NASA postpones Mars ´flying saucer´ test on Earth

LOS ANGELES: The U.S. space agency has postponed its plan to send a "flying saucer" into Earth´s atmosphere to test technology that could be used to land on Mars.

NASA spokeswoman Shannon Ridinger says weather conditions caused Wednesday´s launch of the saucer-shaped vehicle to be delayed.

The next potential launch date is June 14. NASA has depended on the same parachute design to slow spacecraft after they enter the Martian atmosphere.

But it needs a larger and stronger parachute if it wants to land heavier objects and astronauts.

After being launched via balloon from Hawaii, the new vehicle will ignite its rocket engine and climb to 34 miles (54 kilometers). It will slow itself down from supersonic speeds and unfurl a parachute for a water landing.

Robson on the brink of maiden Test century

LEEDS: Australia-born opener Sam Robson was on the verge of his maiden Test hundred as England closed in on Sri Lanka´s first innings total in the second Test at Headingley on Saturday.

England were 211 for two in reply to Sri Lanka´s first innings 257, a deficit of 46 runs, at tea on the second day.

Robson was 98 not out, having put on 142 with Gary Ballance (74) for the second wicket after England captain Alastair Cook had been dismissed early in the day´s play.

Ian Bell, in his 100th Test, was eight not out. Robson was left two runs shy of a coveted century when, to the last ball before tea, he played defensively to Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews.

England resumed Saturday on 36 without loss after bowling out Sri Lanka on Friday, with Yorkshire fast bowler Liam Plunkett taking Test-best figures of five for 64 and Stuart Broad the second hat-trick of his Test career.

Cook was 14 not out, having survived an appeal for a catch by Kumar Sangakkara in the slips on five when replays were inconclusive. But there was no doubt when Cook, who had added just three runs to his overnight score, felt uncertainly for the ball outside off stump and edged Dhammika Prasad to Sangakkara at first slip. That meant in 23 innings since compiling the last of his England record 25 Test hundreds at Headingley last year, Cook had scored 585 runs at a modest average of 25.43.

England were now 49 for one. But Robson, 21 not out overnight, confidently off-drove Shaminda Eranga for four in what was an important innings after his England debut at Lord´s yielded scores of just one and 19.

Meanwhile left-hander Ballance, on his Yorkshire home ground and fresh from his maiden Test hundred at Lord´s, uppercut seamer Nuwan Pradeep and swept spinner Rangana Herath for well-struck fours.

Robson´s edged boundary off Pradeep saw him to fifty in 102 balls including eight fours. At lunch, England were 106 for one with Robson 55 not out and Ballance 30 not out. Ballance had added just one to his lunch score when rapped on the pad by left-arm spinner Herath.

New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden upheld Sri Lanka´s lbw appeal but England challenged and, with tracking technology indicating the ball would have turned past leg stump, Zimbabwe-born Ballance survived. And, to the delight of the crowd, Ballance went on to complete a 116-ball fifty with his seventh four, a cut off Pradeep.Robson, increasingly confident, went down the pitch to Herath and lofted the bowler high back over his head for a boundary.
Ballance had another reprieve when on 61, he was dropped at short leg off the inside edge by Kaushal Silva, with Herath again the luckless bowler.

Robson, on 78, also had a moment of good fortune when hit on the pad by paceman Prasad. But Sri Lanka, thinking he´d jammed down with his bat didn´t appeal although replays indicated the ball would have hit the bottom of middle stump.

Mathews brought himself on, with England 183 for one off 65 overs. And the all-rounder´s ninth ball did the trick, Ballance edging a good-length delivery to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal, recalled after Prasanna Jayawardene broke a finger at Lord´s. (AFP)

England and Sri Lanka in thrilling first Test draw

LONDON: England and Sri Lanka drew the first Test at Lord´s in dramatic fashion on Monday to leave their two-match series all square at 0-0.

Sri Lanka, set 390 to win after England captain Alastair Cook declared before play on Monday´s fifth and final day, were left clinging on at 201 for nine come the close.

Last man Nuwan Pradeep survived the final five balls of the match from Stuart Broad, including the penultimate delivery where he was given out lbw by Australian umpire Paul Reiffel only to successfully challenge the decision after replays confirmed an inside edge.

James Anderson led England´s attack with a remarkable return of four wickets for 25 runs in 19 overs but it wasn´t quite enough to secure a stunning win.

England piled up 575 for nine declared on the back of Joe Root´s unbeaten 200 not out -- his maiden Test double century.

Sri Lanka, however, responded with 453 featuring Kumar Sangakkara´s 147 and captain Angelo Mathews´s 102 -- both batsmen scoring their first hundred in a Lord´s Test.

England slumped to 121 for six in their second innings before Gary Ballance´s 104 not out, the Yorkshire batsman´s maiden Test century, took the side to 267 fot eight declared.

The second and final Test starts at Headingley on Friday. (AFP)

Musharraf’s trial a test case between civilian, military supremacy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is presently going through a cold war between its civilians and the military as General (retd) Musharraf’s high treason trial has become a test case on whether the country is heading towards civilian supremacy and the rule of law.

“It’s a transition from military supremacy to civilian rule and rule of law,” a top PML-N leader told The News on condition of not being named.

He added that if the government gives a safe exit to Musharraf then how could you justify trying thousands of others, including former President Asif Ali Zardari, ex-Prime Ministers Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf and Amin Faheem.

Key PML-N leaders agree that Musharraf’s treason trial has become the main irritant between the civilian and military leadership.

Despite top PML-N leaders, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, having confidence and trust in General Raheel Sharif, rarely does anyone in the party deny tensions in the civilian-military relationship.

It is said that some influential pro-Musharraf elements are putting pressure on General Raheel to get Musharraf off the hook at any cost.

The PML-N, which has always been demanding Musharraf’s trial under Article 6 for twice abrogating the Constitution, today stands divided on the issue.

Amongst the senior PML-N leaders, many are now in favour of letting Musharraf go abroad to save the system. A small minority, however, insists that letting Musharraf off the hook means seriously compromising the transition to civilian supremacy and badly denting the struggle for rule of law and constitutionalism.

Informed sources said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wants to leave Musharraf’s fate to the legal course and believes that any concession by the executive of the former dictator would mean compromising the rule of law.

The sources said that for the same reason, the prime minister decided to challenge in the SC the SHC decision of removing Musharraf’s name from the ECL in 15 days.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan are said be the leading voices in the PML-N demanding leniency in Musharraf’s high treason trial.

These voices fear that Musharraf’s case may lead to the cropping up of serious misunderstandings between the civilian and military leadership which may endanger the future of democracy as was pointed out by Mahmood Khan Achakzai in the National Assembly.

Many politicians and media observers believe that certain pro-Musharraf elements are allegedly behind the recent but sudden emergence of the anti-government, anti-system alliance of the PML-Q and PAT and the possible joining in of Sheikh Rashid to exert pressure on the PML-N government.

As highlighted by editorials in leading newspapers, a campaign has been launched recently to suggest that the PML-N government has failed to deliver and unless removed Pakistan will collapse. These editorials term this view as “nonsense” and rightly point out what they call the “so-called sins” of the NS government which prominently include Musharraf’s trial.

It is suggested by the PML-Q-PAT, Shaikh Rashid and others, including some in the media, the last one-year rule of Nawaz Sharif has been the worst in the history of Pakistan. They argue that the government must be removed and the system be overhauled to save the country from collapse.

The last one-year rule of the federal and provincial governments may not be up to the mark, but it is generally believed and even authenticated by the international agencies that Pakistan has improved as against what it was under the previous regime. Transparency International reported less corruption in Pakistan and there have been no mega scandals of corruption during the last one year. The World Bank, IMF and other international institutions see an improvement in Pakistan’s economy.

Accountability and governance have been the weak areas of the government but still, they have not been as bad as was the situation during the previous regime.

With the recent emergence of the thoroughly known trio—the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, Allama Tahirul Qadri from Canada and Sheikh Rashid of Lal Haveli—warnings are being issued by the likes of Raza Rabbani, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, I A Rehman and others that if the present system is derailed it would be a serious blow not merely to the system but to the Federation and its unity.

England pick uncapped trio for first Sri Lanka Test

London: England named a trio of uncapped players on Thursday in their squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's later this month.

Selecting his first Test squad since returning to the job, coach Peter Moores picked 24-year-old batsman Sam Robson and all-rounders Chris Jordan and Moeen Ali for the June 12 match.

Bowler Liam Plunkett, who last played Test cricket seven years ago against West Indies, has also been included in the 12-man squad alongside Chris Woakes.

Jos Buttler did not make the cut as Matt Prior was selected as wicketkeeper after recovering from an Achilles injury.

"We believe that this group of emerging talent will be very well complimented by the established core of experienced players that have been selected," said national selector James Whitaker. "We are expecting a tough series against Sri Lanka."

The 25-year-old Jordan, who took 12 wickets during England's 3-2 series defeat by Sri Lanka, has played 13 ODIs and seven T20s since making his England debut last September. The 26-year-old Ali made his ODI and T20 debuts earlier this year against West Indies.

Captain Alastair Cook's squad for England's opening Test of the summer also includes James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

England squad: Alastair Cook (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Sam Robson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes.

Amla new South African Test captain

JOHANNESBURG: South African star batsman Hashim Amla was named the country´s Test cricket captain on Tuesday, replacing retiring Graeme Smith who led the side for a decade.

A "glad and humbled" Amla said he would give all his heart to the role, as the Proteas try to rebuild after the departure of opener Smith and legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis. "Throughout the years I have concentrated mainly on my batting, trying to become the best batsman possible and hopefully I can still get there," Amla said. "But now I do feel it is time to act, to contribute in a team environment."

Amla, 31, who made his test debut against India in Kolkata 10 years ago, praised the work done by his predecessor, whose legacy looms large. "I have to pay tribute to Graeme and his leadership over the 10 years that I have been involved, there was certainly a lot of value that he added."

Smith had captained South Africa in a world-record 109 Tests before announcing his retirement during the third and final Test against Australia last March.

Selectors said his replacement had been seen as a choice between three world class batsmen -- Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. "There were some strong contenders," said selector Andrew Hudson.

But it was Amla, a devout Muslim who has often shied away from the public eye, who won out. While praising Smith, Amla said he would be his own man."One thing I have learnt in international sport is that you don´t try to copy anybody, generally you find that the guys who try to copy are not as successful," he said. "The way I try to approach my game is to try to be as natural as possible, to find what intrinsically works for me."

He said this focus would be on putting together a "winning combination" that can return South Africa to the top of the Test rankings.

Amla captained the South African team at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2002 and was appointed captain of the Dolphins franchise early in his first-class career.

He resigned as captain after one season to concentrate on his batting. Amla was appointed De Villiers´ vice-captain of the South African ODI team in 2011 and led the side in three matches, but gave up the job last year.

Amla was reappointed to that position on Tuesday and his first assignment will be to lead South Africa in two Tests in Sri Lanka during July."A two Test series in Sri Lanka, make no mistake about it, is quite a challenging series," said Amla. "Not many teams go to Sri Lanka and dominate, they are a very resourceful team and play really well in their conditions."

The 14-man Test squad for that tour was also announced.

Alviro Petersen, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla (captain), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (wicketkeeper), JP Duminy, Stiaan van Zyl, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Kyle Abbott, Quinton de Kock, Dane Piedt.

A one-day international squad was also announced.

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (captain), JP Duminy, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Ryan McLaren, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Vernon Philander, Faf du Plessis, Aaron Phangiso, Beuran Hendricks.(AFP)

De Villiers, Amla vie for Test captaincy

JOHANNESBURG: Star batsmen AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are the leading candidates to succeed Graeme Smith as South Africa´s Test captain.

Cricket South Africa´s board meets in Johannesburg Tuesday to make what is seen as a crucial decision after a decade of Smith at the helm.

Smith captained South Africa in a world-record 109 Tests before announcing his retirement during the third and final Test against Australia last March.

The national selectors will table their recommendation for the captaincy, but the final decision will be made by the board.

The first assignment of the new captain will be to lead South Africa in two Tests in Sri Lanka during July.

De Villiers, 30, was vice-captain under Smith and is the one-day international (ODI) skipper. He has led the side in 40 ODI games. He had no prior captaincy experience. He struggled initially, but appeared to grow into the job last season. He has expressed his willingness to lead the Test side.

Amla, 31, captained the South African team at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2002 and was appointed captain of the Dolphins franchise early in his first-class career. He resigned as captain after one season to concentrate on his batting. Amla was appointed De Villiers´ vice-captain of the South African ODI team in 2011 and led the side in three matches, but gave up the job last year. But Amla has informed the selectors he would be available to captain the Test side.

Both players have outstanding records as batsmen and would bring different styles to the leadership.

De Villiers is an exuberant character who would probably be more instinctive, while Amla would be likely to be more studious and analytical.

Faf du Plessis, 29, who captains the national Twenty20 team, is a third candidate and has displayed the most natural flair for captaincy. But his relative lack of experience -- he has played in only 14 Tests -- could count against him. His supporters would point out, however, that Smith was made captain after only eight Tests.

With Smith and Jacques Kallis having retired from Test cricket, at least one new batsman is expected to be included in the South African Test squad, with left-hander Stiaan van Zyl a strong contender.

South Africa will also want to bolster their spin bowling, with off-spinners Dane Piedt and Simon Harmer making strong claims in domestic cricket.
The board meeting is expected to endorse a proposal to increase the target to five black players in each franchise team in an effort to speed up racial transformation. (AFP)

India’s oldest Test cricketer Madhav Mantri dies at 92

NEW DELHI: Tributes were paid Friday to Madhav Mantri, India´s oldest surviving Test cricketer and a former manager of the national side, after he died overnight at the age of 92.

Mantri, who was an uncle of former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar, acted as a mentor to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar during a long career as a player, national selector and administrator.

"Very deeply saddened to hear of the death of Madhav Mantri. Gentleman, disciplinarian and wonderful old world manners always put cricket first," the commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted.

Ravichandran Ashwin, an offspinner in the current Indian side, also said he was "very sad to hear about the passing away" of Mantri. "May you rest in peace, sir," he added on Twitter.

Mantri, who played four Tests between 1951 and 1955, was best known as a wicket-keeper. Although his international record was modest, he was a prolific run-scorer in the domestic Ranji trophy competition.

After retiring in 1968, he held a series of positions in the Indian board, including as manager of the side that toured England in 1990 -- one of Tendulkar´s first overseas tours.

He died in a hospital in Mumbai after a recent bout of ill health, reports said. (AFP)

Pakistan successfully test fires Hatf-III (Ghaznavi)

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan successfully test-fired short range ballistic missile Hatf-III named Ghazanvi on Tuesday, Geo News reported.

According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the missile can carry nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 290 kilometers.
The successful launch concluded the Field Training Exercise of Strategic Missile Group of Army Strategic Forces Command.

The training launch was witnessed by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood, Director General Strategic Plans Division Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command Lieutenant General Obaid Ullah Khan, Chairman NESCOM Mr Muhammad Irfan Burney and other senior military officials and scientists.

Addressing the troops in the exercise area, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee commended the troops on achieving technical and operational excellence in operating the state of the art weapon system. He expressed his satisfaction over the training goals achieved during the exercise and expected that the officers and men entrusted with the task of deterring aggression would continue to maintain professional excellence.

The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood also congratulated all the Scientists and Engineers for the successful launch of Ghaznavi Missile, as another mile stone which has further strengthened the defence potential of Pakistan besides assuring peace in the region.

The successful test has also been warmly appreciated by the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan who congratulated the participating troops, scientists and engineers on their outstanding achievement.

Anti-graft party faces test as India votes in third round

NEW DELHI : India´s upstart anti-graft party faces a key test Thursday as the national capital votes in the first major stage of the country´s marathon general elections.

The third phase of voting begins at 7:00 am local time (01:30 GMT) in 92 constituencies, representing a fifth of the 543-seat lower house, across the capital and 13 other states, including Maoist insurgency-hit eastern India.

But analysts say the spotlight is on the Delhi birthplace of the Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party (AAP), even if support for it may have lost some steam.

"The enthusiasm, the hope has died. People have become disillusioned with them," Delhi-based veteran political analyst and commentator Amulya Ganguli told AFP.

The AAP has struggled to shake the "quitter" tag used by critics to dismiss it following the dramatic resignation of party chief Arvind Kejriwal just 49 days after it took power in Delhi´s state elections.

"They didn´t stay on to govern and their drama-creating behaviour put people off," Ganguli said.

The nine-stage elections, which kicked off Monday are expected to vault to power the Hindu nationalist opposition at a time of low economic growth, seething anger over widespread corruption and warnings about religious unrest.

The 814-million-strong electorate is forecast to inflict a punishing defeat on the Congress party after its decade-long rule and elect the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by conservative hardliner Narendra Modi.

The AAP is contesting its first general elections since it was spawned by a 2011 anti-graft movement and rode a wave of public anger over a string of corruption scandals.

It has promised to clean up politics by weeding out politicians with criminal cases.Nearly 10 percent of politicians who contested Monday´s first phase of elections that wind up May 12 were charged with attempted murder, rape and other crimes, according to advocacy group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Last month, ADR said 37 percent of BJP candidates and 25 percent of the Congress hopefuls announced so far faced criminal cases.

- National Ambitions -
The AAP has fielded over 400 candidates as it pushes ahead with its national ambitions and Kejriwal has pitted himself against Modi in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi.

The AAP won 28 of 70 seats in its maiden Delhi state elections. Although analysts say there is little chance the party will replicate its success nationally, the AAP still hopes to win at least 100 seats and says it is confident of wining five of the seven up for grabs in Delhi.

But Ganguli was skeptical. "Votes will go into their opponents´ hands this time. I would be surprised if they win even 10 seats nationally," he said.

There are mounting signs of disillusion with the AAP with some voters slapping and smearing ink on Kejriwal and his colleagues at rallies, while they campaign without security in a bid to end the VIP culture of India´s political elite.

Kejriwal, who adheres to independence icon Mahatma Gandhi´s non-violence credo, has consistently forgiven his attackers and went to the home Wednesday of a man who slapped him to hear his grievances.

Among the AAP candidates is the independence leader´s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi, Bollywood actor Gul Panag and former TV journalist Ashutosh.Voters "realise the BJP and Congress are thoroughly corrupt and they want a change", senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said, calling the party "the clean and honest alternative".

Anti-graft party faces test as India votes in third round

NEW DELHI : India´s upstart anti-graft party faces a key test Thursday as the national capital votes in the first major stage of the country´s marathon general elections.

The third phase of voting begins at 7:00 am local time (01:30 GMT) in 92 constituencies, representing a fifth of the 543-seat lower house, across the capital and 13 other states, including Maoist insurgency-hit eastern India.

But analysts say the spotlight is on the Delhi birthplace of the Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party (AAP), even if support for it may have lost some steam.

"The enthusiasm, the hope has died. People have become disillusioned with them," Delhi-based veteran political analyst and commentator Amulya Ganguli told AFP.

The AAP has struggled to shake the "quitter" tag used by critics to dismiss it following the dramatic resignation of party chief Arvind Kejriwal just 49 days after it took power in Delhi´s state elections.

"They didn´t stay on to govern and their drama-creating behaviour put people off," Ganguli said.

The nine-stage elections, which kicked off Monday are expected to vault to power the Hindu nationalist opposition at a time of low economic growth, seething anger over widespread corruption and warnings about religious unrest.

The 814-million-strong electorate is forecast to inflict a punishing defeat on the Congress party after its decade-long rule and elect the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by conservative hardliner Narendra Modi.

The AAP is contesting its first general elections since it was spawned by a 2011 anti-graft movement and rode a wave of public anger over a string of corruption scandals.

It has promised to clean up politics by weeding out politicians with criminal cases.Nearly 10 percent of politicians who contested Monday´s first phase of elections that wind up May 12 were charged with attempted murder, rape and other crimes, according to advocacy group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Last month, ADR said 37 percent of BJP candidates and 25 percent of the Congress hopefuls announced so far faced criminal cases.

- National Ambitions -
The AAP has fielded over 400 candidates as it pushes ahead with its national ambitions and Kejriwal has pitted himself against Modi in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi.

The AAP won 28 of 70 seats in its maiden Delhi state elections. Although analysts say there is little chance the party will replicate its success nationally, the AAP still hopes to win at least 100 seats and says it is confident of wining five of the seven up for grabs in Delhi.

But Ganguli was skeptical. "Votes will go into their opponents´ hands this time. I would be surprised if they win even 10 seats nationally," he said.

There are mounting signs of disillusion with the AAP with some voters slapping and smearing ink on Kejriwal and his colleagues at rallies, while they campaign without security in a bid to end the VIP culture of India´s political elite.

Kejriwal, who adheres to independence icon Mahatma Gandhi´s non-violence credo, has consistently forgiven his attackers and went to the home Wednesday of a man who slapped him to hear his grievances.

Among the AAP candidates is the independence leader´s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi, Bollywood actor Gul Panag and former TV journalist Ashutosh.Voters "realise the BJP and Congress are thoroughly corrupt and they want a change", senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said, calling the party "the clean and honest alternative".

Test accurately rules out heart attacks in the ER

 

WASHINGTON: A simple test appears very good at ruling out heart attacks in people who go to emergency rooms with chest pain, a big public health issue and a huge worry for patients.

A large study in Sweden found that the blood test plus the usual electrocardiogram of the heartbeat were 99 percent accurate at showing which patients could safely be sent home rather than be admitted for observation and more diagnostics.

Of nearly 9,000 patients judged low risk by the blood test and with normal electrocardiograms, only 15 went on to suffer a heart attack in the next month, and not a single one died.

"We believe that with this strategy, 20 to 25 percent of admissions to hospitals for chest pain may be avoided," said Dr. Nadia Bandstein of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.

She helped lead the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and presented Sunday at the cardiology college's annual conference in Washington.

Chest pain sends more than 15 million people to emergency rooms in the United States and Europe each year, and it usually turns out to be due to anxiety, indigestion or other less-serious things than a heart attack. Yet doctors don't want to miss one - about 2 percent of patients having heart attacks are mistakenly sent home.

People may feel reassured by being admitted to a hospital so doctors can keep an eye on them, but that raises the risk of picking up an infection and having expensive care they'll have to pay a share of, plus unnecessary tests.

The study included nearly 15,000 people who went to the Karolinska University hospital with chest pains over two years. About 8,900 had low scores on a faster, more sensitive blood test for troponin, a substance that's a sign of heart damage. The test has been available in Europe, Asia and Canada for about three years, but it is not yet available in the United States.

The patients were 47 years old on average and 4 percent had a previous heart attack. About 21 percent of them wound up being admitted.

Researchers later looked back to see how the blood test and electrocardiogram would have predicted how they fared over the next month.

They figured that in order to find one heart attack in patients like this, 594 would have to be admitted - a huge waste of resources.

A test like this would be "enormously useful," and the study's results are "almost too good to be true," said Dr. Judd Hollander, an emergency medicine specialist at the University of Pennsylvania.

He believes the test should be available in the U.S. and that the amount of evidence that regulators are requiring to approve it is too high.

Dr. Allan Jaffe, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, said the problem is not what the test rules out, but what it might falsely rule in. It's so sensitive that it can pick up troponin from heart failure and other problems and cause unnecessary tests for that.

"I think the strategy long-term will be proven," but more studies underway now in the U.S. are needed to show that, he said.

 

Obama in Saudi as changes test decades-long alliance

ROME: US President Barack Obama will aim Friday to reassure his Saudi hosts on the strength of their alliance, frayed by Washington´s diplomatic opening towards Iran and reluctance to use force in Syria.

Obama is expected late on Friday in oil-rich Saudi Arabia, the fourth and final stop of a tour this week after the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy.

The White House was late to announce Obama´s stop in Riyadh, following his European tour, fuelling speculation on the motives of the US president´s second visit since his election in 2009 to Washington´s decades-old ally in the Middle East.

Dating back to the end of World War II, the relationship was founded on an agreement for Washington to defend the Gulf state in exchange for oil contracts.

OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia is the world´s top producer and exporter of oil. In 2012, it was still the second largest exporter to the United States, after Canada.

But relations have soured, with Riyadh openly criticising US policy on regional issues, which are to be discussed at a meeting followed by dinner between King Abdullah and Obama.

At the Arab League summit in Kuwait on Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz accused the international community of "betraying" Syrian rebels, outgunned in their war against President Bashar al-Assad´s regime.

According to the Syrian opposition, Washington has imposed a veto on its allies against arming rebels with anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons, over fears they could fall into the hands of Islamist extremists.

And the Saudis were bitterly disappointed by Obama´s 11th-hour decision last year to back down from military action against the Syrian regime over chemical weapons attacks.

Saudi Arabia, long wary of Iran´s regional ambitions, is also sceptical of the interim nuclear deal reached by world powers and the Islamic republic in November, viewing it as a risky venture that could embolden Tehran.

The agreement would curb Iran´s controversial nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanctions relief, and is aimed at buying time to negotiate a comprehensive accord.

 

Australia replaced India in second position in ICC Test Team rankings

Australia on 5 March 2014 replaced India at the number two position in the Test team rankings of cricket. This place was achieved by Australia after they defeated South Africa by 245-run in the third and final Test match in Cape Town.

Australia who replaced India at the second position in test rankings entered the three test-matches series with South Africa at third position.
• This second-position has won Australia a cash award of 370000 US dollars
• India will have to settle with 265000 US dollars
• South Africa at the top position will receive 475000 US dollars
• England which is at forth rank will receive 160000 US dollars

Rankings of test playing cricketing nations

Rank	Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1	South Africa	34	4332	127
2	Australia	43	4946	115
3	India	39	4359	112
4	England	44	4713	107
5	Pakistan	29	2890	100
6	Sri Lanka	33	2953	89
7	New Zealand	37	3224	87
8	West Indies	29	2516	87
9	Zimbabwe	11	372	34
10	Bangladesh	19	359	19