Patty Murray likely to be a key voice in Senate on budget deal

One of the biggest winners in the sweeping Democratic victories in Senate races this month was a woman whose name appeared on no ballot: Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). With a low-key style that contrasts with some of the Senate’s camera hogs, Murray may be the most powerful senator a whole lot of people have never heard of outside of the two Washingtons where she lives and works....

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India counters China map claims in tit-for-tat move

NEW DELHI: India is stamping its map on visas given to Chinese visitors, an Indian official said, after China began issuing passports showing disputed territories as its own."We have started issuing visas with India's map as we know it," said a foreign ministry official, who did not wish to be named, declining to comment further.India's tit-for-tat action comes after China began issuing...

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IAF's MiG-21 Bison crashes in Gujarat, no casualties

AHMEDABAD: An upgraded MiG-21'Bison' aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed after taking off from Naliya Airbase in Gujarat at 11.30 am on Saturday.The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely, sources said, adding that it was on a routine training sortie. The pilot of the aircraft had experienced trouble at a height of 18000 feet and thus had ejected safely.A court of inquiry would be ordered into...

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Distant Dwarf Planet Secrets Revealed

Orbiting at the frozen edges of our solar system, the mysterious dwarf planet Makemake is finally coming out of the shadows as astronomers get their best view yet of Pluto's little sibling. Discovered in 2005, Makemake—pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh after a Polynesian creation god—is one of five Pluto-like objects that prompted a redefining of the term "planet" and the creation of a new group...

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Gas Explosion Levels Buildings Like 'Missile Strike'

A natural gas explosion in one of New England's biggest cities on Friday leveled a strip club with a boom heard for miles and heavily damaged a dozen other buildings but didn't kill anyone, authorities said.Firefighters, police officers and gas company workers in the area because of an earlier gas leak and odor report were among the 18 people injured in the blast, authorities said."This...

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Polls offer little guidance for politicians tackling ‘fiscal cliff’

Politicians tasked with negotiating a deal next month to avoid the “fiscal cliff” can be thankful that their talks are taking place immediately after a clarifying national election that laid out exactly how the public wants Washington to deal with debt and deficits. Or n...

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Athletics: Kenya win Japan's Chiba road relay race

CHIBA, Japan: Joyce Chepkirui clinched victory for Kenya at the Chiba international mixed road relay race in Japan on Friday, as the country successfully defended its title.The 24-year-old runner overtook Japanese 5,000-metre national champion Hitomi Niiya with less than five kilometres to go in the final leg of the six-stage marathon race."I'm very happy, because we won last year and...

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CAG row: Sonia says BJP exposed, govt demands answers

NEW DELHI: The comments by a former official of CAG over the report on 2G spectrum allocation today kicked up a row with Congress president Sonia Gandhi suggesting that BJP had been exposed while the government demanded answers from Parliament's PAC chief M M Joshi over his alleged role. Joshi, a senior BJP leader, rejected allegations by R P Singh, former DG, posts and telecommunications in CAG,...

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Distant Dwarf Planet Secrets Revealed

Orbiting at the frozen edges of our solar system, the mysterious dwarf planet Makemake is finally coming out of the shadows as astronomers get their best view yet of Pluto's little sibling. Discovered in 2005, Makemake—pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh after a Polynesian creation god—is one of five Pluto-like objects that prompted a redefining of the term "planet" and the creation of a new group...

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Stores Work to Keep Black Friday Safe

With earlier-than-ever deals and 147 million people expected to hit the stores this holiday weekend, retailers such as Best Buy are taking extra steps to avoid the Black Friday shopper chaos -- and inevitable news stories -- of the past.Best Buy officials said they've been prepping for the madness for days.The retailer has created color-coded maps, moved merchandise around to...

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Survey: Federal workers’ morale dropping

Salary freezes, tight budgets and a dim view of federal work held by many Americans have soured the motivation and commitment of many government employees, a survey released Wednesday found. Federal employees still think that their jobs are important, and many are passionate and dedicated to their agency’s mission. But increasing threats to their pay and benefits and criticism of their...

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China to stop relying on prisoner organs, says minister

BEIJING: China will no longer rely on executed prisoners as a source of transplant organs within two years, a health minister said.High demand for organs in China and a chronic shortage of donations mean that death row inmates have been a key source for years, generating heated controversy.International human rights groups have long accused Chinese authorities of harvesting organs from...

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Sikh NGO demands from FBI to accept Wisconcin Gurdwara shoot out as an act of hate

AMRITSAR: United Sikhs has asked the FBI to label Wisconcin Gurdwara tragedy as an act of hate and take constructive action to prevent future similar acts. Staff Attorney, International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy, United Sikhs, Manmeet Singh informed TOI on Thursday that "Unless this fact is acknowledged, measures cannot be taken to address it".He informed that Teresa Carlson, special agent...

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Distant Dwarf Planet Secrets Revealed

Orbiting at the frozen edges of our solar system, the mysterious dwarf planet Makemake is finally coming out of the shadows as astronomers get their best view yet of Pluto's little sibling. Discovered in 2005, Makemake—pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh after a Polynesian creation god—is one of five Pluto-like objects that prompted a redefining of the term "planet" and the creation of a new group...

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Egypt's Morsi Wins US, Israeli Gratitude

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is being credited with brokering the cease-fire today between Israel and Hamas, but the international gratitude and praise he is gettting could come with a political price at home.Both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama heaped praise on the Egyptian president. Obama called his Egyptian counterpart today to thank him for...

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Blazing a legal trail to help improve health care

Ariane Tschumi has spent more than a year in government as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF), taking on challenging assignments at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designed to develop her leadership skills and give her a window into how government operates. She has worked alongside health-care experts designing model programs intended to better health care and lower...

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COE premiums close higher, except for motorcycles

  SINGAPORE: Premiums for Certificates of Entitlement (COE) closed mostly higher at the end of the latest bidding exercise on Wednesday, the second bidding exercise for November.The COE price for small cars in category A rose by 0.1 per cent or $90 to $77,291, from $77,201 in the previous bidding exercise.That of big cars in category B rose by 0.7 per cent or $604 to $93,004, from...

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CPM leader M M Mani arrested in Kerala for political murders

KOCHI: In a highly clandestine operation, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Kochi range Inspector General K Padmakumar arrested senior CPM leader M M Mani on Wednesday early morning from his residence at Kunjithani under Rajakkad police station limits in Idukki. Padmakumar told ToI that Mani was arrested from his residence by around 5 am and he would be produced before Nedumkandam police...

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Thanksgiving 2012 Myths and Facts

Before the big dinner, debunk the myths—for starters, the first "real" U.S. Thanksgiving wasn't until the 1800s—and get to the roots of Thanksgiving 2012.Thanksgiving Dinner: Recipe for Food Coma?Key to any Thanksgiving Day menu are a fat turkey and cranberry sauce.An estimated 254 million turkeys will be raised for slaughter in the U.S. during 2012, up 2 percent from 2011's total, according...

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Ceasefire or 'De-Escalation'? Words Chosen Carefully

Nov 20, 2012 7:27pm AP Photo/Hatem MoussaAs news reports emerged Tuesday of a cease-fire or truce to end the crisis in Gaza, American officials made it a point not to use either of those terms.Instead, U.S. officials were  talking about “de-escalating” the violence in Gaza as a step toward a long-term resolution.Briefing White House reporters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, ...

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Blazing a legal trail to help improve health care

Ariane Tschumi has spent more than a year in government as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF), taking on challenging assignments at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designed to develop her leadership skills and give her a window into how government operates. She has worked alongside health-care experts designing model programs intended to better health care and lower...

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Tokyo, Osaka bourses get merger green lights

TOKYO: The Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange were given the nod from their shareholders on Tuesday for a merger that will create the world's third-largest bourse, the Tokyo exchange said."The TSE and the OSE each held an extraordinary shareholders' meetings today and got approvals for the merger," said a TSE spokeswoman.The exchanges will merge on January 1 and the combined...

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Jaganmohan's sister Sharmila takes over party's rein, Cong worried

HYDERABAD: Congress' belief that a prolonged jail for YSR Congress party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy may drain the enthusiasm of his supporters appears to have come to a nought, with his sister Sharmila also drawing huge crowds. Reddy, Kadapa MP and son of late Congress iron man YS Rajasekhara Reddy, is in jail for the last 175 days, after he was arrested by CBI on May 27, for alleged disproportionate...

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Cuba's Oil Quest to Continue, Despite Deepwater Disappointment

An unusual high-tech oil-drilling rig that's been at work off the coast of Cuba departed last week, headed for either Africa or Brazil. With it went the island nation's best hope, at least in the short term, for reaping a share of the energy treasure beneath the sea that separates it from its longtime ideological foe.For many Floridians, especially in the Cuban-American community, it was...

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Clinton Heading to Middle East to Meet With Leaders

President Obama is sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the Middle East with the hope that she can bring an end to the escalating violence that has gripped the region for the last week.A deputy White House national security adviser said Clinton will depart today from Cambodia, where she had accompanied Obama on a visit to Southeast Asia. Clinton is scheduled to arrive...

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Obama to praise Burma’s journey toward democracy

RANGOON, Burma — President Obama will hail Burma’s “dramatic transition” and “remarkable journey” toward a more open, democratic society in a speech here Monday, while warning that the progress must shine as a “North Star” for the nation’s 60 million people. Obama made history when Air Force One touched down at 9:35 a.m. local time Monday, making him the first U.S. president to visit...

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Ban Ki-moon in Yemen to mark anniversary of transition deal

SANAA: UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Yemen on Monday to mark the first anniversary of a transition deal that resulted in strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh handing over power, media and diplomats said.On his first visit to the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, the UN Secretary General will hold talks with President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi and Gulf Cooperation Council head Abdul Latif al-Zayani...

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2G case: RBI governor D Subbarao deposes in court

NEW DELHI: RBI governor D Subbarao today deposed in a Delhi court as a prosecution witness in the 2G case, saying he had questioned in 2007 the spectrum fee of around Rs 1600 crore for pan India licence. Subbarao, who was the finance secretary from April 2007 to September 2008, is a key witness in the case in which former telecom minister A Raja and others are facing trial. During the recording...

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Lonesome George Not the Last of His Kind, After All?

The tide may be turning for the rare subspecies of giant tortoise thought to have gone extinct when its last known member, the beloved Lonesome George, died in June.A new study by Yale University researchers reveals that DNA from George's ancestors lives on—and that more of his kind may still be alive in a remote area of Ecuador's Galápagos Islands. This isn't the first time Chelonoidis...

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Officials: Israeli Strike Kills 11 Civilians in Gaza

The Palestinian civilian death toll mounted Monday as Israeli aircraft struck densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip in a campaign to quell militant rocket fire menacing nearly half of Israel's population.An overnight airstrike on two houses belonging to an extended clan in Gaza City killed two children and two adults, and injured 42 people, said Gaza heath official Ashraf...

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Petraeus scandal puts four-star general lifestyle under scrutiny

Then-defense secretary Robert M. Gates stopped bagging his leaves when he moved into a small Washington military enclave in 2007. His next-door neighbor was Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, who had a chef, a personal valet and — not lost on Gates — troops to tend his property. Gates may have been the civilian leader of the world’s largest military, but...

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Thai train bomb kills one, injures 15

BANGKOK: Suspected militants detonated a bomb under a train in Thailand's insurgency-riven deep south on Sunday, leaving one person dead and 15 wounded, police said.The device, which killed a defence volunteer, was buried under the railway in the flashpoint district of Rueso in Narathiwat, one of several border provinces plagued by an eight-year conflict.The wounded included passengers...

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Thackeray's two newspapers sport full black front pages

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's favourite newspapers Saamna (in Marathi) and Dopahar Ka Saamna (in Hindi) were Sunday published with a full black cover jackets and full black cover pages. Thackeray, who passed away Saturday afternoon, was the founder-editor of both the newspapers, though the day-to-day affairs were managed by hand-picked and trusted executive editors. This is the first time...

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Lonesome George Not the Last of His Kind, After All?

The tide may be turning for the rare subspecies of giant tortoise thought to have gone extinct when its last known member, the beloved Lonesome George, died in June.A new study by Yale University researchers reveals that DNA from George's ancestors lives on—and that more of his kind may still be alive in a remote area of Ecuador's Galápagos Islands. This isn't the first time Chelonoidis...

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Israel's Iron Dome Proves Effective Defense

Israel said that it will install a fifth "Iron Dome" battery before the end of the year, adding another installation to the country's missile defense system, which has proven itself this week, intercepting more than 150 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.The missile defense system, which can identify enemy rockets, determine if they pose a threat to populated areas, and destroy...

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