Howrah News Service -  Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World: 2 missing US journos detained in Syria

2 missing US journos detained in Syria
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ASIANAGE on 09 October, 2008 04:09:54
 
BY ZEINA KARAM
BEIRUT
Oct. 9: Two Americans journalists who have been missing in Lebanon for eight
days have turned up in neighbouring Syria, where the foreign ministry announced
on Thursday that they were being questioned for entering the country illegally
with the help of smugglers.
The Syrian ministry’s statement said Holli Chmela, 27, and Taylor Luck, 23,
were arrested on Thursday after they crossed into Syria. It said the two will be
handed over to the US embassy following a completion of "necessary measures".
The two went missing during a vacation in Lebanon and had not been heard from
since October 1, when they headed to northern Lebanon en route to Syria,
according to an announcement on Wedn-esday by the US embassy in Beirut.
An official with the US embassy in Damascus confirmed two Americans are being
held by Syrian authorities and added that the embassy was trying to confirm
their identities. The embassy official spoke on refused to give further details
because of rules of preserving privacy.
—AP
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Human stem cells created from semen
London, Oct. 9: Scientists have created human stem cells from male semen. Until
recently, it was thought that the best source of stem cells was actually a human
embryo. A Germany team has developed a method which can do away with the need to
create and destroy embryos.
And, according to the scientists, the discovery could eventually be used to
grow ‘spare part’ tissue to treat a host of diseases including diabetes,
Parkinson’s and heart disease, the Daily Mail reported. The study shows that
stem cells der-ived from a male’s reproductive organs are as useful as those
taken from embryos, but can be made without any of the ethical worries. —PTI