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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North Korea to launch rocket in December: KCNA

SEOUL: North Korea plans to launch a long-range rocket between December 10 and 22, the North's official news agency said Saturday.In a statement carried by Korean Central News Agency, the Korean Committee for Space Technology said it planned to launch a working satellite after scientists had studied mistakes made during a failed rocket launch in April."Scientists and technicians of the...

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Anna Hazare to campaign only for Kejriwal's party

BHUBANESWAR: Social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said he will campaign only for candidates put up by Arvind Kejriwal and ruled out the possibility of supporting people from other parties."I will campaign only for Kejriwal's candidates," Hazare told reporters here. "There may be good people in other parties but who has the control?"Criticizing other political parties for indulging in politics...

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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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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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More Filipinos taking up hotel and restaurant management courses

MANILA: More and more young Filipinos are taking up hotel and restaurant management courses, all thanks to the country's booming tourism industry.Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy Carbaque can't wait to finish her household service course.In three months' time, she will finally be able to fulfill her dream of working in a luxury hotel.Ms Carbaque, a household service student at the Magsaysay...

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Decision on raising cap on subsidised LPG cylinders in next few days: Moily

NEW DELHI: Government is considering raising cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders and a decision will be taken in the "next few days", petroleum and natural gas minister M Veerappa Moily said in the Lok Sabha on Friday."We are considering it (giving more than six subsidised cylinders) and need a few days time," he said during Question Hour."We are applying our mind on this issue," he said after...

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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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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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Egypt assembly seeks to wrap up constitution

CAIRO (Reuters) - The assembly writing Egypt's constitution said it could wrap up a final draft later on Wednesday, a move the Muslim Brotherhood sees as a way out of a crisis over a decree by President Mohamed Mursi that protesters say gives him dictatorial powers. But as Mursi's opponents staged a sixth day of protests in Tahrir Square, critics said the Islamist-dominated assembly's...

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Four SMRT bus drivers to be charged for role in illegal strike

SINGAPORE: Four SMRT bus drivers from China were arrested between Wednesday and Thursday for their role in an illegal strike at Woodlands Dormitory on Monday and Tuesday.They will be charged in court at 5pm on Thursday, Police said in a statement.- CNA/de !-- Zone Tag : Channel News Asia In Text innity_pub = "66368270ffd51418ec58bd793f2d9b1b"; innity_zone = "12251"; innity_width...

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Samajwadi Party to vote against FDI in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: In a discomforting news to the government, Samajwadi Party on Thursday said it will vote against FDI in Rajya Sabha where UPA does not have majority on its own. "We will vote against FDI in Rajya Sabha if the government brings it there," SP leader in the Upper House Ramgopal Yadav told reporters here. SP has nine members in the 244-member House. Asked if the party will vote against...

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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 $579 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 be announcing a town until later this morning. Powerball's website reports the other winning ticket was purchased...

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Man fined for molesting woman at bus stop

SINGAPORE: A 62-year-old gardener was fined $3,000 on Wednesday for molesting a woman at a bus stop outside Peace Centre in Sophia Road.Low Hock Leng admitted that he brushed the upper inner thigh of the 32-year-old woman at about 1pm on March 3 this year.The court heard that Low had earlier brushed against her left shoulder when he walked past her at the bus stop, which was not crowded.The...

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FDI logjam: Kamal Nath meets Sushma, Jaitley; opposition adamant on vote

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday met BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley to end the logjam over foreign investment in retail, a day after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) firmed up its numbers in parliament.Earlier in the day, Kamal Nath met Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar."Opposition is sticking to its demand that a discussion on FDI in retail should be...

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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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Study Finds Most Pork Contaminated

Nov 27, 2012 6:24pm A sample of raw pork products from supermarkets around the United States found that yersinia enterocolitica, a lesser-known food-borne pathogen, was present in 69 percent of the products tested, according to a study released today by Consumer Reports.The  bacteria  infects more than 100,000 Americans a year, according to the Centers for...

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Euro zone, IMF secure deal on cutting Greek debt

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund clinched agreement on reducing Greece's debt on Monday in a breakthrough to release urgently needed loans to keep the near-bankrupt economy afloat. After 12 hours of talks at their third meeting in as many weeks, Greece's international lenders agreed on a package of measures to reduce Greek debt by 40...

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Sec-Gen Surin seeks bigger mandate to represent ASEAN

JAKARTA: ASEAN's outgoing Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan has made an impassioned plea for the grouping to re-examine its decision-making process.Dr Surin said the grouping's chief should be given a bigger mandate to represent and act on behalf of the 10-member organisation.This will be the last major briefing by 63-year-old Dr Surin as ASEAN's secretary-general, capping what has probably...

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Families of sailors held hostage by Somali pirates protest

NEW DELHI: Family members of the 17 sailors, who have been held hostage by Somali pirates for the past nine months, on Tuesday protested outside the shipping ministry.The families demanded immediate release of the sailors, who have been held captive by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, on UAE-owned MT Royal Grace."Yes, we met the shipping minister, and he assured us...

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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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Co. Paying Just $1,200 for Each Factory Fire Life

A company that makes clothes for Sean Combs' clothing brand ENYCE and other U.S. labels reassured investors that a factory fire that killed 112 people over the weekend would not harm its balance sheet, and also pledged to pay the families of the dead $1,200 per victim.In an announcement Monday, Li & Fung Ltd., a middleman company that supplies clothes from Bangladesh factories...

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Egypt's Mursi to meet judges over power grab

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi will meet senior judges on Monday to try to ease a crisis over his seizure of new powers which has set off violent protests reminiscent of last year's revolution which brought him to power. Egypt's stock market plunged on Sunday in its first day open since Mursi issued a decree late on Thursday temporarily widening his powers and shielding...

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AVA adopts new technology on food screening system

SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has added a new line of defence to its food screening system.Dubbed the 'non-targeted' approach, which utilises High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) Technology, this form of food safety screening will allow the detection of contaminants that are not usually targeted in screenings and complements already existing...

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India deploying more troops in Ladakh due to threat: Farooq Abdullah

NEW DELHI: India is befriending China on one hand and remaining "cautious" on the other by deploying more troops in Ladakh region due to "threat" perception, having learnt lessons from the past, Union minister Farooq Abdullah said on Monday.Addressing young students, scholars and scientists at the Northern Regional Science Congress here, Abdullah broached the topic when he was referring to the abundant...

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GOP Starting to Rebel Against No-Tax-Hikes Pledge

With the fiscal cliff looming for the United States, some Republican members of Congress said today they are ready to break a long standing pledge not to raise taxes."The only pledge we should be making to each other is to avoid becoming Greece. And Republicans should put revenue on the table," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said on ABC's "This Week."Read more of the discussion...

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