Earl Smith is the man behind a military patch that President Obama prizes

AUSTIN — That February morning in 2008 found Barack Obama decidedly out of sorts. He was locked in one battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination that showed no signs of ending — and another with a vicious cold that felt the same way. As he rode the service elevator in the backway of a convention hotel here, the snowy-haired African American operating it turned...

Read More..

One Connect launched in Bishan-Toa Payoh Constituency

SINGAPORE: The Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency is the latest to get a one-stop service for private estate residents to call.Called One Connect, the residents can use the helpline if they are unsure which agency to contact when there are estate maintenance issues.Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen launched the service on Saturday, along with fellow Members of Parliament for...

Read More..

Kashmiri migrants can't be forced to return: Omar

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said Kashmiri Pandits cannot be forced to return to the Kashmir valley, which they left in the 1990s fearing for their safety. "Their exodus was forced their return can't be. All I can do is redouble my efforts to facilitate conditions for Pandits to return to Kashmir," he posted on Twitter. He was replying to a Twitter follower...

Read More..

Attack at Algeria Gas Plant Heralds New Risks for Energy Development

The siege by Islamic militants at a remote Sahara desert natural gas plant in Algeria this week signaled heightened dangers in the region for international oil companies, at a time when they have been expanding operations in Africa as one of the world's last energy frontiers. (See related story: "Pictures: Four New Offshore Drilling Frontiers.")As BP, Norway's Statoil, Italy's Eni, and...

Read More..

Inauguration to Cost Millions But Total Price Unclear

How much will all the inaugural events cost? It's hard to say.While most events that occur in the capital have a hard-and-fast budget, the inauguration's many moving parts, safety concerns and large geographic reach make it hard to quantify – especially before the main event.In 2009, ABC reported the total cost of Obama's first inauguration was $170 million. While incumbent...

Read More..

Earl Smith is the man behind a military patch that President Obama prizes

AUSTIN, Tex. — That February morning in 2008 found Barack Obama decidedly out of sorts. He was locked in one battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination that showed no signs of ending — and another with a vicious cold that felt the same way. As he rode the service elevator in the backway of a convention hotel here, the snowy-haired African American operating it...

Read More..

Football: Valdes stuns Barcelona by refusing to renew contract

BARCELONA: Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes stunned the Liga leaders by informing them he will not renew his contract when it expires next year before they even had a chance to make an offer, officials said on Friday.The 31-year-old player's representatives met with the club on Thursday and told them of the "irrevocable decision not to renew his contract, thus avoiding entering into financial...

Read More..

Journalists should adhere to principles of truth: Pranab

KOLKATA: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said the journalists should adhere to the principles of truth, credibility and make efforts to find out the truth. "Certain fundamentals have to be kept in mind and that is truth, credibility, placing the facts and making efforts to find out the truth," Mukherjee said at a function organised by the Kolkata Press Club and Indian Journalists' Association...

Read More..

First Human Contact With Large Emperor Penguin Colony

One of the largest emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica was discovered last month by a team from the International Polar Foundation's Princess Elisabeth station.The penguin colony had previously been identified through satellite imagery by researchers from the British Antarctic Survey. The penguins themselves didn't show up very clearly, but their excrement stains on the ice did.Expedition...

Read More..

Manti Te'o's Fake Girlfriend May Have Duped Others

Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend "Lennay Kekua" may have hoaxed other unsuspecting suitors."Catfish" movie director and actor Ariel Schulman told "Good Morning America" today that he believes there may have been "a few other people duped by the fake Lennay character."Schulman and his brother Nev Schulman have been looking into the elaborate scam and claim...

Read More..

Football: Rodgers slams Suarez over diving admission

LONDON: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers on Thursday said that his controversial striker Luis Suarez could face punishment from the club after admitting that he dived to try to win a penalty in a league game with Stoke City.In an interview with Fox Sports Argentina, Suarez admitted "falling" during October's 0-0 draw between the clubs at Anfield, prompting Rodgers, who had defended him...

Read More..

6 Ways Climate Change Will Affect You

Photograph by AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezThe planet keeps getting hotter, new data showed this week. Especially in America, where 2012 was the warmest year ever recorded, by far. Every few years, the U.S. federal government engages hundreds of experts to assess the impacts of climate change, now and in the future. From agriculture (pictured) to infrastructure to how humans consume energy, the National...

Read More..

Manti Te'o Hoax Exposes 'Catfish' Internet Scams

Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick cited the documentary "Catfish" in trying to explain how he said star linebacker Manti Te'o became the victim of an elaborate hoax that duped him into believing that his online girlfriend died during the 2012 college football season."I would refer all of you, if you're not already familiar with it, with both the documentary called...

Read More..

President Obama’s remarks on new gun control proposals, Jan. 16, 2013 (Transcript)

Here is a running transcript of President Obama’s remarks and the unveiling of new gun control proposals, delivered on Jan. 16, 2013. Remarks are being updated as they become available. VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Before -- before I begin today, let me say to the families of the innocents who were murdered 33 days ago, our heart -- our heart goes out to you. And you show incredible courage --...

Read More..

Elton John has second baby via surrogate

LONDON: British pop star Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become parents for a second time, they confirmed on Wednesday.The couple told Hello! magazine that they were "overwhelmed with happiness" at the birth of their son Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, who was born in Los Angeles on Friday to a surrogate mother."Both of us have longed to have children, but the reality...

Read More..

Will not give land for building Muslim university: Karnataka BJP

MYSORE/MANGALORE: Ruling BJP in Karnataka on Wednesday said it would not provide land for setting up of Tipu Muslim University proposed by the Centre in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district, alleging it will become a "breeding ground for anti-national elements". However, Union minister for minorities welfare K Rahaman Khan said the university would be established. "The state government will...

Read More..

Mars Rover Finds Intriguing New Evidence of Water

The first drill sample ever collected on Mars will come from a rockbed shot through with unexpected veins of what appears to be the mineral gypsum.Delighted members of the Curiosity science team announced Tuesday that the rover was now in a virtual "candy store" of scientific targets—the lowest point of Gale Crater, called Yellowknife Bay, is filled with many different materials that could...

Read More..

NRA Ad Calls Obama 'Elitist Hypocrite'

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP PhotoAs the White House prepares to unveil a sweeping plan aimed at curbing gun violence, the National Rifle Association has launched a preemptive, personal attack on President Obama, calling him an “elitist hypocrite” who, the group claims, is putting American children at risk.In 35-second video posted online Tuesday night, the NRA criticizes Obama for accepting armed...

Read More..

Schumer to back Hagel as defense secretary

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced his support Tuesday for the nomination of former senator Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, delivering a key vote for the Nebraska Republican’s confirmation after weeks of voicing doubt about his positions on security issues related to Israel and Iran. Schumer, the No. 3 Democrat and most senior Jewish senator, made the decision after a 90-minute...

Read More..

Football: LionsXII fall to PKNS

SINGAPORE - After two confidence-boosting wins from their first two Malaysian Super League matches, V. Sundramoorthy's high-flying LionsXII side were brought down to earth on Tuesday night at the Shah Alam Stadium when they fell to their first defeat.Ironically, PKNS Selangor, the team that defeated them on Tuesday, had entered the match in contrasting fashion - with two losses out of...

Read More..

Pakistan violates ceasefire again; Manmohan Singh talks tough

JAMMU: Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire again on Tuesday as they targetted Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani troops fired a few rounds on Indian positions at around 5.45pm along the LoC in Mendhar, PRO defence, Col R K Palta said. The firing lasted for a brief period and Indian troops did not retaliate, he said adding there was no...

Read More..

"Fantastic" New Flying Frog Found—Has Flappy Forearms

Scientists have stumbled across a new species of flying frog—on the ground.While hiking a lowland forest in 2009, not far from Ho Chi Minh City (map), Vietnam, "we came across a huge green frog, sitting on a log," said Jodi Rowley, an amphibian biologist at the Australian Museum in Sydney and lead author of a new study on the frog.Rowley later discovered that the 3.5-inch-long (9-centimeter-long)...

Read More..

Oprah Describes Intense Armstrong Interview

Oprah Winfrey said today that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong came well prepared for their highly anticipated interview, although he "did not come clean in the manner [she] expected."Winfrey, who discussed the interview on "CBS This Morning" today, said, "We were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers. I feel that he answered the questions in a way that he was ready....

Read More..

Obama: No negotiations with GOP over debt ceiling

President Obama vowed Monday that he would not negotiate with Republicans over the federal debt ceiling, warning that Social Security checks would be delayed and the nation could enter a new recession if Republicans do not agree to raise the limit on government borrowing. “If congressional Republicans refuse to pay Americans’ bills on time, Social Security and veterans benefits will be...

Read More..

Temporary sheltered linkways to be provided at Marina Bay

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be providing temporary sheltered pedestrian linkways along the roads between Marina Bay Financial Centre and Marina Bay Station.Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said this in response to Mr Gan Thiam Poh's parliamentary question on whether the transport ministry will provide a sheltered or underground pedestrian walkway.Mr Lui addded that...

Read More..

Mahakumbh begins, lakhs take holy dip

ALLAHABAD: Ash-smeared naked 'naga' ascetics, sadhus and seers perched atop decked up chariots led millions of pilgrims in taking a holy dip in the Sangam - the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati - marking commencement of the nearly two-month-long Mahakumbh on Monday. A sea of humanity converged for the religious event dubbed as the "greatest show on earth" and with the break of...

Read More..

Pictures: Civil War Shipwreck Revealed by Sonar

Photograph by Jesse CancelmoA fishing net, likely only decades old, drapes over machinery that once connected the Hatteras' pistons to its paddle wheels, said Delgado.From archived documents, the NOAA archaeologist learned that Blake, the ship's commander, surrendered as his ship was sinking. "It was listing to port, [or the left]," Delgado said. The Alabama took the wounded and the rest of the crew...

Read More..

Newtown Parents Launch Anti-Violence Initiative

On the one-month anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the parents of Anna Marquez Greene, one of the 20 children killed during the attack, are aiming to start a national dialogue through the non-profit group Sandy Hook Promise.Appearing on "Good Morning America" today, Jimmy Greene and Nelba Marquez-Greene spoke of their grief for their little girl, and...

Read More..

Football: Man Utd beat Liverpool to move 10 points clear

LONDON: Manchester United went 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League, for a few hours at least, after a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.Goals from Robin van Persie and Nemanja Vidic gave United a 2-0 lead before Liverpool substitute Daniel Sturridge pulled one back for the visitors in this latest clash between England's two most successful clubs.Reigning champions...

Read More..

Fresh firing by Pak troops ahead of flag meeting

JAMMU: Ahead of Monday's Indo-Pak flag meeting to defuse tension along line of control (LoC), Pakistani troops on Sunday evening violated the ceasefire again, targeting Indian posts in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.Earlier today, Pakistan agreed to hold a 'brigade commander' level flag meeting along the LoC in Poonch to discuss the recent intrusion and brutal killing of jawans besides continued...

Read More..

Pictures: Civil War Shipwreck Revealed by Sonar

Photograph by Jesse CancelmoA fishing net, likely only decades old, drapes over machinery that once connected the Hatteras' pistons to its paddle wheels, said Delgado.From archived documents, the NOAA archaeologist learned that Blake, the ship's commander, surrendered as his ship was sinking. "It was listing to port, [or the left]," Delgado said. The Alabama took the wounded and the rest of the crew...

Read More..

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,...

Read More..