Shorttakes

New hurricanes take shape to hit US

Two new hurricanes have taken shape and were expected to hit the U.S. later this week, the National Hurricane Center said yesterday.

US forecasters said that a new tropical storm, coded Ike, formed in the Atlantic and could turn into a hurricane in two days.

Xinhua

People taking stairs expected to live longer

People taking the stairs instead of elevator at work can expect to live longer, according to a Swiss study released on Monday.

Regularly walking from floor to floor in an office building decreased mortality risk by 15 percent, said Philippe Meyer, the main author of the study, which was done at the University Hospital of Geneva.

For the study, 77 employees from Geneva University with a sedentary lifestyle were recruited to take only the stairs over a three-month period, Swissinfo reported. Xinhua

State of Emergency declared in Bangkok

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Tuesday morning announced to impose a state of emergency in Bangkok following violent clashes between the pro and anti-government protesters in early morning.

The premier made the announcement at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday through TV pool and radio broadcasters nationwide. after confrontations between pro-government demonstrators led by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) and anti- government protesters led by the People’s Alliance for Democracy ( PAD) left at least one person dead and dozens injured during the first two hours of Tuesday near the Government House compound, which the PAD supporters have occupied since August 26.

Xinhua