Islamists rally behind Mursi as Egypt's rifts widen

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamist crowds demonstrated in Cairo on Saturday in support of President Mohamed Mursi, who is racing through a constitution to try to defuse opposition fury over his newly expanded powers. Many thousands assembled outside Cairo University, waving Egyptian flags and green Islamist emblems to show their backing for the president and the constitution he is promoting....

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Accident between bus, motorcycle along Woodlands

Accident between bus, motorcycle along WoodlandsPosted: 01 December 2012 1949 hrs SINGAPORE: An accident between a bus and motorcycle occurred on Saturday along Woodlands Centre Road. Police received the call at around 10:00am.The motorcyclist was conveyed conscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.Investigations are ongoing.- CNA/ck !-- Zone Tag : Channel News Asia In Text innity_pub...

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FDI in retail to safeguard international market mafias' interest: BJP

NEW DELHI: India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said retail reform is a step taken by the Congress led-federal government to safeguard the interests of the international market mafias at the cost of national interest.BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Saturday that voting inside the parliament would decide as to who is in favour of national interest and who is working...

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South Africa makes progress in HIV/AIDS fight

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — In the early 90s when South Africa's Themba Lethu clinic could only treat HIV/AIDS patients for opportunistic diseases, many would come in on wheelchairs and keep coming to the health center until they died.Two decades later the clinic is the biggest ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment center in the country and sees between 600 to 800 patients a day from all over southern Africa. Those...

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Could Outgoing Republicans Hold Keys to 'Cliff' Deal?

Nov 30, 2012 1:45pm AP Photo/Carolyn KasterThe outlook for reaching some sort of bipartisan agreement on the so-called “fiscal cliff” before the Dec. 31 deadline is looking increasingly grim. Shortly after noon today, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, appeared before the cameras to say the talks had reached a “stalemate.”But there may be a glimmer...

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Palestinians win de facto U.N. recognition of sovereign state

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the world body to issue its long overdue "birth certificate." The U.N. victory for the Palestinians was a diplomatic setback for the United States and Israel, which were joined...

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Golf: Supakorn soars ahead in King's Cup

BANGKOK: Thailand's Supakorn Utaipat continued his dream run at the $500,000 King's Cup when he signed for a five-under-par 67 to take the second round lead on Friday.The 22-year-old compiled a two-day total of 13-under-par 131 to take a two-shot advantage over the chasing pack heading into the weekend rounds.Singapore's Mardan Mamat carded a 70 to take a share of second place alongside...

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Yeddyurappa gears up for new political journey

BANGALORE: Snapping his 40-year-old links with the BJP, mercurial leader B S Yeddyurappa, seen as the party's face in Karnataka before he was removed as chief minister, has embarked on an uncertain path that has left him as well as the party he helped build at the crossroads. A hardboiled politician from the RSS stable, Yeddyurappa, a prominent Lingayat strongman, rose through the ranks step by...

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Ukraine fights spreading HIV epidemic

BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — Andrei Mandrykin, an inmate at Prison No. 85 outside Kiev, has HIV. He looks ghostly and much older than his 35 years. But Mandrykin is better off than tens of thousands of his countrymen, because is he receiving treatment amid what the World Health Organization says is the worst AIDS epidemic in Europe.Ahead of World AIDS Day on Saturday, international organizations have urged...

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Man Arrested in Fla. Girl's 1993 Disappearance

Police have arrested a 42-year-old man and charged him with murder in the case of a Florida girl who vanished almost 20 years ago.Andrea Gail Parsons, 10, of Port Salerno, Fla., was last seen on July 11, 1993, shortly after 6 p.m. She had just purchased candy and soda at a grocery store when she waved to a local couple as they drove by on an area street and honked, police said.Today,...

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U.N. set for implicit recognition of Palestinian state, despite U.S., Israel threats

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly is set to implicitly recognize a sovereign state of Palestine on Thursday despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding much-needed funds for the West Bank government. A Palestinian resolution that would change the Palestinian Authority's U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member...

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MediaCorp launches its first fashion portal

SINGAPORE: Singapore's leading media company MediaCorp has launched its first fashion portal. styleXstyle features the latest news on Singapore and international fashion and beauty trends, celebrity blogs and spotlights on emerging designers in the region. Members can connect with the fashion industry and fellow style-savvy members by sharing images and blog posts. They can also upload...

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Mend your ways or lose power, Markandey Katju tells Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju has described West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee as "intolerant and whimsical" and warned her that she would lose power if she did not change. In a letter to her, Katju demanded she apologise to all who were victimised by her adminisration, and sought action against policemen who arrested Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra...

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Simple measures cut infections caught in hospitals

CHICAGO (AP) — Preventing surgery-linked infections is a major concern for hospitals and it turns out some simple measures can make a big difference.A project at seven big hospitals reduced infections after colorectal surgeries by nearly one-third. It prevented an estimated 135 infections, saving almost $4 million, the Joint Commission hospital regulating group and the American College of Surgeons...

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Two Winners in Record Powerball Jackpot

Winning tickets for the record Powerball jackpot worth more than $587 million were purchased in Arizona and Missouri.Missouri Lottery official Susan Goedde confirmed to ABC News this morning that one of the winning tickets was purchased in the state, but they would not announce which town until later this morning.Arizona lottery officials said they had no information on that...

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Egypt protests continue in deadlock over Mursi powers

CAIRO (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters were in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a sixth day on Wednesday, demanding that Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi rescind a decree they say gives him dictatorial powers. Five months into the Islamist leader's term, and in scenes reminiscent of the popular uprising that unseated predecessor Hosni Mubarak last year, police fired teargas at stone-throwers...

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Olam shares fall despite rebuttal of Muddy Waters' report

SINGAPORE: Olam International's shares continued to slide Wednesday despite its rebuttal of a research firm's warning that the Singapore farm commodities giant could collapse like US energy trader Enron."Olam faces no risk of insolvency. We have proactively planned for an appropriate capital structure and raised the requisite equity and debt to meet our investment plans," it said in a...

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Gujral 'very critical', doctor says

GURGAON: The condition of former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral remains "very critical", a doctor said on Wednesday. "His condition is the same as yesterday -- very critical," K.L. Sehgal, a doctor from the Medicity Medanta Hospital here, told IANS. On Tuesday, Gujral fell unconscious and his urine output was blocked. Gujral, 93, was admitted to Medicity with a lung infection Nov 19, and...

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CDC: HIV spread high in young gay males

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say 1 in 5 new HIV infections occur in a tiny segment of the population — young men who are gay or bisexual.The government on Tuesday released new numbers that spotlight how the spread of the AIDS virus is heavily concentrated in young males who have sex with other males. Only about a quarter of new infections in the 13-to-24 age group are from injecting drugs or heterosexual...

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Powerball Fever Sweeps the Nation, Fuels Jackpot

The allure of the record $500 Powerball jackpot has led to long lines across the nation at local mini-marts and gas stations, with Americans hoping their champagne and caviar dreams become a reality when the numbers are drawn tonight.The jackpot was boosted Tuesday from $425 million to the now historic $500 million sum, which is expected to get sweeter as millions of Americans...

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Arafat's grave opened for poison tests

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Forensic experts took samples from Yasser Arafat's buried corpse in the West Bank on Tuesday, trying to determine if he was murdered by Israeli agents using the hard-to-trace radioactive poison, Polonium. Palestinians witnessed the funeral of their hero and longtime leader eight years ago, but conspiracy theories surrounding his death have never been laid...

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HK's securities watchdog urges support for new regulatory framework

HONG KONG : The chief of Hong Kong's securities watchdog has called on regional regulators to fully participate in the global implementation of new financial rules or risk Asia being isolated.He said a "one-size-fits-all" set of financial regulations imposed by the West could hurt Asian markets. The financial world is facing regulatory changes in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis,...

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FDI in retail: We have the numbers in Parliament, says PM after meeting

NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday said that the UPA was ready to discuss along with a vote the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail under any rule in Parliament."We are not concerned about a vote," parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath said. "It is for the Lok Sabha Speaker to decide under which rule a discussion on FDI should be held," Kamal Nath added.Kamal Nath was speaking to reporters after...

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Bounce houses a party hit but kids' injuries soar

CHICAGO (AP) — They may be a big hit at kids' birthday parties, but inflatable bounce houses can be dangerous, with the number of injuries soaring in recent years, a nationwide study found.Kids often crowd into bounce houses, and jumping up and down can send other children flying into the air, too.The numbers suggest 30 U.S. children a day are treated in emergency rooms for broken bones, sprains,...

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Violating Norquist's No-Tax Pledge Could Hurt GOP

The most talked about name in the opening weeks of the fiscal cliff negotiations isn't Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. It's Grover Norquist.Norquist is not a publicly elected official or even a government appointee. The 56-year-old conservative leader is the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform and promoter of the...

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Egypt's Mursi to meet judges over power grab

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi meets senior judges on Monday to try to ease a crisis over his seizure of new powers which has set off violent protests reminiscent of the revolution last year that brought his Islamist movement to power. The protesters, some camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square, have said only retracting his decree will satisfy them, a sign of the deep rift...

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