PM Lee urges couples to have confidence in S'pore's future

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it is important for couples to have confidence in Singapore's future and ultimately want Singapore to be the best place to settle down and raise children.He was speaking at the Lunar New Year dinner at his Teck Ghee ward on Saturday evening.He said: "Here, your children will get good education, will have good opportunities, that here we can...

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Veerappan's aides move SC against execution of death sentence

NEW DELHI: Four aides of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan on Saturday moved the Supreme Court against the execution of their death penalty in connection with a landmine blast that had killed 22 policemen in Karnataka nearly 20 years ago. Veerappan's elder brother Gnanaprakash, Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran were awarded death sentence in 2004 in connection with a landmine blast at Palar...

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Why the Dog Show Winner Looks Like a Monkey

Standing less than a foot tall and easily cradled in one of trainer Ernesto Lara's arms, Banana Joe made big news for a small dog when he became the first affenpinscher to win the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Tuesday.His short stature and flattened face might not make Banana Joe look like a typical winner: The name "affenpinscher" is German for "monkey terrier," and its mug is definitely...

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Budget Cut Warnings Harsher Than Reality?

Get ready for two weeks of intensifying warnings about how crucial, popular government services are about to wither — including many threats that could eventually come true.President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans made no progress last week in heading off $85 billion in budget-wide cuts that automatically start taking effect March 1. Lacking a bipartisan deal to avoid...

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President Obama and Jay-Z: strange bedfellows during gun ban debate

It is going to take more than requiring universal background checks, banning military-style assault weapons and showcasing families hurt by gun violence to impact the urban areas where gun violence is at its worst. In the black community, that means serious efforts to change a culture that for too many say it is okay to carry and use a handgun.Jay-Z and his wife, Beyonce Knowles, greet...

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TCM slowly gaining popularity in Middle East

EAST JERUSALEM: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is slowly gaining popularity in North Africa and the Middle East.But advocates still face an uphill task of convincing governments to accept it as an alternative form of medical treatment.Dr Adi Fromm's hospital ward is well known throughout Israel.Patients disheartened with Western painkillers come here looking for relief.An example is...

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Why We Walk … and Run … And Walk Again to Get Where We're Going

You have to get to a bus stop to catch the once-an-hour express ... or to a restaurant to meet a friend ... or to a doctor's office. You've got maybe a half a mile to cover and you're worried you'll be late. You run, then you stop and walk, then run some more.But wait. Wouldn't it be better to run the whole way?Not necessarily.A new study by an assistant professor of mechanical engineering...

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Falling Meteor Causes Blast, Injures Hundreds

A massive meteor shower slammed into Earth near the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, located about 1,000 miles east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains.Dashboard cameras captured a blinding flash of light streaking across the sky. Moments later, the fragments smashed into the ground. The impact, and the sonic boom of the meteor entering the atmosphere, shattered windows around the city...

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Postmaster takes case for five-day mail delivery to skeptical senators

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe took his controversial plan for five-day mail delivery before a congressional hearing Wednesday, where he told senators that the Postal Service “needs your help.” Donahoe’s refrain was familiar. ●The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is losing $25 million a day.●Last year, the Postal Service lost $15.9 billion.●It defaulted on $11.1 billion...

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Football: Barcelona's Villa taken back into hospital

MADRID: Barcelona striker David Villa has returned to hospital due to kidney stone pain just two days after being released for the same problem, the club confirmed on Thursday.Villa has been taken into Barcelona hospital on the advice of the club's medical services due to the "persistent pain caused by the nephritic colic he has suffered and to control his progression", said a statement...

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Chopper scam: Govt warns of blacklisting Italy's Finmeccanica

NEW DELHI: With the VVIP choppers deal facing charges of kickbacks, government on Thursday formally asked Italian firm Finmeccanica to state whether any money was illegally paid to any Indian entity or individual amidst its warning of legal action including blacklisting of the firm. The ministry of defence, which is under attack on the issue, came out with a factsheet detailing the sequence of the...

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Are Honeybees Losing Their Way?

A single honeybee visits hundreds, sometimes thousands, of flowers a day in search of nectar and pollen. Then it must find its way back to the hive, navigating distances up to five miles (eight kilometers), and perform a "waggle dance" to tell the other bees where the flowers are.A new study shows that long-term exposure to a combination of certain pesticides might impair the bee's ability...

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'Blade Runner' Charged With Murder of Girlfriend

Oscar Pistorius, the Olympic and Paralympic athlete known as the "blade runner," was taken into custody in South Africa today and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, who was fatally shot at his home.Police in the South African capital of Pretoria received a call around 3 a.m. today that there had been a shooting at the home of 26-year-old Pistorius, Lt. Col. Katlego Mogale...

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Obama urges a move away from narrow focus on politics of austerity

Just about every argument in Washington since the 2010 midterm elections, which returned control of the House to Republicans, has centered on reducing the federal deficit. On Tuesday night, President Obama leaned into his second term by declaring that a single-minded focus on deficit reduction would jeopardize the nation’s future. And he sounded an urgent call to rebuild. Reelected by...

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Former Romanian diplomat's trial resumes in Bucharest

SINGAPORE: The trial of former Romanian diplomat Silviu Ionescu resumed on Wednesday in Bucharest.The judge handling the trial has expressed displeasure with the defence lawyer for dragging the case over three years.He noted that the submission of evidence should have been long finished, but Ionescu's lawyer has asked for yet another witness to be heard.Ionescu's lawyer replied that the...

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Helicopter scam: Congress fears BJP may disrupt budget session

NEW DELHI: Fearing disruptions in parliament, the Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of politicising the allegations of graft in the VVIP chopper deal and 2G spectrum to raise them during the budget session from February 21."All these issues are being developed into a political issue to be raised in parliament...The BJP will not gain anything from this...It may raise the issues but we hope they...

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Obama Pledges U.S. Action on Climate, With or Without Congress

If there were anything in President Barack Obama's State of the Union to give hope to wistful environmentalists, it was the unprecedented promise to confront climate change with or without Congress, and to pursue new energy technology in the process.Following his strong statements in his inaugural address about the ripeness of the moment to address a changing climate, Obama outlined a...

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Charred Human Remains Found in Burned Cabin

Investigators have located charred human remains in the burned-out cabin where they believe suspected cop killer and ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner was holed up as the structure burned to the ground, police said.The human remains were found within the debris of the burned cabin and identification will be attempted through forensic means, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner...

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Syrian rebels seize military airport

DAMASCUS: Rebels on Tuesday overran a military air base, a watchdog said, a day after seizing control of Syria's largest dam as they pushed an assault on strategic targets in the north of the country.The military advance came as prospects for a political solution to Syria's civil war faded and as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged President Bashar al-Assad's regime to accept an offer...

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Will impound Yasin Malik's passport if requested, MEA says

NEW DELHI: Amid concerns over Kashmiri separatist leader YasinMalik sharing the dais with 26/11 mastermind HafizSaeed in Pakistan and demands for revoking his passport, the external affairs ministry on Tuesday said if it receives a request for impounding Malik's passport it would "act on it". The external affairs ministry said: "If we receive a request to impound his (Malik) passport, we will act...

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Kumbh Mela: Pictures From the Hindu Holy Festival

Holy BathPhotograph by Roberto Schmidt, AFP/Getty ImagesThe Hindu festival known as Kumbh Mela, often referred to as the world’s largest gathering of humanity, peaked on Sunday at...

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Obama Calls N. Korea Nuke Test 'Highly Provocative'

President Obama called North Korea's latest nuclear test "a highly provocative act" that undermines regional stability and threatens international peace.North Korea announced earlier today that it successfully tested a miniaturized nuclear device underground, according to state media.Official state media said the test was conducted in a safe manner and is aimed at coping with...

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Football: Bookmakers pay out early on United winning title

LONDON: Rival betting firms Betfred and Paddy Power have seen enough of the Premier League race to take the gamble of paying out early on Manchester United winning the title, despite the fact there are still 12 matches to play.Betfred boss Fred Done has risked facing the wrath of his fellow United supporters, paying out early again despite twice having his fingers burnt by making such...

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Suryanelli: Convict claims PJ Kurien was involved

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a new turn in the Suryanelli gangrape issue, the lone convict in the case on Monday alleged that Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P J Kurien was involved in it as claimed by the victim. Dharmarajan, the convict who is absconding after obtaining bail, told a television channel that the principal investigator in the case had pressured him not to mention about Kurien's alleged involvement...

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Year of the Snake: The Serpent Behind the Horoscope

On February 10, people all around the world will ring in the Lunar New Year with paper lanterns and firecrackers. At the heart of it all sits the snake, a slithery reptile feared for its sharp fangs and revered for its undeniable charm. (Watch videos of some of the world's deadliest snakes.)Those born in the Year of the Snake are said to be intelligent and quick thinking, but they can...

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