Agreement within reach on ‘fiscal cliff’ deal, officials say

President Obama and Senate leaders were on the verge of an agreement Friday that would let taxes rise on the wealthiest households while protecting the vast majority of Americans from historic tax hikes set to hit in January. The development marked a breakthrough after weeks of paralysis. After meeting with Obama at the White House, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority...

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Egypt's Morsi to focus on economy in senate speech

CAIRO: Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi is expected to address the economy on Saturday in a speech before a newly-empowered senate as concerns mount over a downturn and cracks in his government.Morsi will give the address after the senate, invested with legislative powers under a newly ratified constitution until a new parliament is elected, convenes at 1100 GMT (1:00 pm local time).A declining...

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Delhi gang rape: 13 days that stopped a nation

NEW DELHI: From Dec 16, when the 23-year-old was raped in a moving bus in Delhi, to Dec 29, when she died of her grievous injuries in a Singapore hospital, a sequence of 13 days that stopped a nation in its tracks:Dec 16 - The physiotherapy intern and her friend on the way back from a movie get into a bus at Munirka in south Delhi. She is gang-raped and tortured in the moving bus and her friend beaten....

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How to Banish That New Year's Eve Hangover

For those of us who enjoy the occasional cocktail, the holiday season would be incomplete without certain treats of the liquid variety. Some look forward to the creamy charms of rum-laced eggnog; others anticipate cupfuls of high-octane punch or mugs of warm, spiced wine.No matter what's in your glass, raising one as the year winds down is tradition. What could be more festive? The problem...

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Epic Journey: Did Moses' Exodus Really Happen?

In the Bible, he is called Moses. In the Koran, he is the prophet Musa.Religious scholars have long questioned whether of the story of a prophet leading God's chosen people in a great exodus out of Egypt and the freedom it brought them afterwards was real, but the similarities between a pharaoh's ancient hymn and a psalm of David might hold the link to his existence.Tune in...

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As ‘fiscal cliff’ deadline nears, OPM updates furlough guidelines

With talks on averting the “fiscal cliff” apparently stalled, the Office of Personnel Management posted new guidance to federal workers for administrative furloughs on its Web site Thursday afternoon. “We wanted to take some prudent steps to keep federal employees informed in case of an order for sequestration,” said Thomas Richards, OPM’s communications director. He added that the...

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India gang-rape victim "struggling against the odds"

SINGAPORE: The Indian gang-rape victim who has been been admitted to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital remains in an extremely critical condition.The 23-year-old student is still receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.The medical team's investigations showed that in addition to her prior cardiac arrest, the patient had an infection of her lungs and abdomen, as well as significant...

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Kashmir Valley gets connected by rail

BANIHAL (J&K): Northern Railways made history on Friday as the first train chugged through India's longest railway tunnel through the Pir Panjal mountain range, connecting Kashmir Valley to Banihal town on Srinagar-Jammu National highway.The train on a trial run, arrived at Banihal station from Qazigund in Anantnag district of Kashmir.The train chugged in at the station amidst thunderous applause...

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How to Live to a Ripe Old Age

Cento di questi giorni. May you have a hundred birthdays, the Italians say, and some of them do. So do other people in various spots around the world—in Blue Zones, so named by National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner for the blue ink that outlines these special areas on maps developed over more than a decade. (National Geographic News is part of the National Geographic Society.)In his...

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White House Says It Has No New Fiscal Cliff Plan

The White House said today it has no plans to offer new proposals to avoid the fiscal cliff which looms over the country's economy just five days from now, but will meet Friday with Congressional leaders in a last ditch effort to forge a deal.Republicans and Democrats made no conciliatory gestures in public today, despite the urgency.The White House said President Obama would...

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Hawaii’s lieutenant governor is named to the U.S. Senate

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) selected Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz on Wednesday to fill the vacancy created by the death last week of veteran U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D). With the “fiscal cliff” five days away and critical decisions facing the Senate, the White House said Schatz would fly to Washington on Wednesday evening with President Obama. Schatz said he would be in place to be sworn...

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More cash payouts for Silver Housing Bonus and Lease Buyback Scheme

SINGAPORE: Authorities have announced plans to raise the cash bonuses of two housing monetisation schemes for the elderly in response to public feedback.The latest changes to the Silver Housing Bonus (SHB) and Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) will see households having to put less of their flat's sale proceeds into their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts - a national pension scheme. They...

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Maoists trigger landmine blast in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: A member of the special operation group (SOG) was hurt when a landmine planted by Maoists exploded on Thursday in a forest in Odisha's Rayagada district, police said.The landmine exploded as a group of the elite anti-Maoist force was walking in the forest in Kalyansinghpur area as part of routine combing operations, district Superintendent of Police Rajesh Pandit told IANS."It was a...

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Space Pictures This Week: Green Lantern, Supersonic Star

Green LanternImage courtesy Caltech/SSI/NASAAnother glorious, backlit view of the planet Saturn and its rings has been captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, as seen in a picture...

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Okla. Senator Could Prevent Gun Control Changes

If there's one person most likely to keep new gun-control measures from passing Congress swiftly, it's Sen. Tom Coburn.Conservatives revere the Oklahoma Republican for his fiscal hawkishness and regular reports on government waste. But he's also a staunch gun-rights advocate, and he's shown a willingness to obstruct even popular legislation, something in the Senate that a single...

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Democrats push for tax cuts they once opposed

Democrats seeking a deal to avert the year-end “fiscal cliff” are trying to etch into stone the signature economic achievement of Republican President George W. Bush by permanently extending tax cuts enacted during his tenure. President Obama has put the extension of the tax cuts for most Americans at the top of his domestic agenda, a remarkable turnaround for Democrats, who had staunchly...

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Football: Liverpool's Sterling commits himself to England

LONDON: Liverpool's teenage winger Raheem Sterling has pledged his international future to England, thereby calming fears he was considering a switch of allegiance to Jamaica.The 18-year-old holds dual-nationality as he was born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, but he has represented England at every level from under-16 upwards and made his senior debut in the 4-2 friendly loss to Sweden...

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India will continue to do its best to assist Nepal: President Pranab Mukherjee

NEW DELHI: Citing India's deep rooted ties with Nepal, President Pranab Mukherjee said New Delhi will continue to do its best to assist the neighbouring nation in its socio-economic development.It is in India's interest that Nepal progresses as a stable, secular, democratic republic, the President said welcoming his Nepalese counterpart Ram Baran Yadav at Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Wednesday.Mukherjee...

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Photos: Humboldt Squid Have a Bad Day at the Beach

Photograph by Chris Elmenhurst, Surf the Spot Photography“Strandings have been taking place with increased frequency along the west coast over the past ten years,” noted NOAA’s Field, “as this population of squid seems to be expanding its range—likely a consequence of climate change—and can be very abundant at times.” (Learn about other jumbo squid strandings.)Humboldt squid are typically found in...

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Winter Storms Spawn Tornadoes Across South

A nasty Christmastime storm system spawned blizzard conditions in some states and at least 15 reported tornadoes in the South, damaging homes, taking out power lines and dangerously snarling holiday travel.Severe weather swept across the United States during the Christmas holiday, bringing tornadoes and intense thunderstorms to the Gulf Coast, while dumping heavy snow and freezing...

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Federal workers feel unease over potential layoffs, furloughs unleashed by ‘fiscal cliff’

Federal employees have been skeptical for months that the biggest cuts to government spending in history could really happen. But with the “fiscal cliff” a week away, workers are now growing increasingly alarmed that their jobs and their missions could be on the line. President Obama and members of Congress headed out of town late last week for a Christmas break without reaching a deal...

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BCA to look into Sembawang homes affected by cracks

SINGAPORE: The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is looking into the concerns of some residents in Sembawang who have suffered damage to their properties.Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs as well as MP for the area K Shanmugam visited the homes of affected residents along Jalan Legundi, Jalan Derum and Sembong Road on Sunday and posted photos of the damage on his Facebook page.At...

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Delhi gang rape case: Constable Subhash Tomar cremated with full state honours

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police constable Subhash Tomar was cremated with full state honours here on Tuesday. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, minister of state for home RPN Singh, Union minister Ajit Singh and Union home secretary RK Singh were present at the Nigambodh Ghat here to pay their last respects. Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar and other senior officials from the police department...

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Photos: Humboldt Squid Have a Bad Day at the Beach

Photograph by Chris Elmenhurst, Surf the Spot Photography“Strandings have been taking place with increased frequency along the west coast over the past ten years,” noted NOAA’s Field, “as this population of squid seems to be expanding its range—likely a consequence of climate change—and can be very abundant at times.” (Learn about other jumbo squid strandings.)Humboldt squid are typically found in...

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Newtown Christmas: 'We Know They'll Feel Loved'

As residents prepared to observe Christmas less than two weeks after a gunman killed 20 children and six educators at an elementary school, people sharing in the town's mourning brought offerings of cards, handmade snowflakes and sympathy.Tiny empty Christmas stockings with the victims' names on them hung from trees in the neighborhood where the children were shot. On Christmas...

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The Fact Checker is away

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Cricket: Eager fans await India-Pakistan matches

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan will soon resume their competitive cricket ties with the upcoming series.The two sides continued to play each other in World Cup competitions and at third country venues.But this is the first time in five years that Pakistani cricketers are visiting India for an exclusive competition between the two rival nations.And that five-year gap has just understandably...

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You can't march in protest to President's house: Shinde

NEW DELHI: The government is not opposed to people holding peaceful protests, but staging a march to the presidential house is not right, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Monday. Shinde said he has been meeting student representatives since the day protests started in the capital against the gang-rape of a young woman on December 16. "I accept that calm and quiet protestors can demonstrate,...

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