According to Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009 released today, China has defeated India on the worldwide IT (information technology) radar, by gaining the 46th position in what is known as the Network Readiness Index (NRI).

At the same time India fell to the 54th grade from the 50th position during the last year, China jumped 11 points to come forward as a more innovative nation in promoting its global IT interests.

Soumitra Dutta, management academic at INSEAD, France, made this announcement.

Washington, Mar 27 : When it comes to sex, certain female termite "primary queens" can reproduce both sexually and asexually during their lifetimes, according to a new study.

The collaborative study by scientists at North Carolina State University and three Japanese universities revealed that the asexually produced babies mostly grow to be queen successors - so-called "secondary queens" - that remain in the termite colony and mate with the king.

Washington, March 27: Scientists at Michigan State University have found that cholesterol crystals can disrupt plaque in a patient’s cardiovascular system, and thereby cause a heart attack or stroke.

George Abela, chief of the cardiology division in MSU’s College of Human Medicine, believes that the new finding may significantly change the way doctors and researchers approach cardiovascular attacks.

Washington, Mar 27 : Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and the German Research Center for Environmental Health have identified certain genetic mutations that may lead to poor lung development in children.

Poor lung development makes kids more vulnerable to diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life.

Washington, Mar 27 : Scientists at Scripps Research Institute have uncovered the structure of a protein that makes cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy.

The protein, called P-glycoprotein or P-gp makes cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy drugs. The research team believes that the structure would help them design more effective drugs.

Washington, Mar. 27 : The new policy of Afghanistan and Pakistan may well see a surge in US troops in the region to facilitate the `war on terror', but President Barack Obama has also clarified that Pakistan would be made accountable for all the financial aid it receives from now on.

"The era of the blank cheque is over," Obama told Congressional leaders at a meeting here.