Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Asia darkens under longest solar eclipse of century
China total solar eclipse on July 22 swept across a narrow swathe of Asia, where hundreds of millions of people watched the skies darken, though in some places thick summer clouds blocked the sun.
The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century cut through the world's most populous nations, India and China, as it travelled half the globe. It was visible along a roughly 250 km wide (155 miles) corridor, U.S space agency NASA said.
In India, where eclipse superstitions are rife, people snaked through the narrow lanes of the ancient Hindu holy city of Varanasi and gathered for a dip in the Ganges, an act believed to bring release from the cycle of life and death.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com/
The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century cut through the world's most populous nations, India and China, as it travelled half the globe. It was visible along a roughly 250 km wide (155 miles) corridor, U.S space agency NASA said.
In India, where eclipse superstitions are rife, people snaked through the narrow lanes of the ancient Hindu holy city of Varanasi and gathered for a dip in the Ganges, an act believed to bring release from the cycle of life and death.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com/
Labels: 21st century eclipse, Asia, darkness, eclipse superstitions, hindu holy city, longest solar eclipse, Moon, solar eclipse, sun, total solar eclipse, Varanasi
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuberculosis killed 1.7 million globally in 2006, World Health Organization says
The rate of tuberculosis incidence fell slightly worldwide for a second straight year in 2006, but there were still 9.2 million new cases and the disease killed 1.7 million people, the UN health agency said a few months back.
The rate decline of 0.6 percent in 2006 compared to 2005 was so modest that the increase in the world's population meant there were actually more TB cases globally, the World Health Organization said in its annual report on tuberculosis.
And WHO officials cited worrisome trends suggesting that recent progress was stalling, while saying more money is needed to fight TB, which trails only AIDS as the world's leading killer among infectious diseases.
By region, Africa had the highest TB rates while Asia had the most cases. By nation, India had the most cases, followed by China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria, according to the report based on data from 202 countries and territories.
"We're really in a very uncertain situation, so I don't feel happy at all, actually, that it is really getting controlled," Dr. Mario Raviglione, who heads WHO efforts against TB, told reporters in a conference call.
"The major concern is that there is a slowdown here, rather than an acceleration, in TB control efforts," Raviglione said.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
The rate decline of 0.6 percent in 2006 compared to 2005 was so modest that the increase in the world's population meant there were actually more TB cases globally, the World Health Organization said in its annual report on tuberculosis.
And WHO officials cited worrisome trends suggesting that recent progress was stalling, while saying more money is needed to fight TB, which trails only AIDS as the world's leading killer among infectious diseases.
By region, Africa had the highest TB rates while Asia had the most cases. By nation, India had the most cases, followed by China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria, according to the report based on data from 202 countries and territories.
"We're really in a very uncertain situation, so I don't feel happy at all, actually, that it is really getting controlled," Dr. Mario Raviglione, who heads WHO efforts against TB, told reporters in a conference call.
"The major concern is that there is a slowdown here, rather than an acceleration, in TB control efforts," Raviglione said.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Asia, China, efforts, highest TB rates, Indonesia, infectious diseases, people, ple, South Africa, tuberculosis, WHO
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