United States

George Bush has failed' to arrest Wall Street meltdown: John McCain

Republican presidential candidate John McCainNew York, Sept. 22: Seeking to distance himself from President George W Bush in the run-up to the November 4 presidential poll, Republican presidential candidate John McCain has accused him and his administration of failing to arrest the meltdown on Wall Street.

"I say the Bush administration has failed," McCain said on "60 Minutes" after agreeing that he placed "a great deal" of responsibility on the President for the financial meltdown,” the New York Daily News quoted McCain, as saying.

President Karzai travels to New York for UN General Assembly

Kabul - President Karzai travels to New York for UN General Assembly Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday left Kabul for New York to attend the opening of the 63rd UN General Assembly and meet world leaders including US President George W Bush.

On Wednesday, Karzai is scheduled to address session to inform about the progress his country has made against terrorism, the presidential palace said in a statement.

Pakistani gunfire prevents US incursion

Islamabad - Pakistani security forces and tribesmen repelled a suspected US attack by shooting at intruding helicopter gunships in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said Monday.

The incident occurred late Sunday night in Lowara Mandi village of the North Waziristan tribal district that is believed to be infested with al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

"Two gunships flew at least a kilometre into Pakistani territory but hails of machine-gun fire by troops and the villagers forced the intruders to turn back," a security official said while insisting on anonymity.

The US choppers did not return fire and flew back to Afghanistan, he added.

Regulatory system needs to be changed: Barack Obama

Democratic presidential candaiate Barack ObamaNew York, Sept. 22: Democratic presidential candaiate Barack Obama has said that the country’s regulatory system needs to be changed to ensure an improved economic performance.

Speaking with CBS’s Steve Kroft, Obama said America’s biggest financial crisis could be blamed on a lot of factors, but the main one appeared to be a badly-managed regulatory system that has not kept pace with the times.

Smell a rose to get sweet dreams

Washington, Sept 22 : Exposure to sweet and pleasant aromas while sleeping can affect your dreams positively, while a bad odour can have a negative impact, according to a new study.

The research has shown that what people smell while sleeping has a huge impact on their dreams.

This is the first valid study that documents the impact of olfactory function on dreams.

During the study, German researchers used specific volatile odorants with a negative or a positive smell ("rotten eggs" versus "roses") for simulating the participants during sleep.

After the participants woke up, the researchers recorded their impressions.

John McCain picked wrong Palin as running mate, says another Palin

Republican presidential candidate John McCainLondon, Sep 22: Republican presidential candidate John McCain picked the wrong Palin as his running mate, according to a YouTube video that is attracting hits on the Internet.

The presidential candidate should not have chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, but Michael Palin, the former Monty Python star turned travel documentary maker, The Times reported.

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