Poisoned Lottery Winner's Kin Were Suspicious

Urooj Khan had just brought home his $425,000 lottery check when he unexpectedly died the following day. Now, certain members of Khan's family are speaking publicly about the mystery -- and his nephew told ABC News they knew something was not right."He was a healthy guy, you know?" said the nephew, Minhaj Khan. "He worked so hard. He was always going about his business and,...

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Obama, Karzai accelerate end of U.S. combat role in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed on Friday to speed up the handover of combat operations in Afghanistan to Afghan forces, raising the prospect of an accelerated U.S. withdrawal from the country and underscoring Obama's determination to wind down a long, unpopular war. Signaling a narrowing of differences, Karzai appeared to give ground...

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WP says its focus is to offer choice to Punggol East voters

SINGAPORE: The Workers' Party (WP) has stated categorically that its focus continues to be fulfilling its promise to offer a choice to voters in Punggol East.The party made this point in response to a question from Channel NewsAsia with regards to its response to the latest proposal from the secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).At a news conference on Friday night,...

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High alert, reports of troop build-up on both sides of Indo-Pak border

JAMMU: Tension continued to prevail along the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan on Saturday, a day after cross-LoC firing was reported on at least eight border posts. There are also reports of a troop build-up on both sides of the border. Pakistan has so far not responded to requests from India and its army for a flag meeting at the brigade level to de-escalate tension along the...

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Flu season puts businesses and employees in a bind

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly half the 70 employees at a Ford dealership in Clarksville, Ind., have been out sick at some point in the past month. It didn't have to be that way, the boss says."If people had stayed home in the first place, a lot of times that spread wouldn't have happened," says Marty Book, a vice president at Carriage Ford. "But people really want to get out and do their jobs, and sometimes...

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CDC: Flu Outbreak Could Be Waning

The flu season appears to be waning in some parts of the country, but that doesn't mean it won't make a comeback in the next few weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Five fewer states reported high flu activity levels in the first week of January than the 29 that reported high activity levels in the last week of December, according to the CDC's...

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Afghan troop levels top agenda for Obama-Karzai talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will hold a critical round of talks on Friday that could help determine how fast the United States withdraws troops from Afghanistan and whether it leaves a residual force after 2014. Hosting Karzai at the White House, Obama faces the challenge of pressing ahead with his re-election pledge to continue winding...

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India's industrial output dips 0.1% in November

MUMBAI: India's industrial output dipped marginally by 0.1 percent in November from a year ago, data showed on Friday, raising hopes that the central bank will soon cut interest rates to boost sluggish growth.The figure matched market expectations but was well below the previous month's 8.3 percent growth figure and underlines the challenges the government faces as it seeks to kickstart...

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Pakistan suspends Poonch-Rawalakot bus service

JAMMU: In yet another setback to cross-LoC travel, Pakistan today decided to suspend 'Paigam-e-Aman' bus service between Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Jammu and Kashmir. There would be no bus service on Monday. "Pakistan has suspended the cross-LoC bus service between Chakan-Da-Bagh (J and K) and Rawalakote (PoK) for the time being," Trade Facilitation Officer (TFO), Poonch, Abdul Hamid Sheikh...

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Flu season strikes early and, in some places, hard

NEW YORK (AP) — From the Rocky Mountains to New England, hospitals are swamped with people with flu symptoms. Some medical centers are turning away visitors or making them wear face masks, and one Pennsylvania hospital set up a tent outside its ER to deal with the feverish patients.Flu season in the U.S. has struck early and, in many places, hard.While flu normally doesn't blanket the country until...

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