to the late Greek actress and culture minister Melina Mercouri, died in an Athens hospital after a short illness on Monday aged 96. “Greece grieves the loss of a rare human being, an important creator and a true friend,” Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said in a statement.“His passion, energy, fighting spirit and nobility will never be forgotten.”

NEW DELHI: Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has been banned for five years by Pakistan Cricket Board at a disciplinary committee hearing on Tuesday.

Akhtar has been charged for violating players code of conduct. He can however play for the BCCI’s cash-rich Indian Premier League which is scheduled to begin from April 18.

The charges were laid after the controversial paceman criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for double standards in awarding the central contracts in January this year.

Earlier, Akhtar confirmed he would appear before the committee to present his case.

In October last year, Akhtar was fined 3.4 million rupees ($52,000) and banned for 13 matches for hitting fellow paceman Mohammad Asif with a bat, just days before the start of the Twenty20 World Championships.

He was put on probation for two years following the incident. Akhtar was dropped from Pakistan’s list of 15 contracted players in January after the paceman had another disappointing year, plagued by injures and discipline problems.

Instead, Akhtar was offered a special retainer deal, which he refused to sign.

Akhtar played the last of his 46 Tests against India at Bangalore in December 2007, breaking down due to back trouble.

He was blamed for Pakistan’s 1-0 series loss to the archrivals and was not played in the team’s One-day series against Zimbabwe in February this year.

Akhtar was also left out of a 16-man squad announced for next month’s first two One-Day Internationals against Bangladesh.

WHERE THERE’S WILL: Ash had earlier turned down ‘Hitch’ that Will Smith offered her.

Mumbai: Aishwarya Rai has declined to co-star with Hollywood wonder-boy Will Smith again. This is the third time she has turned down his offer.

“That’s true,” she laughed. “I had to say no to Will for Tonight He Comes. I feel awful about it, but I’ve my priorities very straight. Yes, family always comes first,” Aishwarya told IANS.

Two years ago the Men in Black star offered Aishwarya the comedy Hitch, remade into Hindi with Salman Khan and Govinda as Partner. She couldn’t do the film due to time constraints. In quick succession, Aishwarya has turned down two Will Smith projects.

Contrary to reports, Aishwarya, who tied the knot with Abhishek Bachchan last year, didn’t decline another Smith’s “The Seven Pounds” to celebrate Karwa Chauth with her husband in Mumbai.

“That’s what they wrote in the US press… that I preferred to return to Mumbai to ’starve’ myself for a religious occasion than to meet Smith for the film. That’s completely incorrect.

“The script reading for The Seven Pounds was just after Diwali when Dadimaa (Teji Bachchan)’s health dipped drastically. So I didn’t make that trip out to LA for the reading session with Will. Is that wrong? Not to me. I’d any day put family over career.”

So are Ash and Smith star crossed?

“When it has to happen it will happen. We’d love to work together. There’s something very charismatic about that actor. He gives off very nice vibes.

“He’s very adventurous as an actor. He does I Am Legend and Pursuit Of Happyness at the same time. He’s an actor, rapper, and a great family man. He likes to be adventurous. I like that.”

TOKYO  - A pen is spun in the hand, flicked from the little finger to other fingers, then tossed and bounced off the thumb before being twirled in the palm.

Ryuki Omura, a 16-year-old Japanese high school student, has become the first nationwide pen-spinning champion with such slick maneuvers, a group devoted to the pastime said on Monday.

Omura was among the 16 finalists chosen from 276 video entries to showcase his moves in Tokyo on Sunday in a contest organized by the Pen Spinning Association Japan.

“The most important thing is to make the combination of tricks as smooth as possible,” said Mitsuhiro Nakamata of the group.

Contestants, performing a 30-second routine in front of a crowd of 400 including journalists and other pen-spinning aficionados, were assessed for technique and artistry.

Toy maker Takara Tomy Corp has even designed a pen specifically for spinning, which is longer than ordinary pens and has adjustable weights on both ends.

According to the Pen Spinning Association’s Web site, spinning tricks range from “normal” — resting the pen on the side of the middle finger, then flicking it to writing mode — to “sonic” — holding the pen between the middle and ring fingers, and twirling it so it rests between the middle and index fingers.

Champion Omura went a step further, showing off a quick combination of tricks that takes the pen from his little finger to the rest of his fingers, then to his palm and the back of his hand. The video clip he submitted for the contest is posted on the group’s Web site (http://ptj2008.pen-spinning.org/).

“Pens are always around, so you can practice and enjoy pen-spinning anytime, anywhere,” said Nakamata.

“If we can find a sponsor, we want to take this contest international.”

LONDON - Little evidence exists that immigration benefits Britain, according to a House of Lords committee on Tuesday that called for the government to review its policies.

A report by the upper parliamentary house’s Economic Affairs Committee rejected the government’s argument that current record immigration levels provide economic advantages and said ministers have used “irrelevant and misleading criteria”.

“We have found no evidence for the argument, made by the government, business and many others, that net immigration — immigration minus emigration — generates significant economic benefits for the existing UK population,” the report said.

The government says immigration contributes an estimated 6 billion pounds a year to Britain, but the committee said it was wrong to use the total size of the economy as a benchmark for judging its impact.

Instead, the peers said immigration provided very little benefit on the income per head of the resident population while it had a social impact by affecting the demand for housing.

Low-paid people were also worse off as they would not receive training as businesses sought cheaper skilled workers from abroad. Nor could immigration solve the “pensions time bomb” of an ageing population, the report said.

“Nothing in our report is saying we should stop immigration,” committee member and former Conservative minister Lord Wakeham told BBC radio.

“We believe immigration is good and emigration is good. What we want to do is keep the balance between the two.”

The committee said the government needed to review its policies and clarify the objectives of the new points-based system which comes in later this year.

Immigration has been a long-running and heated political issue amid public fears that schools, hospitals and transport networks are being swamped by foreign nationals, especially since European Union enlargement.

The Conservatives say the government has lost control of the issue with official projections showing that net immigration will increase by about 190,000 a year in future. They have called for a cap on numbers.

“What the report is saying is let’s not just look at what’s good for the economy, let’s look at what’s good for Britain, let’s look at the wider impact of immigration when we set immigration policy,” Immigration minister Liam Byrne told BBC radio.

“That’s something that I happen to absolutely agree with. I think we have got to look at the wider impact of migration when we decide in our new points system … how many points a migrant needs in order to come to the UK.”

Council leaders also called on the government to review its immigration policies, saying the money generated by immigration was not finding its way to local levels.

“The speed and scale of migration combined with the shortcomings of official population figures is placing pressure on funding for services like housing and children’s services,” said Simon Milton, chairman of the Local Government Association.

PARIS - The Internet changed the meaning of mail, transformed retail shopping and travel, and now one wine retailer believes it can break down the barrier between French wine enthusiasts and new world producers.

Internet wine retail site www.1855.com organized what many considered to be a small revolution last week when it gathered some 350 oenophiles from across France to compare the offerings of the 30 biggest wine producers around the world.

One of the biggest online wine traders in France — 1855.com’s name refers to the 1855 classification of the big Bordeaux houses — but is happy to sell Bordeaux next to Chilean Cabernet and Napa Valley wine alongside the best of Burgundy.

“We have always had the vision to build the largest choice of wines of the world. And in the fine wine world as in painting, writing or any other artistic dimension you find such fine wines in all countries,” 1855.com co-founder Emeric Sauty de Chalon told Reuters.

Chalon and university chum Thierry Maincent created the firm in 1995. Now in their early 30s, they are intent on creating the world’s number one distributor of fine wines.

The site offers the great classic Bordeaux and Burgundy vintages — a 1986 Chateau Beychevelle for some 150 euros ($234.4) or a Gevrey Chambertin 2004 at 260 euros — or the chance to buy futures in the 2007 Bordeaux vintage.

Its best-selling wine, however, is a Finca Sobreno Toro Crianza 2004 from Rioja, Spain, for less than 10 euros, followed by 10 French wines and champagnes.

At number 12 is a Escudo Rojo 2005 from Chile, for 11.50 euros per bottle and at number 15 is the Concha Y Toro Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, both from the Maipo Valley.

Emeric has had a passion for wine since his father handed over the keys to a cellar on his 18th birthday, giving him and Thiery access to such classic vintages as Chateau Latour 1961 or Giscours 1970.

NEW WINES REVENUES GROWING FAST

Chalon said Internet sales of fine wines were growing fast in the same way as music, travel, books and electronic goods did seven years ago. The average price per bottle is 30 euros and the average revenue per client is 1,200 euros per year.

“New wine countries revenue is growing at more than 35 percent per year at 1855,” Chalon said.

1855.com says it has the largest selection available to private clients in the world, with 25,000 references.

But it is far from alone on the market and competes with www.millesima.com, www.chateauclassic.com, www.lavinia.fr or www.winesoftheworld.co.uk to name just a few.

Data from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine world wine body showed that the share in the world export market for southern hemisphere countries — Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand — rose to 28 percent in 2007 from 3.1 percent two decades ago.

The five leading European export countries — Germany, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain — saw their market share in the world trade decline to 61.8 percent in from 78.8 percent.

At the tasting, producers proudly poured their wines to an appreciative and sometimes dubious audience.

“Our main market is the United Kingdom,” said Ryan Morgan of the Rathbone Wine Group in Australia who had a Mount Langi Billi Billi Creek Shiraz and a Parker Estate “Terra Rossa” open.

“But we do sell a few thousand bottles a year to France. People travel nowadays and are more open to wines from other countries. Even in a country with good wines itself,” he added.

Thomas Klinger from the Bruendlmayer vineyard in Austria poured a Gruner Veltliner Kamptal 2006 white wine and said that when France calls, the wine producer answers.

“We mainly sell in Austria, export to Germany and a bit to Belgium. But when France invites you to participate in a tasting, you take the car and come,” he said.