Britain clings to austerity despite AAA loss

LONDON: British finance minister George Osborne insisted Saturday that he would not abandon his deficit-cutting drive after Moody's stripped the country of its coveted triple-A debt rating.The opposition lashed Osborne, saying his plan for the economy was shot through, while analysts said that although it was an embarrassment for him, the downgrade would have a limited impact in the markets.In...

Read More..

Assembly elections 2013: Meghalaya registers 88% voting, Nagaland 83%

NEW DELHI: Meghalaya recorded 88 per cent polling and Nagaland 83.27 per cent in the assembly elections held on Saturday, which passed off peacefully barring a few minor incidents in Nagaland. The counting would be held on February 28. Meghalaya recorded a high turnout defying a bandh call by militants in some districts and came close to its last time turnout of 89.04 per cent. Defying a bandh called...

Read More..

Elderly Abandoned at World's Largest Religious Festival

Every 12 years, the northern Indian city of Allahabad plays host to a vast gathering of Hindu pilgrims called the Maha Kumbh Mela. This year, Allahabad is expected to host an estimated 80 million pilgrims between January and March. (See Kumbh Mela: Pictures From the Hindu Holy Festival)People come to Allahabad to wash away their sins in the sacred River Ganges. For many it's the realization...

Read More..

6 Leaking Tanks Are Wash. Nuke Site's Latest Woe

Federal and state officials say six underground tanks holding a brew of radioactive and toxic waste are leaking at the country's most contaminated nuclear site in south-central Washington, raising concerns about delays for emptying the aging tanks.The leaking materials at Hanford Nuclear Reservation pose no immediate risk to public safety or the environment because it would take perhaps...

Read More..

Some Native Americans defy U.S. law on eagle feathers

Angelica Chavis, a third-year law student in North Carolina, received her prized eagle feather from a tribal elder at age 7, when she was crowned Little Miss Lumbee. And she’s planning to keep it, even if it’s against federal law. “It’s something I’ve earned, and it was given to me as an honor,” said Chavis, 23.She and other members of the Lumbee Tribe, the largest in North Carolina,...

Read More..

Volkswagen says net profit up 40% in 2012

FRANKFURT: Volkswagen, Europe's biggest car manufacturer, said on Friday that its net profit zoomed ahead by more the 40 percent last year on higher vehicle sales.VW said in a statement its net profit soared by 40.9 percent to a record 21.7 billion euros ($28.6 billion) in 2012 as revenues rose by 20.9 percent to 192.7 billion euros and deliveries to customers were up 12.2 percent at 9.276...

Read More..

Suriyanelli gang-rape case: Victim lodges complaint against Rajya Sabha deputy chairman PJ Kurien

KOTTAYAM: In a new twist to Suriyanelli gang-rape case, the victim on Friday lodged a police complaint insisting that Rajya Sabha deputy chairman PJ Kurien be made an accused. The complaint lodged at Chingavanam police station also sought that Dharmarajan, an absconding convict who had jumped bail in the case and was arrested recently from Karnataka, and two other people — Unnikrishnan and Jamal,...

Read More..

Oscar Pistorius Granted Bail in Murder Case

Oscar Pistorius was granted bail today in a South African court, meaning he can be released from jail for the six to eight months before his trial for the allegedly premeditated killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.Magistrate Desmond Nair, in reading his lengthy decision, said, "The issue before me is whether this accused, being who is and the assets he has [here], would...

Read More..

Group releases list of 90 medical ‘don’ts’

Don’t use feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia. Don’t use drugs to aggressively treat diabetes in those older than 65. Don’t automati­cally use imaging technology for minor head injuries in children and headaches in adults. And don’t give antacids to babies with reflux. Those are among the 90 medical “don’ts” on a list being released Thursday by a coalition of doctor and consumer...

Read More..

International standard schools face shutdown after Indonesia court ruling

JAKARTA: Ten years ago, Indonesia set up international standard schools with the aim of producing globally-competitive students.But some say the project was a failure... and the Constitutional Court has recently called for the schools to be disbanded, as they are now considered to be discriminatory.Students in one of the classes are learning Chemistry... not in Bahasa Indonesia, but in...

Read More..

Chopper deal, Kurien controversy to dominate Parliament

NEW DELHI: The VVIP chopper deal and P J Kurien controversy are expected to dominate proceedings in Parliament tomorrow, practically the first working day of the budget session after the President's address today. The opposition is united in plans to flag the Italian chopper deal issue in both Houses tomorrow but disruption is unlikely with the government already making it clear that it was ready...

Read More..

NASA's Mars Rover Makes Successful First Drill

For the first time ever, people have drilled into a rock on Mars, collecting the powdered remains from the hole for analysis.Images sent back from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Wednesday confirmed that the precious sample is being held by the rover's scoop, and will soon be delivered to two miniature chemical labs to undergo an unprecedented analysis. (Related: "Mars Rover Curiosity...

Read More..

Lead Pistorius Cop Facing Attempted Murder Charge

Hilton Botha, the detective at the center of the Oscar Pistorius murder case, is facing his own attempted murder charges in connection with a 2011 shooting in which he and other police officers allegedly fired a gun at passengers in a vehicle.Botha is scheduled to appear in court in May on seven counts of attempted murder in connection to the October 2011 incident in which he...

Read More..

Annabel Pennefather named Chef de Mission for SEA Games in Myanmar

SINGAPORE: Miss Annabel Pennefather has been named Chef de Mission for the Singapore contingent at this year's SEA Games in Myanmar.This will be her fifth time as Chef de Mission to Singapore's contingent.Previously, she filled that role at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and most recently, the 2010 Commonwealth Games in...

Read More..

Kurien writes to RS members on rape charges

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien has written to members of the House, saying three police inquiries and two judicial processes have cleared him in the 17-year-old Suryanelli rape case. Kurien, who is under attack since the victim demanded recently that he be made an accused in the case, has attached an elaborate note on the sequence of...

Read More..

Florida Python Hunt Captures 68 Invasive Snakes

It's a wrap—the 2013 Python Challenge has nabbed 68 invasive Burmese pythons in Florida, organizers say. And experts are surprised so many of the elusive giants were caught.Nearly 1,600 people from 38 states—most of them inexperienced hunters—registered for the chance to track down one of the animals, many of which descend from snakes that either escaped or were dumped into the wild.Since...

Read More..

Pistorius Shots Said to Come From High Angle

At the second day of a bail hearing for Olympian Oscar Pistorius, a South African investigator who arrived at the scene of the Feb. 14 fatal shooting said that Reeva Steenkamp was shot from a high angle, which prosecutors say contradicts the runner's account that he was not wearing his prosthetics when he shot his girlfriend to death.Pistorius, a double-amputee who runs on carbon-fiber...

Read More..

SGX to review listing rules to protect retail investors of troubled firms

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Exchange (SGX) is looking at reviewing listing rules to better protect retail investors of troubled firms. This was revealed in a letter to the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) (SIAS) from SGX deputy chief regulatory officer Richard Teng.SGX was responding to SIAS' earlier proposals to safeguard investors of foreign issuers on the SGX. The exchange...

Read More..

Dubai-based saviour of Youths suggstes information network for UAE goers

JALANDHAR: Dubai-based hotelier S P Singh Oberoi, who has returned with 17 Punjabi youths after saving them from gallows of Sharjah, has suggested to the NRI Sabha Punjab to have an "information and feedback offices" in every district of Punjab to guide youths who wanted to go to UAE for doing odd labour jobs. During his visit to office of NRI Sabha Punjab, where he was felicitated on Monday late...

Read More..

Confirmed: Dogs Sneak Food When People Aren't Looking

Many dog owners will swear their pups are up to something when out of view of watchful eyes. Shoes go missing, couches have mysterious teeth marks, and food disappears. They seem to disregard the word "no."Now, a new study suggests dogs might understand people even better than we thought. (Related: "Animal Minds.")The research shows that domestic dogs, when told not to snatch a piece of...

Read More..

'Blade Runner' Denies Intentionally Killing Girlfriend

Olympian Oscar Pistorius today denied that he willfully killed his girlfriend, telling a South African court that he shot the woman through his bathroom door because he believed she was an intruder.Pistorius, 26 and a double-amputee Olympian, was charged today with premeditated murder, or a Schedule 6 offense, which under South African law limits his chances for parole if convicted.Pistorius,...

Read More..

EU agrees new sanctions against North Korea after nuclear test

BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed a raft of new sanctions on Monday against North Korea in retaliation for the country's nuclear test last week, EU officials said.The measures range from financial measures to travel bans and asset freezes against individuals.The sanctions include the implementation of individual sanctions approved at UN level as well as EU restrictions on financial dealings...

Read More..

Cauvery row: Karnataka urges PM not to notify final award

NEW DELHI/BANGALORE: The Karnataka delegation led by chief minister Jagadish Shettar urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to constitute Cauvery Management Board and notify final award of River Cauvery Dispute Tribunal."The proposed board will adversely affect the absolute authority of the state to regulate its reservoirs derived from Entry-17 of the state List. This would be an unjust and unconstitutional...

Read More..

Confirmed: Dogs Sneak Food When People Aren't Looking

Many dog owners will swear their pups are up to something when out of view of watchful eyes. Shoes go missing, couches have mysterious teeth marks, and food disappears. They seem to disregard the word "no."Now, a new study suggests dogs might understand people even better than we thought. (Related: "Animal Minds.")The research shows that domestic dogs, when told not to snatch a piece of...

Read More..

Country Singer Mindy McCready Dead at 37

Mindy McCready, the country singer who soared to the top of the charts with her debut album, "Ten Thousand Angels," but struggled with substance abuse, served time in jail and fought a lengthy battle with her mother over custody of her son has died of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. She was 37.Deputies from the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office were...

Read More..

Pope calls for Church to "renew", thousands flock to Angelus

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI called on the Church and its faithful on Sunday to "renew themselves" as tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists attended his penultimate Angelus prayers.Families with young children, pensioners and nuns packed into the square in the sunshine said they had come to pay their respects to the pope, make their goodbyes or just share in a historic event ahead...

Read More..

J&K legislator to move resolution seeking Guru's remains

SRINAGAR: Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid on Sunday said he would move a resolution in the coming session of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly for handing over of the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru to his family."I will bring a resolution in the coming session of the assembly for handing over of the mortal remains of Afzal Guru to his family," the MLA from Langate...

Read More..

Pictures: What the Presidents Brought Home

Photograph by Bill Ray, Time Life Pictures/Getty ImagesWhen paleontologist Paul Olsen (pictured left, in 1970 at 17 years old) first started looking for dinosaurs in 1967, he never dreamed that he'd end up the subject of White House memos between President Richard Nixon and his senior advisers.Or that one of the dinosaur footprints he discovered would find its way into a presidential collection.But...

Read More..

Gun Ban Would Protect More Than 2,200 Firearms

Congress' latest crack at a new assault weapons ban would protect more than 2,200 specific firearms, including a semi-automatic rifle that is nearly identical to one of the guns used in the bloodiest shootout in FBI history.One model of that firearm, the Ruger .223 caliber Mini-14, is on the proposed list to be banned, while a different model of the same gun is on a list of exempted...

Read More..