Washington, Mar. 31 : During her recent visit to Mexico, U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unexpected stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers "on behalf of the American people," after asking who painted the famous image.

Washington, Mar 31 : Killing mosquitoes in their water-borne larval stage of development can effectively control malaria in urban areas, according to a study.

Governments and NGOs worldwide are making a concerted effort to tackle malaria and a number of interventions exist to control its spread, including the use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), sprays and repellents.

However, most interventions target adult mosquitoes, which can carry the parasite.

Washington, Mar 31 : An international team of researchers have developed a novel radiation-free technique that detects and eliminates breast cancer tumours.

The team including researchers from California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre have shown that combining a compound known as a gallium corrole with a protein carrier can effectively detect and remove tumours with fewer side effects.

Washington, Mar 31 : A new study in the U. S. has found a link between an increased number of birth defects in children of women who got pregnant in spring or summer and elevated levels of pesticides in surface water across the country.

Studying all 30.1 million births, which occurred in the U. S. between 1996 and 2002, the researchers found that women whose last menstrual period occurred in April, May, June or July were at increased risk for delivering infants with birth defects.

They also found that this period of increased risk correlated with elevated levels of nitrates, atrazine and other pesticides in surface water across the country.

Washington, Mar 31 : A new study has shown that dietary supplementation with lipoic acid, a natural compound found at low levels in red meat and green leafy vegetables, can significantly reduce triglycerides, a key risk factor in cardiovascular disease.

While experimenting on rats, the researchers found that supplements of lipoic acid lowered triglyceride levels up to 60 percent.

Washington, Mar 31 : Comedian Jamie Kennedy is said to be on the mend after he fell ill due to kidney stones, and is also recovering fast with his girlfriend actress Jennifer Love Hewitt being there by his side.

Kennedy, 38, had fallen ill on March 24 while holidaying with Hewitt, 30, in Mexico, and as soon as they arrived back in Los Angeles on March 25, he headed straight for the hospital.

“He had comedy shows scheduled in Boston, but he cancelled them because of his kidney stones,” People magazine quoted a source as saying.

“He felt better later in the day and went home, but on Thursday he started hurting again and he went back to the hospital,” the source added.