Badminton: Lee, Chen in Hong Kong Open men's final

HONG KONG: Lee Chong Wei will meet Chinese second seed Chen Long in the final of the Hong Kong Open after the Malaysian world number one breezed past Japan's Kenichi Tago on Saturday.The top-seed and Olympic silver medallist saw off sixth seeded Tago 21-19, 21-15 in 45 minutes, with the Malaysian smashing his way to the $350,000 Badminton World Federation Super Series tournament final.Lee...

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1,534 candidates in fray for phase one of Gujarat polls

AHMEDABAD: A total of 1,534 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the 87 constituencies in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections on December 13, the officials said. It was the last day today for filing nomination papers for the first phase of the polls. The scrutiny of nomination forms will take place on November 26. "We have received nomination forms of 1,534 candidates for...

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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 Top Judges Slam President's New Powers

Egypt's highest body of judges slammed on Saturday a recent decision by the president to grant himself near-absolute power, calling the move an "unprecedented assault" on the judiciary.The statement from the Supreme Judicial Council came as hundreds protested outside a downtown courthouse against Thursday's declaration by President Mohammed Morsi. The president's decision means...

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Shoppers Descend on Black Friday Deals

Black Friday got off to its earliest start ever as many shoppers cleared the table of Thanksgiving dinner and headed straight to the malls and big-box retailers across the nation to snag goods at bargain prices.More than 10,000 people were wrapped around Macy's flagship store in New York City before the doors opened at midnight this morning. Across the country, up to 147 million...

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Cyprus says bailout deal close

NICOSIA: President Demetris Christofias said on Thursday Cyprus is close to agreeing a bailout with international lenders, with the finance minister confirming that some 17 billion euros ($21.8 billion) is needed."After tough negotiations with the troika (of lenders), and keeping in mind the difficult circumstances this country is going through, we are very close to signing the memorandum...

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26/11 hero claims govt didn't pay dues, Army denies claims

NEW DELHI: A former National Security Guard (NSG) commando, who fought terrorists in the 26/11 attack and was invalidated from service after he became medically unfit, on Thursday claimed he has not got any financial benefits or pension and the money "gifted" to him and his colleagues. Flanked by India Against Corruption (IAC) activist-politician Arvind Kejriwal and his associates, the 34-year-old...

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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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Cease-Fire Holds Between Hamas and Israel

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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Clamping campaign finance; Sen. Warner to stay in Congress; turkey talking points (read-this roundup)

Sen. Mark Warner (D) will not seek another term as Virginia governor in 2013. (Win McNamee - GETTY IMAGES) Here’s what the Loop is reading today:Game change? — All that spending in the election has prompted calls for tightening campaign finance rules. But here’s a shocker — no one agrees on how to do it.Still making his mark — Sen. Mark Warner (D) is staying in the Senate and...

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Giant penguin fossils found in Antarctica

BUENOS AIRES: Argentine experts have discovered the fossils of a two-metre (6.5 foot) tall penguin that lived in Antarctica 34 million years ago.Palaeontologists with the Natural Sciences Museum of La Plata province, where the capital Buenos Aires is located, said the remains were found on the icy southern continent."This is the largest penguin known to date in terms of height and body...

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Manmohan, Cabinet learned of Kasab hanging through TV, Shinde says

NEW DELHI: No one from the Union Cabinet or even United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi were kept in the loop about Ajmal Kasab's scheduled hanging on Wednesday morning. Only President Pranab Mukherjee and the home ministry knew of the decision, according to home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.Shinde told NDTV that the UPA chairperson "was not part of the decision" and his Cabinet...

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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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Bus Explodes in Tel Aviv Amid Truce Talks

A bomb exploded 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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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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Aung San Suu Kyi becomes UNAIDS ambassador

GENEVA: Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has been appointed an ambassador of the UN's programme on HIV and AIDS and has been tasked with fighting discrimination against people living with the disease, the agency said Tuesday."It is a great honour to be chosen as a champion for people who live on the fringes of society and struggle every day to maintain their dignity and basic human...

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P Chidambaram feels Congress has advantage in Karnataka

BANGALORE: Union finance minister P Chidambaram feels Congress has a great opportunity to capture power in the forthcoming assembly elections in Karnataka. Addressing the party office-bearers at KPCC office here on Tuesday, he said the split in the BJP (former CM B S Yeddyurappa's decision to quit the BJP) and other problems had provided a perfect platform for the Congress to emerge victorious....

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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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Spokesman: Gaza Ceasefire to Be Announced

A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will be announced tonight, almost a week after the assassination of Hamas' top military commander led to the worst violence between Gaza and Israel in four years.Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told ABC News the news would be announced at 8 p.m. in Cairo (1 p.m. ET), where Egypt has been trying to broker a peace deal. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and...

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Motor Racing: Ferrari tactics leave rivals unruffled in title battle

AUSTIN, Texas: Ferrari's chief opponents in this year's fight for the Formula One drivers' world championship on Monday said they had no serious objections to the Italians' pragmatic decision to conjure up a deliberate gearbox penalty for Felipe Massa ahead of Sunday's United States Grand Prix.Briton Lewis Hamilton won the race for McLaren ahead of defending champion and current series...

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Consult experts on CAG rejig: Karunanidhi

CHENNAI: DMK president M Karunanidhi on Monday urged the central government to consult experts before a decision to make the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) a multi-member body. In a statement issued here, Karunanidhi said: "Having the recent problem in mind, the central government should consult senior experts in the country and take an appropriate decision on the issue." According to Karunanidhi...

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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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Israeli Airstrike Kills Top Islamic Jihad Commander

An Israeli strike on a Gaza City high-rise today has killed one of the top militant leaders of Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian militant group said.The second strike in two days on the downtown Gaza City building that houses the Hamas TV station, Al Aqsa, has killed Ramez Harb, who is a leading figure in Al Quds Brigades militant wing, according to a text message Islamic Jihad...

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Futsal: Last-gasp Brazil break Spanish hearts in final

BANGKOK: Holders Brazil claimed their fifth Futsal World Cup title with a nerve shredding 3-2 extra-time final win in Bangkok to break Spanish hearts for a second successive tournament.In a pulsating end to three weeks of competition, Neto was the night's hero, scoring the winner -- his second goal of the game -- with penalties looming.Brazil's talisman Falcao, playing his fourth World...

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Salman Khurshid closely following developments in Savita Halappanavar death case

LONDON/NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Salman Khurshid was closely following developments in the case of the death of an Indian woman in Ireland after she was refused termination of her pregnancy despite miscarrying. This was conveyed to her husband Praveen Halappanavar, according to sources in the external affairs ministry. Following a meeting of Indian ambassador to Dublin Debashish Chakravarti...

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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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Obama Backs 'Israel's Right to Defend Itself'

Nov 18, 2012 8:45am AP Photo/Pablo Martinez MonsivaisBANGKOK, Thailand — President Obama today fully backed Israel’s right to defend itself and warned that the escalating violence in the Middle East threatens the prospect for a lasting peace process.Speaking at a joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Obama called for an end to the firing...

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