Egypt's Mursi calls referendum as Islamists march

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi called a December 15 referendum on a draft constitution on Saturday as at least 200,000 Islamists demonstrated in Cairo to back him after opposition fury over his newly expanded powers. Speaking after receiving the final draft of the constitution from the Islamist-dominated assembly, Mursi urged a national dialogue as the country nears...

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Football: Bayern held as Dortmund keep grip on rivalry

BERLIN: Bayern Munich were unable to break champions Borussia Dortmund's stranglehold in a 1-1 draw on Saturday as their lead at the top of the Bundesliga was trimmed back to eight points.Bayern had lost their last four league meetings with Dortmund but had looked on course for victory when Toni Kroos gave them a 67th-minute lead.However, Mario Goetze equalised for Dortmund in the 74th...

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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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Police: KC Chiefs Player Killed Girlfriend, Self

Jovan Belcher, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, committed suicide today in front of his coaches and police officers outside the team's stadium, shortly after he fatally shot his girlfriend, police said."We heard that they had been arguing in the past [and] as far as recently, they'd been arguing before the shooting occurred this morning," Kansas City Police spokesman...

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Egyptians protest after draft constitution raced through

CAIRO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Egyptians protested against President Mohamed Mursi on Friday after an Islamist-led assembly raced through approval of a new constitution in a bid to end a crisis over the Islamist leader's newly expanded powers. "The people want to bring down the regime," they chanted in Tahrir Square, echoing the chants that rang out in the same place less than...

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Abbas calls for renewed talks with Israel after UN vote

NEW YORK: Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas called on Friday for a return to peace talks, but slammed Israel's latest settlement plans in reaction to a United Nations vote recognising Palestine as a non-member state."I've said a thousand times that we want to resume negotiations and we are ready to do it," Abbas told reporters in New York."We are not setting any condition but there are at...

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Shweta Bhatt raised voice to free husband who was targeted by Narendra Modi

AHMEDABAD: Shweta Bhatt, wife of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt who would take on Narendra Modi from the Maninagar assembly seat, launched a national campaign to free her husband, who she alleged was targeted by the Modi government for alleging the CM's complicity in the 2002 riots. Sanjiv Bhatt had told the Supreme Court last year that Modi was complicit in the 2002 riots. He also deposed...

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Kenya village pairs AIDS orphans with grandparents

NYUMBANI, Kenya (AP) — There are no middle-aged people in Nyumbani. They all died years ago, before this village of hope in Kenya began. Only the young and old live here.Nyumbani was born of the AIDS crisis. The 938 children here all saw their parents die. The 97 grandparents — eight grandfathers among them — saw their middle-aged children die. But put together, the bookend generations take care of...

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Mo. Couple Wins Half of Powerball Jackpot

The lucky winners of half of the record $587.5 million Powerball jackpot have been identified as Mark and Cindy Hill of Dearborn, Mo., their working-class lives suddenly taking a turn to the financial stratosphere.Cindy Hill, who with her husband has three adult sons and a 6-year-old daughter adopted from China, purchased the ticket at a Trex Mart gas station in Dearborn."I...

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Palestinians turn to U.N. for state recognition

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly is set to approve an implicit recognition of Palestinian statehood on Thursday despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding funds for the West Bank government. A resolution that would lift the Palestinian Authority's U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member state," like...

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EU backs Palestinian state even if split on UN vote

BRUSSELS: The European Union reiterated the bloc's support for a Palestinian state Thursday despite splits between its 27 member states over granting upgraded status to the Palestinians at the United Nations."The EU has repeatedly expressed its support and wish for Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations as part of a solution to the conflict," EU foreign policy chief Catherine...

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White paper on irrigation a dud, Maharashtra skirts corruption

MUMBAI: The much-awaited white paper on irrigation, which was placed before the state cabinet on Thursday, has turned out to be a dud. As expected, it skirts the core issue of corruption and irregularities in the water resources department, and merely collates data on projects approved in the last decade. Addressing a news conference on Thursday night, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the two-volume...

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Clinton releases road map for AIDS-free generation

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an ambitious road map for slashing the global spread of AIDS, the Obama administration says treating people sooner and more rapid expansion of other proven tools could help even the hardest-hit countries begin turning the tide of the epidemic over the next three to five years."An AIDS-free generation is not just a rallying cry — it is a goal that is within our reach," Secretary...

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Obama Lunches With Romney as 'Cliff' Talks Falter

President Obama and Mitt Romney met face to face today for the first time since the election, breaking bread at the White House as talks over the looming "fiscal cliff" appeared to be faltering on Capitol Hill.The lunch between former rivals, served in an elegant private dining room in the West Wing, lasted just over an hour, with Romney seen coming and going from a side entrance...

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Britain's Cameron warns press regulation must change

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron warned Wednesday that the current newspaper regulation system was unacceptable, as he received a key report into the Rupert Murdoch phone-hacking scandal.Cameron's comments came a day before senior judge Brian Leveson was due to publish his findings from a year-long judicial inquiry into press ethics, which are widely expected to include recommendations...

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Centre refuses to equate blind employees with deaf & dumb

NEW DELHI: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that deaf and dumb government employees could not be equated with blind and physically handicapped ones, who face much more difficulty in commuting and are hence given double the transport allowance paid to other employees. Citing a health ministry office memorandum, the government said it was advised that "it would not be just and fair to equate...

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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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Will Winning Powerball Buy You Happiness?

Nov 28, 2012 1:02pm Can money buy happiness? If you’re clutching several Powerball tickets in one hand as you thumb through yacht and pony catalogs with the other, you’re probably betting yes.We’re all told the odds of winning are abysmal — about 1 in 175 million — but let’s assume you win the $500 million jackpot. Experts say the initial euphoria will wear off...

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Egyptians challenge Mursi in nationwide protests

CAIRO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands Egyptians protested on Tuesday against President Mohamed Mursi in one of the biggest rallies since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow, accusing the Islamist leader of seeking to impose a new era of autocracy. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in streets near the main protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square, heart of the uprising that toppled Mubarak last...

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BBC Trust chief defends huge director-general payout

LONDON: The head of the BBC's governing body insisted Tuesday he had to give director-general George Entwistle a huge pay-off when he quit in the wake of paedophilia scandals engulfing the corporation.BBC Trust chairman Chris Patten told lawmakers the £450,000 ($720,000, 560,000 euros) given to Entwistle after just 54 days in the job was "one hell of a lot of money", but there was no better...

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Will prune security further to VIPS: Sukhbir Badal

CHANDIGARH: Caught in a controversy over Punjab's free of cost security to the slain liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep, Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday said that his government will further prune the security cover provided to VIPs. "No one, irrespective of party affiliations and stature, will get security unless there was a real threat perception. The security...

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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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