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Bangladesh issued a red alert on Sunday over an outbreak of anthrax which has infected nearly 300 people and killed about 150 cattle in the six north-west districts of the country in the past two weeks. The outbreak was first detected on August 19 in Sirajganj district, 150 km (90 miles) from the capital Dhaka. The victims fell sick after eating beef from anthrax-affected cattle. "We have issued a red alert and asked livestock officials, civil surgeons and health workers to fan out to detect sick cows and single out them immediately," Abdul Latif Biswas, minister for fisheries and livestock, told a news conference. Infected people suffer fever, severe pain and swollen tissues, often with lesions. The disease can be deadly if not treated immediately. Anthrax commonly infects cattle which ingest or inhale the bacterium while grazing, and can infect people who come into contact with them or consume their meat. But it does not spread from human to human. Some 500,000 ampoule...

Standup comic Robert Schimmel, a frequent guest on Howard Stern's radio show, has died after suffering serious injuries in a car accident. He was 60. Schimmel's spokesman, Howard Bragman, said Schimmel died Friday evening in a Phoenix hospital. Schimmel was a passenger Aug. 26 in a car driven by his 19-year-old daughter Aliyah. Bragman said Aliyah Schimmel swerved to avoid another car and the vehicle she was driving rolled to the side of the freeway. Bragman said she is hospitalized in stable condition. Robert Schimmel lived in Scottsdale. The 60-year-old comedian has been a frequent guest on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and on Howard Stern's radio show. His 2008 memoir, "Cancer on $5 a Day," chronicles his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Schimmel starred in a Fox sitcom that was picked up in 2000 but had to be canceled after he learned he had cancer and needed to begin chemotherapy immediately, according to his website. The site says...

The United States likely will need to keep thousands of troops in Iraq beyond 2011 to keep a lid on sectarian tensions and to bolster Baghdad's fledgling military, experts and former officers say. American officials privately acknowledge that the US military presence in Iraq will almost certainly be extended, even though a security agreement in force requires all US forces to depart by the end of 2011. The US military will be needed not only for technical tasks to keep the Iraqi armed forces afloat, but as a reassuring presence for Iraqis fearing a revival of sectarian and ethnic bloodshed, analysts said. Baghdad's military remains heavily dependent on US logistical support, air power, equipment and expertise, while most Baghdad politicians are anxious to retain American troops as a peacekeeping force in reserve. "The more pressing requirement is less teaching them how to use weapons and more providing reassurance to threatened internal communities that they won't ...

The economic outlook for nine U.S. Midwest and South-Central states slumped for a third consecutive month in August, pointing to slower growth as the potential for a double-dip recession rises, according to a survey of supply managers released on Wednesday.   Creighton University's Business Conditions Index fell to 55.8 in August from 60.8 in July. A reading of 50 is considered growth neutral, while readings above that signal expansion over the next three to six months.   Just over a third of the survey's respondents said it was likely or very likely the U.S. economy will slip back into a recession in 2011, while 44 percent said there was a 50 percent chance of that happening. Still, the Mid-America region looks stronger than the national economy, said Creighton University Economics Professor Ernie Goss. "Over the past several months, for example, the region has been adding jobs at a very healthy pace while U.S. job growth has been nil," he said in a statement. ...

    DSE NEWS News:    Today's (02.09.2010) Total Trades: 204,517; Volume: 85,041,845 and Turnover: Tk. 15,217.66 million. IMAMBUTTON News:    The Company has informed that the Management of the company has decided to Demate the share of the company subject to the approval of SEC. UNITEDINS News:    In response to a DSE query, the company has informed that there is no undisclosed price sensitive information of the company for recent unusual price hike. POPULARLIF News:    Mr. Md. Rukunuddin Mollah, one of the Sponsors/Directors of the company, has reported his intention to sell 2,500 shares out of his total holdings of 10,955 shares of the company at prevailing market price through Stock Exchange within next 30 working days. FIRSTSBANK News:    The Bank has informed that the share division of the Bank has been shifted at 23 Dilkusha Commercial Area (2nd floor), Dhaka-1000 from Bengal C...

US President Barack Obama has urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders not to let the chance of a permanent peace deal "slip away". "This moment of opportunity may not soon come again," he said, pledging US support for the new negotiations. Mr Obama spoke the day before a new round of direct talks between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was due to begin. Mr Obama spoke at the White House on Wednesday evening after meetings with Mr Netanyahu, Mr Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. His remarks came on the eve of the first direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in 20 months, which he said were "intended to resolve all final status issues". Mr Obama said the goal of the talks, which are expected to last a year, was a permanent settlement that ended the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and resulted in an independent, democratic  Palestinian state existing peace...

The yen rose and was on track for its fourth consecutive monthly advance against the dollar on Tuesday, its longest winning streak in 19 months, as investors shrugged off Japan's latest easing move. Demand for the safe-haven currency rose in the past month as U.S. Treasury yields tumbled amid mounting signs the economic recovery in the United States was faltering. The rapid advance, which pushed the yen to a 15-year high this month, prompted Japanese authorities to announce measures on Monday to curb the yen's strength to protect the country's exports. Traders and analysts saw the central bank's moves as a symbolic gesture that will do little to halt the climb. They said that short of direct intervention in the foreign exchange markets, the yen is bound to test its all-time high of 79.75 yen set in April 1995, according to Reuters data. "The policy action by the BoJ isn't going to change the market's mood. It would probably take intervention to shake things...