Karachi, Oct 21 : Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has hailed President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit to China, saying he deserves “great appreciation” for his efforts to bring the country out of economic crisis.

According to a MQM statement, Hussain felicitated the President in an hour-long telephone conversation (with him) on his recent successful visit to China.

New Delhi, Oct 21 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that if a Parliamentry Review Committee gives the finding that the offence against the accused cannot be tried under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), then trial under the anti-terror law cannot proceed.

However, the state can always file an appeal against POTA review committee, said the bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan pronouncing the verdict.

New Delhi, Oct 21 : The World Trade Organisation Secretariat has said that India leads all WTO member-countries in implementing anti-dumping measures followed by European Union and Indonesia during the first six months of 2008.

“Concerning application of new final anti-dumping measures, India reported applying 16 new measures, thereby registering an increase of 78 per cent during January-June over the same period last year,” the WTO said in its report.

India applied for six of the 16 new measures on products in the chemicals sector, it said.

Washington, Oct 21 : US Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is expected to suspend his campaign trail for one full day this weekend to see his seriously ailing grandmother, who raised him as a child along with his mother and grandfather.

Senior advisor in Obama’s campaign programme, Robert Gibbs said she was released from hospital late last week but had not improved.

Washington, Oct 21 : A new study has determined that reducing the number of deer in forests and parks may unexpectedly reduce the number of snakes, salamanders and insects in that area, thus suggesting that these creatures thrive in areas with higher deer populations.

The study was carried out by researchers at Ohio State University and National Park Service, who found that higher deer activity is modifying forest ecosystems in unexpected ways.

Out of several species of snakes, salamanders, and invertebrates studied, a greater diversity of animals were found in areas with deer populations than were in areas with no deer activity.

Bodhgaya, Oct 21 : Monks in Bodh Gaya have staged a demonstration against barricading of the sacred Bodhi tree by the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC).

Monks alleged that a scientist of Forest Research Institute (FRI) had submitted to BTMC a report stating that offering of prayers by the monks just below the sacred tree would stop intake of oxygen to its roots, drying down it in due course of time.

They marched down towards the Bodhgaya management office, raising slogans for removal of the barricades around the sacred tree.