“Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer,” said the authors.

“However, the estrogen-like effect of isoflavones and the potential interaction between isoflavones and tamoxifen have led to concern about soy food consumption among breast cancer patients,” they added.

Lead researcher Dr Xiao Ou Shu, of Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Nashville, Tenn., analyzed the data from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, a large, population-based study of 5,042 female breast cancer survivors in China and studied the association between soy isoflavone intake with breast cancer recurrence and survival.

The team found that patients in the group with the highest intake of soy protein had a 29 percent lower risk of death during the study period, and a 32 percent lower risk of breast cancer recurrence compared to patients with the lowest intake of soy protein.

The adjusted 4-year mortality rates were 10.3 percent and 7.4 percent and the 4-year recurrence rates were 11.2 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively, for women with the lowest and highest groups of soy protein intake.

“The inverse association was evident among women with either estrogen receptor–positive or –negative breast cancer and was present in both users and nonusers of tamoxifen,” the researchers added.

The study appears in Journal of American Medical Association.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Soy-food-lowers-breast-cancer-death-risk/articleshow/5318084.cms

Rao’s deteriorating health and the agitation for a separate state of Telangana also echoed in Parliament on Wednesday as both the Houses debated the issue with MPs urging him to break his fast and insisting that the Centre look into the matter urgently.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also spoke to MPs from Andhra Pradesh and expressed concern over KCR’s health

While Lok Sabha MPs asked Centre to intervene and resolve the Telangana tangle, in Rajya Sabha Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs forced an adjournment on the issue.

“We are very concerned about KCR’s health. I on behalf of every body would appeal to him that we are as concerned about Telangana but we are also concerned about his health,” said BJP MP and Leader of Opposition LK Advani.

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In pics: Agitation for Telangana state

“Andhra situation is very explosive. Government should have taken note of it as it erupted,” said Janata Dal (United) President Sharad Yadav.

Congress MP Jaipal Reddy also appealed to KCR to end his hunger strike.

Rao, popularly know as KCR, has been on hunger strike for the past 11 days demanding that a state of Telangana be carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

Doctors attending KCR at the state-run Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad are trying to convince him to break his fast.

“He (KCR) is not cooperating. He is refusing anti-biotics and IV. He is conscious but very weak,” said a doctor attending KCR. He added that till now KCR’s vitals signs were stable.

A medical bulletin issued by NIMS said that though KCR was conscious and speaking, but he has been refusing to take medicines and antibiotics.

Doctors said that if he did not take food and medicines, his condition would start to deteriorate.

Meanwhile, police have begun a crackdown on protestors in Hyderabad and forcibly evicted students from Osmania University hostels in Hyderabad on Wednesday morning.

TRS protestors and students also clashed with police outside the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday morning.

There was an uproar in the Andhra Assembly on Telangana issue for the second day on Wednesday with Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy first adjourning the House for 15 minutes and then for the entire day.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kcr-sinking-parliament-urges-him-to-break-fast/106767-37.html

“I always wanted to be porn star. I am going to work with all the positivity and clarity to be a porn star,” Shah Rukh said much to the amusement of the packed audience.

And where did this inspiration arise from? “I have always been a huge fan of Sylvester Stallone who was a porn star before becoming Hollywood superstar,” the actor said.

Shah Rukh, famous for his outrageously funny remarks did tickle the funny bone of the audience who was in for a laugh riot while listening to the actor.

And it was the icing on the cake when the actor said, “I will take my flag and put it up in America after becoming the biggest porn star of the world.”

The whole joke started when Chaudhuri, while reading excerpts from his book gave example of Stallone’s determination and his journey from a porn star to becoming one of the Hollywood’s icons.

He also referred how Akio Morita, founder of Sony, Japanese electronics giant, started the company with a dream to have his country’s flag flutter high on the soils of US.

“You see that is what happens with students like me who take all the wrong things from best of the examples given to them,” Shah Rukh jested.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/I-want-to-be-worlds-biggest-porn-star-SRK/articleshow/5314699.cms

The Prime Minister said, “I was not in the House yesterday, but got to know that some untoward incident in the house in regard to Vajpayeeji …I apologise for that.”

In Parliament on Tuesday, during the discussion on the Liberhan Report, Beni Prasad Verma, a Congress MP, made derogatory remarks about former Prime Minister Vajpayee. The BJP protested immediately by shouting through the Home Minister’s reply to the House. Home Minister P Chidambaram then apologized for  the remark, but the BJP said it would boycott the Lok Sabha till Verma apologises.

Verma had said, “Yesterday Rajnathji was expressing his disapproval of words such as ‘little men’ which used against people like Advaniji and Vajpayeeji. English is a very simple language as compared to which Hindi is more expressive. So in Hindi, people who were behind the Babri Masjid demolition should rightfully be termed as small people.”

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/pm_apologises_for_beni_prasads_remark_on_vajpayee.php

A double from Ronaldo and a Raul Albiol goal ensured the nine-time European champions lead the way in their Group C and go through to the second round after their 3-0 reverse fixture win.

The win spelled the end of Marseille’s Champions League dream with their coach Didier Deschamps paying tribute to their opponents.

“There is a difference between Marseille and Real Madrid. I knew it before and I know it even better now,” said the Marseille coach.

“They are better technically, there’s no doubt about it. We could only hope and admit it’s a pity we missed out on chances.”

Ronaldo showed he was back at his best after his two months on the sidelines with an ankle injury following a tackle by Marseille defender Souleymane Diawara at the Santiago Bernabeu on September 30.

And the striker, already the author of a double in the reverse leg victory, put his side on their road to victory after just five minutes at the Velodrome.

Deschamps’ side had been given a mountain to climb and their misery was compounded within minutes after Real were awarded a free kick following a Djibril Cisse challenge on Dutch midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart.

Ronaldo stepped up and from 30 metres out the world’s most expensive footballer fired a curling shot, which grazed the fingers of Marseille goalie Steve Mandanda, into the top left corner of the net.

The hosts refused to be browbeaten, rallying their forces and their persistence paid off six minutes later when midfielder Lucho pulled Marseille level after a Brandao header was cleared by Raul Albiol straight into the Argentinian striker’s path.

Brandao looked to have pulled Marseille ahead nine minutes later but his delight was short lived as he was ruled offside.

But Real showed their determination not to sit back on their advantage consistently pushing forward to worry the Marseille defence.

The visitors missed a golden opportunity to add to their tally after 28 minutes when a Van der Vaart corner resulted in a melee in front of the Marseille goal.

Mandanda did well to pull off successive saves following a barrage of efforts from Sergio Ramos, Gonzalo Higuain and Pepe before a Ronaldo shot hit the post.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Ronaldo-turns-on-style-as-Real-advance/articleshow/5317030.cms

Receiving the award from Bollywood director Ramesh Sippy, Bachchan said, “I am most grateful to Kiran Shantaram, who has an old association with me for many, many years, has given me the opportunity to receive this award and the love and affection of the people present here.”

Bachchan started his career in 1969 with director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’ film “Saat Hindustani”.

“I have looked upon my career of 40 years in this wonderful industry as a great opportunity to be able to represent my creativity and my art, but more importantly to project our cinema to the other parts of the world. I feel very honoured to be here at an organisation that conducts this activity so that the rest of the world come to learn more about our culture, our films,” he said.

His oeuvre ranges from rib-tickling comedies to tearjerkers to subtle, nuanced performances in art-house films. Bachchan emphasized that Indian cinema has been the one unifying force between the people from diverse castes, creeds, cultures, religions and languages.

Amitabh Bachchan’s son Abhishek was also present on the occasion.

Source: http://www.samaylive.com/news/bigb-conferred-asian-film-cultural-award/670069.html

“I really do believe that “de-tensioning” that (Kashmir) border is absolutely critical to the long term stability in that region. And it is going to take outreach on the part of both countries (India and Pakistan),” Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told newsmen in Washington.

“So, I am very positively moved by the steps that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Government has taken with respect to this,” Mullen said in response to a question on the recent decision taken by New Delhi to reduce troops from Jammu and Kashmir and its implications in the region.

“I think that the adjustments that the Indians have proposed, and to the degree that has been executed — I am just not current on the level of execution right now – but certainly executing those changes is a very positive step,” Mullen said.

“I think, the leadership – the political leadership, the diplomatic leadership and military leadership in both countries and in the region need to continue to encourage and also to respond,” Mullen said.

The top US military official who has made several trips to Pakistan in the last one year and has been in constant contact with top Pakistani military leadership on a day-to-day basis, said resolution of Kashmir dispute is very critical for the stability in the region.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/news/world/de-tensioning_of_jk_border_critical_to_stability.php

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs GM Siddeshwara, Sudarshan Bhagat and Sumitra Mahajan, Congress MP from Andhra Pradesh Sarvey Sathyanarayana and AIADMK MP M Thambidurai were the MPs who were absent as Speaker Meira Kumar invited members to ask questions.

Congress MP from Kerala K Sudhakaran was also not present but his name was not mentioned in the list of questions for oral answers. The total questions listed for oral answers were 20 out of which the house could consider only six.

Speaker Meira Kumar said Sumitra Mahajan had informed her that she would not be able to attend the Question Hour on Monday.

Congress MPs PT Thomas, Shruti Choudhary and Madhu Goud Yashki and Kerala Congress MP Jose K Mani, who were criticised for not being present in the house last Monday, were present in the house during question hour this time.

However, another Congress MP Anto Antony came late while BJP MP Varun Gandhi was absent.

A total of 34 MPs with questions listed against their names were not in the house last Monday and question hour virtually collapsed because of the missing members.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi had sought an explanation from party MPs on their absence from the Lok Sabha last Monday.

Speaker Meira Kumar and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had also expressed concern over the state of the Question Hour.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/only-five-mps-miss-question-hour-on-monday/106638-37.html

GM, in the midst of a major restructuring after the bailout by the US government, is counting on growth from fast-developing markets like India and strongly-established ones like China to provide volumes. While it is in a dominant position in China through its tie-up with SAIC, in India GM is now looking to firm up operations.

Karl Slym, GM India president, said the company expects to close 2009 with sales of around 70,000 units. “While we expect to cross 1 lakh units in 2010, our target is to cross 2 lakh units in 2012 by when we would have a wider and fuller range in our portfolio,” Slym told TOI.

The company is backing its ambitious sales targets by launching new products and lining up new ones. The last to join its portfolio was the diesel ‘Cruze’ sedan that it launched in October with an aggressive pricing of Rs 10.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), placing it below competitors like Honda Civic, Toyota Altis, Skoda Laura and Volkswagen Jetta.

GM is now set for another big launch. Around the corner is the Chevrolet Beat, a new small car that will be placed over the Spark and compete with models like Hyundai i10, Suzuki’s Ritz and Swift. While GM is not yet ready to reveal price of the Beat, that gets launched on January 5, the company is likely to maintain its aggressive posturing and sell the 1.2-litre petrol engine car in the Rs 3.5-4 lakh price range.

Slym said Beat would be one of the main drivers for the company and strengthen its position in the crucial small car segment, that accounts for over 70% volumes of the domestic car market. “We expect the Beat to give us monthly volumes of around 5000 units and this model will help us cross the five-figure mark in monthly sales,” he said. The car will be offered with a diesel engine around late next year.

GM is now gearing for more play in the small car market as it readies an engine engine plant at its second factory at Talegaon in Maharashtra. Apart from petrol engines, the new engine plant will produce a small 1-litre diesel engine that the company plans to put on the Beat.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/biz/india-business/GM-bets-on-India-in-recovery-drive/articleshow/5308832.cms

The face of that campaign, K Chandrashekhar Rao or KCR, as he’s known, is still on a hunger strike. KCR, who is the chief of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is being monitored closely at a Hyderabad hospital. His party says it’s running out of patience while the government ponders its stand on the Telangana issue.

“Nothing short of saying yes to Telangana state. Nothing more than that, nothing short of it,” states Prof Jayashankar, Telangana ideologue.

That warning has Andhra worried. Officials also fear that any deterioration in KCR’s health will lead to violence on the streets. On Monday, student groups that support KCR joined TRS workers in setting vehicles on fire. That led to Thursday’s decision to close colleges for a few days.

“What all has to be done, the state government will look into it, depending on the situation. If necessary, the Congress party will intervene depending on the situation,” says D Srinivas, President of the Andhra Congress Party.

So what happens next? “KCR is in a catch-22 situation because if he withdraws his hunger strike, he will invite severe criticism from non-TRS sections within the Telangana movement and he cannot move out politically. If he continues with his fast, his health does not permit,” offers K Nageshwar, a political analyst.

KCR and the TRS didn’t deliver huge results in the recent Lok Sabha elections; but Rao is being offered support by non-TRS groups in his campaign. Proof that the sentiment for a separate Telangana is strong, and the government will need to take a stand soon, something it has avoided steadfastly so far.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/telangana_agitation_shuts_colleges_for_two_weeks.php