Dubai - Five Dubai-based companies are among 16 firms and individuals accused by the United States of exporting items to Iran that could be used to make weapons and explosives, a news report said Saturday.

The traders are alleged to have purchased US-made "dual use" goods and transported them to Iran via the United Arab Emirates, Britain, Malaysia, Germany and Singapore, the Abu Dhabi-based The National newspaper said.

While Iran is subject to UN sanctions related primarily to material used in the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction, it is also covered by unilateral US sanctions, which prohibit the sale of most goods of US origin to the Islamic republic.

Lahore, Sep 20 : American drones are continuing their flights over various areas of North and South Waziristan, spreading panic and fear among locals despite a warning from Pakistan not to do so.

According to Express News, the spy planes were seen flying over Ghulam Khan, Hamzoni, Ditta Khel and Mir Ali areas of North Waziristan and Angoor Adda and Mateen areas of South Waziristan.

According to the channel, the continued drone flights have increased fears among locals, already worried about the security situation in their areas.

Earlier, Pakistani security forces along with tribesmen repulsed a ground attack by US-led troops in South Waziristan.

Washington, September 20: A new report has proved that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), US Government’s environmental watchdog, has knowingly allowed toxic e-waste to be shipped to countries like India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam, in direct violation of the agency’s regulations.

According to a report in Scientific American, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) knows that most of the 1.9 million tons (1.7 million metric tons) of discarded cell phones, computers and televisions, among other electronic goods, went into landfills overseas, because those are the agency’s own figures.

Washington, September 20: A team of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) geographers has uncovered fresh evidence from satellite imagery that last year''s U. S. troop surge in Iraq may not have been as effective at improving security as some U. S. officials have maintained.

The effectiveness of the February 2007 deployment of 30,000 additional U. S. troops has been a subject of debate.

In a report to Congress in September of that year, General David Petraeus claimed that "the military objectives of the surge are, in large measure, being met."

Washington, September 20: A team of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) geographers has uncovered fresh evidence from satellite imagery that last year''s U. S. troop surge in Iraq may not have been as effective at improving security as some U. S. officials have maintained.

The effectiveness of the February 2007 deployment of 30,000 additional U. S. troops has been a subject of debate.

In a report to Congress in September of that year, General David Petraeus claimed that "the military objectives of the surge are, in large measure, being met."

Washington, Sept 20 : Physicians, crime scene investigators, pharmacists, even the general public will now be able to conduct DNA tests from almost anywhere, all thanks to the efforts of a leading scientist, who is using new "lab on a chip" technology to make the hand-held device.

James Landers wants to create a hand-held device that may allow quick and inexpensive DNA tests, which can be conducted without the need for a complex and expensive central laboratory.

Other than simplifying genetic testing, and reducing the costs of such tests, the new device could help pave the way toward routine delivery of such personalized care based on an individual''s genetic profile.