Court says Obama exceeded authority in making appointments

President Obama exceeded his constitutional authority by making appointments when the Senate was on a break last year, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The court’s broad ruling would sharply limit the power that presidents throughout history have used to make recess appointments in the face of Senate opposition and inaction. A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals...

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SDA's Lim concedes defeat

SINGAPORE: Singapore Democratic Alliance's Desmond Lim has conceded defeat.He said he would like to thank his supporters, adding that he ran in the election to keep the SDA flame alive.In a statement, Mr Lim said: "It has been a fast but hard race to the end. Entering this contest, I was well aware of the risks and challenges. But it was something the SDA had to do to keep its political...

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Rajasthan must act against Nandy for casteist comments: Mayawati

NEW DELHI: BSP leader Mayawati on Saturday demanded that the Rajasthan government take strong action against social scientist Ashis Nandy for his comments linking OBCs, the SCs and the STs to corruption and that he be told to leave the Jaipur Literature Festival. Talking to reporters here, Mayawati said Nandy's comments were "wrong, baseless and unfortunate" and reflected casteist mindset. They...

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Pictures: The Story Behind Sun Dogs, Penitent Ice, and More

Photograph by Art Wolfe, Getty ImagesIf you want the beauty of winter without having to brave the bone-chilling temperatures blasting much of the United States this week, snuggle into a soft blanket, grab a warm beverage, and curl up with some of these natural frozen wonders. Nieve penitente, or penitent snow, are collections of spires that resemble robed monks—or penitents. They are flattened columns...

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Cops Using More Private Cameras to Nab Suspects

Philadelphia detectives were able to quickly make an arrest in the murder and burning of a female pediatrician by viewing surveillance video of nearby stores and a hospital that captured the suspect entering the doctor's home and later getting into his truck.In the hours after Dr. Melissa Ketunuti's body was found strangled and burning in her basement, city's Homicide Task Force...

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Obama to tap Denis McDonough as chief of staff

President Obama will name deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough, a longtime trusted aide, as his new White House chief of staff Friday, officials said. McDonough, 43, has spent the past two years as the No. 2 official in the National Security Council, helping guide some of the administration’s most high-profile decisions, including the military drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan,...

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Three residential projects in Orchard Boulevard expected to be completed by 2015

SINGAPORE: Three new high-end residential projects in the prime Orchard Boulevard area are expected to be completed over the next two years. They include luxury development 21 AngulliaPark - a Hong Kong-based China Sonangol's first Singapore property project. TwentyOne AngulliaPark and Skyline@Orchard Boulevard are expected to receive their temporary occupancy permits at around end 2013...

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Jaipur Lit Fest: Spat between Javed Akhtar, Kancha Ilaiah

JAIPUR: A row over religion broke out between Bollywood lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and Dalit activist and writer Kancha Illaiah at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday. The tiff erupted after Akhtar, who was in the audience at a packed venue, interjected during a session on God and Buddhism, saying he was an atheist and no religion gave equality to women and weaker sections. "Discussing...

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Deformed Dolphin Accepted Into New Family

In 2011, behavioral ecologists Alexander Wilson and Jens Krause of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany were surprised to discover that a group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)—animals not usually known for forging bonds with other species—had taken in an adult bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The researchers observed the group in...

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Alleged Doctor Killer Had Anger Issues, Friend Says

Jason Smith, the Philadelphia exterminator who police say showed up at the home of Dr. Melissa Ketunuti this week to solve her rodent problem before strangling her, was a problem child as an adolescent, a family friend told ABC News.The family friend from many years ago, who asked for anonymity, said Smith, 36, had behavior and anger issues, and that he also liked to set things...

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