Crisis over president's powers exposes Egypt divisions

CAIRO (Reuters) - Youths clashed with police in Cairo on Saturday as protests at new powers assumed by President Mohamed Mursi stretched into a second day, confronting Egypt with a crisis that has exposed the split between newly empowered Islamists and their opponents. A handful of hardcore activists hurling rocks battled riot police in the streets near Tahrir Square, where several thousand...

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Less Japanese view China positively: poll

TOKYO: A Japanese government survey has found less than one in five people feel positively towards China, a record low as the countries are embroiled in a bitter territorial row, reports said Saturday.Eighteen per cent of people polled said they had a positive view of China, the lowest figure since the survey was first conducted in 1978, Jiji Press and Kyodo News agencies said.It was 8.3...

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Namdhari fired at Ponty Chadha's brother Hardeep: Police

NEW DELHI: The police on Saturday told the court that sacked Uttarakhand Minorities Commission chairman Sukhdev Singh Namdhari had fired at Ponty Chadha's brother Hardeep.Namdhari was the main conspirator in the shootout, the police said. He has been charged with attempt to murder.Namdhari has been sent to 5 days' police custody by the court in connection with the November 17 shootout case.In a...

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AP PHOTOS: Simple surgery heals blind Indonesians

PADANG SIDEMPUAN, Indonesia (AP) — They came from the remotest parts of Indonesia, taking crowded overnight ferries and riding for hours in cars or buses — all in the hope that a simple, and free, surgical procedure would restore their eyesight.Many patients were elderly and needed help to reach two hospitals in Sumatra where mass eye camps were held earlier this month by Nepalese surgeon Dr. Sanduk...

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'Dallas' Star Larry Hagman Dead at 81

Larry Hagman, who emerged in the 1960s as the slightly befuddled astronaut in "I Dream of Jeannie," then became a major star in the 1980s primetime soap "Dallas," playing evil oil baron J.R. Ewing, has died. He was 81.Hagman's cause of death was due to complications related to his battle with cancer according to his family.Linda Gray, who played Hagman's on-screen wife on "Dallas"...

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Gaza ceasefire holds but mistrust runs deep

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas held firm on Thursday with scenes of joy among the ruins in Gaza over what Palestinians hailed as a victory, and both sides saying their fingers were still on the trigger. In the sudden calm, Palestinians who had been under Israeli bombs for eight days poured into Gaza streets for a celebratory rally, walking past wrecked...

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Singapore's Chinese TV dramas well-received in Indonesia

JAKARTA : Singapore's Chinese TV dramas are being well-received in Indonesia - a country where many people do not speak the language.More than half a million households subscribe to MediaCorp's Channel 8i, carried by Indonesia's top pay-TV operator IndoVision.That makes up almost a third of its subscriber base, which is the largest in Indonesia.Some TV stars such as Jeanette Aw and Tay...

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EC sometimes takes decisions in over-anxiety: SC

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has done good work in recent years but sometimes it takes decisions in over-anxiety, the Supreme Court today said while referring to poll watchdog's order on cash seizure above Rs 2.5 lakh in transit ahead of Gujarat assembly elections. "It has done good work in the last few years and we must appreciate it. We must give credit to you for this but sometimes you...

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Shoppers Descend on Black Friday Deals

HERE for Full Coverage of Black Friday"I'm here because my mom is making me, because she said I couldn't eat any of the Thanksgiving food if I didn't hold her place in line," Alex Horton told ABC News station WLS-TV in Chicago Thursday.Many critics panned the early start this year, saying it cuts into quality time that should be spent with family and friends.Chicago resident...

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Gaza ceasefire takes hold but mistrust runs deep

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers took hold on Thursday after eight days of conflict, although deep mistrust on both sides cast doubt on how long the Egyptian-sponsored deal can last. Quiet reigned on both sides of the frontier overnight and during the morning after a dozen rockets landed in Israel in the initial hours after the truce came into...

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Indonesian workers demand better wages, employment benefits

JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesian workers have marched towards the Presidential Palace, demanding higher minimum pay and better employment benefits.Nearly 20,000 police and soldiers were deployed to watch over the demonstration, organised by Indonesian labour unions.The protest march began with the Indonesian national anthem, as disgruntled workers displayed patriotism in an ongoing struggle...

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Mamata Banerjee slams 'saviours of govt' after rejection of no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday has slammed "saviours of government" after rejection of no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha. Earlier, an attempt by former UPA ally to bring a no-confidence motion against the government over FDI in retail failed in the Lok Sabha for want of requisite numbers. Mamata Banerjee's party moved the motion as soon as Parliament met for...

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Study finds mammograms lead to unneeded treatment

Mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly breast cancers before they spread, a big U.S. study finds. At the same time, more than a million women have been treated for cancers that never would have threatened their lives, researchers estimate.Up to one-third of breast cancers, or 50,000 to 70,000 cases a year, don't need treatment, the study suggests.It's the most detailed look yet at...

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Hamas Celebrates Cease-Fire With National Holiday

With a tenuous cease-fire in place and no rocket fire between Israel and Hamas for the first time in more than a week, Palestinians have begun to clean up rubble and damage inflicted by Israeli missiles.People in Gaza filled the streets Thursday morning, inspecting damage to homes and businesses. Overnight, gunfire erupted in the crowded streets of the Palestinian enclave to...

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Gaza shakes, bus explodes in Tel Aviv as Clinton seeks truce

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday pursued a Gaza truce, with Israel and Hamas still at odds over key terms, as Israeli air strikes shook the enclave and a bomb exploded on a Tel Aviv bus. After talks in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Clinton held a second meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before heading...

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Foreign Minister Shanmugam to visit Timor-Leste on Nov 22-24

SINGAPORE: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam will make his first official visit to Timor-Leste from 22 to 24 November 2012. During his visit, Mr Shanmugan will call on President Taur Matan Ruak, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Alfredo Pires, Minister of Justice Dionisio Babo-Soares and Opposition...

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Kasab executed in great secrecy, Mumbaikars celebrate news

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Authorities secretly hanged Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the lone survivor of the Pakistan-based terrorist squad responsible for a rampage through Mumbai that killed 166 people, sparking celebrations days before the fourth anniversary of the assault on the financial capital. Pakistan national Mohammad Ajmal Kasab was the enduring image of the bloody assault, which traumatized the nation...

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OB/GYNs back over-the-counter birth control pills

WASHINGTON (AP) — No prescription or doctor's exam needed: The nation's largest group of obstetricians and gynecologists says birth control pills should be sold over the counter, like condoms.Tuesday's surprise opinion from these gatekeepers of contraception could boost longtime efforts by women's advocates to make the pill more accessible.But no one expects the pill to be sold without a prescription...

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Bus Explodes in Tel Aviv Amid Truce Talks

A bomb exploaded on an Israeli bus near the nation's military headquarters in Tel Aviv, wounding at least 10 people, Israeli officials said today.The bus exploded about noon local time Wednesday in one of the city's busiest areas, near the Tel Aviv museum. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said authorities were investigating whether the bomb had been planted and left on the bus...

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World pressure for Gaza truce intensifies

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The U.N. chief called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to the region with a message that escalation of the week-long conflict was in nobody's interest. Nevertheless, Israeli air strikes and Palestinian rocket fire continued for a seventh day. Egypt was trying to broker a truce...

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Facebook post on Thackeray: Girl says she will not visit FB, 9 held for vandalism

MUMBAI/DELHI: One of the girls held for posting comments on Facebook questioning the shutdown in Mumbai for Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray's funeral today said she will never again visit the social networking site while police arrested 9 Shiv Sainiks for vandalising her uncle's clinic.Shaheen Dhada and Renu were arrested for posting comments opposing the Mumbai shutdown. However, they were granted...

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