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...

Read More..

'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"...

Read More..

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...

Read More..

Dubai plans new 'city', world's largest mall

DUBAI: Dubai, famed for its mega-projects before it was hit by the global financial crisis, on Saturday announced a new development to open the world's biggest mall and a park larger than London's Hyde Park.The ruler of the Gulf desert city state, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, announced the plan for a "new city within Dubai," according to an official statement, naming it after...

Read More..

Nitish promises road link to 1,000 rural clusters

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar Saturday promised road link to around 1,000 rural clusters with at least 250 people and claimed 25 million citizens have gained from a law enacted for timely delivery of public services. "We have decided to launch a new scheme - Mukhyamantri Gram Sampark Yojna - to connect small habitations through roads," Nitish Kumar told reporters here, releasing his...

Read More..

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...

Read More..

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...

Read More..

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...

Read More..

30% of S'pore firms consider data security a corporate priority: survey

SINGAPORE : Many organisations in Singapore lack business behaviours and compliance practices to address consumer and regulatory concerns about privacy and data security.According to a survey conducted by US-based research centre Ponemon Institute, only three out of 10 companies in Singapore consider privacy and protection of personal information a corporate priority.Seventy per cent of...

Read More..

Map row: India calls China's action 'unacceptable', hits back

NEW DELHI/BEIJING: India on Friday termed as "unacceptable" China depicting Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as its territory in maps of the country on their new e-passports, a step that led to retaliatory action by New Delhi. China sprung the surprise on India when it showed these territories as part of its own in the maps on their new e-passports. The Indian embassy in Beijing responded by issuing...

Read More..

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...

Read More..

Gaza ceasefire takes hold but mistrust runs deep

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold 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. Quiet reigned on both sides of the border and Palestinians who had been under Israeli bombardment for eight days poured into the streets of Gaza for a...

Read More..

Lian Soon Construction leads Enterprise 50 Awards

SINGAPORE : Singapore's 50 most enterprising privately-owned companies for this year were honoured at the Enterprise 50 Awards on Thursday. Contractor Lian Soon Construction topped the awards list, while developer EL Development came in at second place, followed by components manufacturer Superworld Electronics.In its 18th year, the theme of this year's awards is "navigating through tough...

Read More..

Intellectuals bat for Taslima's return to Kolkata

KOLKATA: Demanding the return of exiled controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen to Kolkata, a section of intellectuals and rights activists have alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal was silent on the issue as it was "apprehensive of a backlash from Islamic fundamentalists". "Being an author, why can't Taslima have the independence to write? It's the readers who...

Read More..

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...

Read More..

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...

Read More..

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 travelling...

Read More..

S'pore named most business-friendly for seven consecutive years

SINGAPORE: Singapore has been named the most business-friendly economy for the seventh consecutive year.Meanwhile, the country was ranked fifth out of 185 economies surveyed where paying taxes is easy, according to a report by the World Bank, the International Financial Corporation (IFC) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).A medium-sized firm in Singapore is subject to an average total tax...

Read More..

Expedite decision on Afzal Guru: Digvijaya Singh

NEW DELHI/AHMEDABAD: Calls for speedy hanging of 2001 Parliament attack death row convict Afzal Guru grow louder after the execution of Ajmal Kasab today with opposition BJP leading the charge. Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh also wanted the government to "expedite" the decision on the issue of Afzal Guru, who was sentenced to death in 2004. President Pranab Mukherjee, meanwhile, returned...

Read More..

New push for most in US to get at least 1 HIV test

WASHINGTON (AP) — There's a new push to make testing for the AIDS virus as common as cholesterol checks.Americans ages 15 to 64 should get an HIV test at least once — not just people considered at high risk for the virus, an independent panel that sets screening guidelines proposed Monday.The draft guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are the latest recommendations that aim to make...

Read More..

Clinton Heading to Middle East to Meet With Leaders

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headed to the Middle East with the hope that she can help bring an end to the escalating violence that has gripped the region for the last week.Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem later tonight to meet with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. Clinton will also meet with...

Read More..

Truce mediator Egypt sees imminent end to Gaza conflict

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Egypt's president predicted on Tuesday that Israel's Gaza offensive would end later in the day, Egyptian state media said, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to the region to try to calm the conflict. "President Mohamed Mursi announced that the farce of Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip will end on Tuesday," the MENA news agency and state...

Read More..

Renault recalls more than 6,000 Twizy electric cars

PARIS: French automaker Renault said on Tuesday it was recalling three quarters of its Twizy electric cars sold in Europe to rectify potential problems with brake fluid leaks.A Renault spokesman said 6,247 Twizy vehicles, made between January 27 and May 1 of this year, were affected by the recall.Most of the vehicles were sold in France and Germany, as well as in Switzerland."This is a...

Read More..