News in Brief-(2023-06-11)

India study estimates 11pc of population is diabetic
NEW DELHI, June 10: Some 11 per cent of Indians are diabetic, a government study found, adding that diabetes, hypertension and obesity are much more common in India than previously estimated. The study of more than 113,000 people also found that around 15 per cent of Indians were pre-diabetic and around 35 per cent have hypertension. It was conducted between October 2008 and December 2020 across 31 Indian states and territories. "It is quite evident from the study results that India has a substantial population at risk of cardiovascular disease and other long-term organ complications," R.S. Dhaliwal, head of the non-communicable diseases division at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said in a statement. — Reuters
12,000-year-old bone flutes sound like birds of prey: Study
JERUSALEM, June 10: A new study has found that human ancestors living in nowadays Hula Valley, northern Israel, would probably play bird bone flutes to attract prey in hunting, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Friday. The study, published in the journal Nature Scientific Report, analyzed some previously found waterfowl wing bones and realized they are bone flutes, which can date back 12,000 years. These tiny flutes can produce sounds that mimic the calls of predatory birds. Researchers from Israel, Austria, the United States, and France revealed that the objects, discovered in Hula Valley, were probably used in music, or to grasp the attention of waterfowl, which probably makes it the earliest evidence of the use of sound in hunting, according to IAA. — XINHUA
Thousands of people fleeing restive Philippine volcano
BONGA (Philippines), June 10: Thousands of people who fled their homes in the central Philippines to escape a restive volcano have to contend with another threat that's complicating the ongoing evacuations: monsoon rains that could be unleashed by an approaching typhoon. More than 6,000 villagers have been forced to leave rural communities within a 6-kilometer radius of Mayon volcano's crater in northeastern Albay province. Thousands more need to be moved to safety from the permanent danger zone, officials said. Others living outside the perimeter have packed their bags and voluntarily left with their children for evacuation centres in Albay, which was placed under a state of calamity on Friday to allow more rapid disbursement of emergency funds in case a major eruption unfolds. — Arab News