NEW YORK: Children whose mothers smoked while pregnant were more likely to end up on medications such as antidepressants, stimulants and drugs for addiction, according to a study from Finland that hints at smoking’s affect on a baby’s developing brain.

PARIS: Chocolate may be good for the heart but cardiologists are not giving you a licence to indulge. New research presented at Europe’s biggest medical meeting today suggested chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease.

DHAKA: Bangladesh has ruled out inking any transit agreement with India during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh here, even as it said a major treaty on rail and waterways will be signed to increase connectivity.

ISLAMABAD: Five people have been detained in Lahore in connection with the abduction of Mr Shahbaz Taseer, the son of late Punjab province governor Salman Taseer, police said.

WASHINGTON: Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command Atiyah Abd al-Rahman has been killed in a US drone attack in the mountains of Pakistan’s unruly Waziristan region, American officials have said, in a significant blow to the terror group still reeling from the death of Osama bin Laden in May.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Mr Asif Ali Zardari has said that his government believes in a sustainable and multifaceted relationship with the US based on principles of sovereign equality and trust.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: Hurricane Irene slammed New York Sunday with strong winds and heavy rain after battering the eastern coast of the US where it left at least 10 people dead and millions without power.

TRIPOLI: Libyan rebels captured the Ras Jdir border post on the frontier with Tunisia, which it was feared Muammar Gaddafi might use to escape, as the hunt for the fugitive strongman continued Saturday.

ISLAMABAD: At least 26 Pakistani soldiers were killed when hundreds of militants swarmed across from Afghanistan to attack several army posts in Chitral area of north-western Pakistan Saturday.

MOSCOW: A Russian satellite that was lost in space may pose a threat to other space vehicles or satellites, an official said.