Senate Approves 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal, Sends to House

Two hours after a midnight deadline for action, the Senate passed legislation early New Year's Day to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff" with an overwhelming vote of 89-8.Senate passage set the stage for a final showdown in the House, where a vote could come as early as today."While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing...

Read More..

In Indian student's gang rape, murder, two worlds collide

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - One of hundreds of attacks reported in New Delhi each year, the gang rape and murder of a medical student caught Indian authorities and political parties flat-footed, slow to see that the assault on a private bus had come to symbolize an epidemic of crime against women. In the moments before the December 16 attack, the 23-year-old woman from India's urban middle...

Read More..

Board changes at STB and IE Singapore

SINGAPORE : The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has appointed Christina Ong, a partner at Allen & Gledhill, as a new member on its board.Meanwhile, Lim Kok Hoong, a chartered accountant and non-executive chairman at Parkway Trust Management, will step down from the STB board with effect from Monday.Three other STB board members have also been re-appointed. They are Mike Barclay, chief...

Read More..

Direct cash transfer scheme rolls out in 20 districts on Tuesday

NEW DELHI: The government will start direct cash transfer of subsidy to bank accounts of beneficiaries in 20 districts from Tuesday, finance minister P Chidambaram said on Monday. The Direct Benefit Transfer system will be implemented in seven schemes such as scholarships and old age pensions from Jan 1. A total of 26 schemes will be covered under it. The system will be rolled out in various schemes...

Read More..

Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running.Two mothers who live in a mud-wall and tin-roof slum a short walk from the maternity hospital, which is affiliated...

Read More..

Hillary Clinton Hospitalized With Blood Clot

(MICHAL CIZEK/AFP/Getty Images)By DANA HUGHES and DEAN SCHABNERSecretary Hillary Clinton was hospitalized today after a doctors doing a follow-up exam discovered a blood clot had formed, stemming from the concussion she sustained several weeks ago.She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours, Deputy...

Read More..

Body of India rape victim arrives home in New Delhi

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The body of a woman whose gang rape provoked protests and rare national debate about violence against women in India arrived back in New Delhi early on Sunday and was quickly cremated at a private ceremony. The unidentified 23-year-old medical student died from her injuries on Saturday, prompting promises of action from a government that has struggled to respond...

Read More..

Plans in place to help SMEs reach productivity growth target

SINGAPORE: The government will announce several recommendations in the first half of next year to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) achieve its long-term productivity growth target of two to three per cent over the next decade.Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck said the government will also work with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and SMEs to customise...

Read More..

Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running.Two mothers who live in a mud-wall and tin-roof slum a short walk from the maternity hospital, which is affiliated...

Read More..

Woman Charged With Murder in NYC Subway Push

A woman who allegedly told New York City police she pushed a man onto the subway tracks because she hated Hindus and Muslims has been charged with murder as a hate crime.Erica Menendez, 31, allegedly told police that she "pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up."Menendez...

Read More..