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London, Sept.22 : The Queen could be dropped as Australia’s head of state within three years under plans drawn up by the man tipped to be the country’s next prime minister.

Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd is surging ahead in the polls and is expected to deliver a humiliating defeat to the government of Prime Minister John Howard at an election due within weeks.

A staunch republican, Rudd wants Australia to cut its constitutional ties with Britain, replacing the Queen with an elected president, reports The Telegraph.

Washington, Sept 22 : Researchers have patented a synthetic version of the drug heparin, called Recomparin, that is less complex chemically and easier to produce than previous forms.

Heparin has loads of advantages such as it helps in preventing clots from forming and restricting the flow of blood during and after procedures such as kidney dialysis, heart-bypass surgery, stent implantation and knee and hip replacement. The annual worldwide sales of the drug are estimated at 3 billion dollars.

Washington, Sept.22 : Rock samples retrieved last month from beneath the Arctic Ocean indicate that the North Pole is part of Russia, the Russian government announced yesterday.

The Russians contend that the Lomonosov Ridge, an undersea structure running across the Arctic Ocean beneath the pole, is a geological extension of the Russian region of Siberia.

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 22 : Civic authorities in Ghaziabad have unleashed a 'cattle catching squad' to capture stray bulls posing a danger to pedestrians.

"The stray bulls walking on the streets are really dangerous. They sometimes attack vehicles, people and block traffic. Civic authorities do not reach the place on time to control them," said Virendra Munna, a social activist.