World At A Glance

International experts begin work in IranBAGHDAD: International experts on Thursday began work to assess chemicals that weapons inspectors...

International experts begin work in Iran

BAGHDAD: International experts on Thursday began work to assess chemicals that weapons inspectors left behind in their laboratories when they evacuated Iraq last year.

The multinational team, accompanied by French, Russian and Chinese diplomats, entered the UN Special Commission8217;s headquarters at the Canal Hotel where the chemicals are stored.

They were later joined by Presidential Adviser Lt. Gen. Amer Hammoodi al-Sa8217;adi and Gen. Hussam Mohammed Amin, Director of Iraq8217;s National Monitoring Committee.

During their four-day mission, the five experts are to assess what needs to be done to dispose of the chemicals and close a chemical lab and a germ warfare room used by the inspectors. They arrived here on Wednesday.

AIDS threat to babies reduced

WASHINGTON: A new easily administered drug has cut by half, the spread of AIDS from HIV infected mothers to their infants, according to the US National Institutes of Health NIH.

The NIH said onWednesday that a single dose of Antiretroviral Nevirapine taken orally by the mother while in labour, followed by a dose for the baby three days after birth reduced the transmission rate by half as compared to a similar short course of AZT. The development could halt the spread of AIDS to newborns in developing countries by some 3,00,000 to 4,00,000 babies a year, according to test results in Uganda.

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AZT-based treatment proved to be too expensive and complicated for developing nations to use where many mothers do not receive any pre-natal care. Based on wholesale prices in the United States, the Nevirapine treatment was 200 times cheaper than long-term AZT use, and 70 per cent cheaper than short-term AZT treatment.

China has neutron bomb tech

BEIJING: China has mastered the neutron bomb design technology, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

The announcement came as China8217;s state council held a news conference aimed at shooting down allegations in the United States that itstole US nuclear weapons and neutron bomb design secrets over past two decades. 8220;China had no other choice but to continue to carry out research and development of nuclear weapons technology and improve its nuclear weapons systems, mastering in succession the neutron bomb design technology and the nuclear weapon miniaturisation technology,8221; the state council statement said.

Deliverance for Mir crew

MOSCOW: The mortal danger being faced by the crew and the space station Mir itself has now been averted with Kazakhstan agreeing to allow the Russian cargo spacecraft Progress to take off from Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 18 to make urgent food, water and oxygen deliveries to the cosmonauts 8212; two Russians and a French 8212; in the flying lab in the orbit, Russian TV announced Wednesday night.

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It was disclosed here that 13-year-old Mir station had recently faced an oxygen leak, which had now been plugged, but is going to face shortage of water. Moreover, it required apparatus for enabling the spaceshipto steer what is called 8220;manless regime8221;.

Extra quantity of fuel is also badly needed to conduct 8220;controlled sinking8221; of the Mir, whose life span is now coming to an end, if Russia is unable to mobilise resources to overhaul it to make it fit to continue its space voyage for a few years more.