Myanmar apologises to monks over mine protest injuries

YANGON: Myanmar's government has apologised to senior Buddhist clerics over injuries sustained in a violent police crackdown on a rally at a Chinese-backed copper mine, state media said Saturday.Religious Affairs Minister Myint Maung said the incident at the mine in Monywa, northern Myanmar, in which at least 99 monks and 11 others suffered wounds including severe burns, was a "great grief"...

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India misguided, paranoid over China: Guha

MUMBAI: A good half-hour into the discussion on 'India, China and the World', historian Ramachandra Guha issued a disclaimer—all the three members on the panel had been to China only once. "We should learn their language, promote quality research, and have a panel on China driven by Chinese scholars," he said. And that was the general tenor of the debate—that the Indian attitude to China was influenced...

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Plants Grow Fine Without Gravity

When researchers sent plants to the International Space Station in 2010, the flora wasn't meant to be decorative. Instead, the seeds of these small, white flowers—called Arabidopsis thaliana—were the subject of an experiment to study how plant roots developed in a weightless environment.Gravity is an important influence on root growth, but the scientists found that their space plants didn't...

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Federal Agencies Brace for Deep Cuts Post-'Cliff'

Dec 7, 2012 4:22pm Toby Jorrin/AFP/Getty ImagesWith the “fiscal cliff” quickly approaching, federal agencies are stepping up preparations for deep automatic budget cuts that will kick in Jan. 2 unless the White House and Congress can reach a deal.The Office of Management and Budget told ABC News that a memo went out to federal agencies earlier this week seeking “additional...

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Survey shows falling satisfaction among federal employees

When he released a federal worker survey on the afternoon before Thanksgiving, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry forthrightly noted that “continued tight budgets and pay freezes” contributed to many lower ratings. The report goes a bit further, suggesting “the downward trend of many of the survey items . . . suggest that the continued tight budgets, salary freezes and...

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China's Xi to retrace reform trip

BEIJING: The new leader of China's Communist Party Xi Jinping will make his first official trip in the post to Shenzhen, the country's powerfully symbolic hub of economic reform, a Hong Kong newspaper said Friday.Xi is due to become national president in March and the choice of the southern city for such a visit would "express his determination to further deepen China's reform," the South...

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Arvind Kejriwal, agitators detained during protest outside Sheila Dikshit's house

NEW DELHI: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and scores of people were detained from outside chief minister Sheila Dikshit's residence on Friday during their protest against demolition of buildings in a south Delhi locality. Over 100 people had gathered outside Dikshit's 3-Motilal Nehru Marg residence at 7am while Kejriwal joined them an hour later to protest demolition of their houses in Shaheenbagh...

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Space Pictures This Week: Lunar Gravity, Venusian Volcano

Cassiopeia’s BubbleImage courtesy T.A. Rector, UAA/WIYN/NOAO/NSFA new camera called the One Degree Imager, located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, is responsible...

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John McAfee Out of Hospital, Back in Cell

Software millionaire John McAfee has been returned to an immigration detention cell in Guatemala after being rushed to a Guatemala City hospital via ambulance.McAfee, 67 -- who soon may be deported back to Belize, where authorities want to question him about the shooting death of his neighbor -- was reportedly found prostrate on the floor of his cell and unresponsive.He was...

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Rubio, Ryan look to the future during award dinner speeches

Two high-profile Republican members of Congress who stand at the forefront of the effort to rebuild the party after a stinging presidential defeat delivered speeches Tuesday night aimed at turning the page with a fresh emphasis on inclusion and a renewed focus on growing the middle class. “Nothing represents how special America is more than our middle class. And our challenge and our opportunity...

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Golf: Schwartzel takes early lead at Thailand championship

CHONBURI, Thailand: South Africa's Charl Schwartzel took an early lead at the Thailand Golf Championship with a seven-under-par 65 in the first round, energising his bid to avenge last year's second place to Lee Westwood.The 2011 Masters champion hit seven birdies in steamy conditions at the Amata Spring course an hour outside Bangkok and hailed his fitness after a season dogged by injury."I'm...

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High court quashes FIR against former Kerala chief minister Achuthanandan in land allotment case

KOCHI: The Kerala high court on Thursday quashed the FIR registered against former chief minister and current opposition leader VS Achuthanandan accusing him of allotting land to his relative under the scheme for distributing land to the landless and poor. Considering a petition filed by Achuthanandan seeking quashing of the FIR against him, justice SS Satheesachandran ruled that the allegations...

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A 2020 Rover Return to Mars?

NASA is so delighted with Curiosity's Mars mission that the agency wants to do it all again in 2020, with the possibility of identifying and storing some rocks for a future sample return to Earth.The formal announcement, made at the American Geophysical Union's annual fall meeting, represents a triumph for the NASA Mars program, which had fallen on hard times due to steep budget cuts....

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Guatemala Could Deport McAfee to Belize

Software anti virus pioneer John McAfee is in the process of being deported to Belize after he was arrested in Guatemala for entering the country illegally, his attorney told ABC News early Thursday.ABC News has learned that John McAfee is scheduled to be deported to Belize later this morning. But a judge could stay the ruling if it is determined McAfee's life is threatened...

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Rubio, Ryan look to the future during award dinner speeches

Two high-profile Republican members of Congress who stand at the forefront of the effort to rebuild the party after a stinging presidential defeat delivered speeches Tuesday night aimed at turning the page with a fresh emphasis on inclusion and a renewed focus on growing the middle class. “Nothing represents how special America is more than our middle class. And our challenge and our opportunity...

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Golf: Rose, Scott to face off at Australian Open

SYDNEY: England's Justin Rose and Adam Scott of Australia will face off in a pairing in the opening two rounds of the Australian Open, teeing off at The Lakes in Sydney on Thursday.Rose and Scott are the top drawcards at the A$1.25 million ($1.3 million) tournament but the spotlight will also be on Chinese teen sensation Guan Tianlang - the youngest player ever to qualify for the US Masters.World...

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DA case: Jagan Reddy's judicial remand extended till Dec 19

HYDERABAD: A special CBI court here on Wednesday extended till December 19 the judicial remand of YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and other accused in connection with the alleged disproportionate assets case involving him.Jaganmohan Reddy, arrested by CBI on corruption charges and presently lodged in Chanchalguda prison here, was produced under heavy security before the First Additional...

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Scientific Results From Challenger Deep

Jane J. Lee The spotlight is shining once again on the deepest ecosystems in the ocean—Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (map) and the New Britain Trench near Papua New Guinea. At a presentation today at the American Geophysical Union's conference in San Francisco, attendees got a glimpse into these mysterious ecosystems nearly 7 miles (11 kilometers) down, the former visited by filmmaker...

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Subway Push Murder Suspect Implicated Self: Police

A suspect believed to be responsible for throwing a man into the path of an oncoming New York City subway train who was taken into custody today has made statements implicating himself, police said.According to Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Paul Browne, the suspect has been questioned by police since at least early afternoon and while the suspect is in police custody,...

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AARP lobbies against Medicare changes that could hurt its bottom line

As Washington debates whether to cut federal retirement programs as part of a deal to tackle the nation’s debt, one of the most powerful advocates for preserving them could have millions of dollars riding on the outcome. AARP, the highly influential lobby for older Americans, is fiercely opposing any Medicare or Social Security cuts and emphasizes that it is fighting for the good of its...

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Indian retail reforms face parliament debate

NEW DELHI: The Indian government on Tuesday braced itself for a test of strength as parliament debated reforms ahead of a vote on allowing in foreign supermarkets, a policy that has revitalised opposition parties.The Congress-led government believes it has the numbers to win a vote in the lower house expected on Wednesday, and hopes that victory will enable it to push ahead with further...

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Uproar in Parliament over Gujarat gas deal

NEW DELHI: With Gujarat in the midst of polls, chief minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday brought into a controversy by agitated Congress members in Parliament who created uproar over a news report alleging irregularities in a gas deal by the state government.The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha saw Congress members waving copies of an article in a news magazine with the headline: "Sweet deals are...

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Kate's Illness Sometimes Linked to Twins

Hyperemesis gravidarum, the reason newly pregnant Kate Middleton is in the hospital, is a rare but acute morning sickness that results in weight loss and accounts for about 2 percent of all morning sickness, doctors say.The condition is sometimes associated with women having twins, experts said.Women diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum have lost 5 percent of their pre-pregnancy...

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Retired military officers’ letter seeks to amend gun law to help battle suicides

A group of senior retired generals and admirals are calling for Congress to amend a recent law that they say “dangerously interferes” with the ability of commanders to battle the epidemic of suicides among members of the military. Legislation added to the 2011 defense authorization bill at the urging of gun-rights advocates prohibits commanders from collecting any information about weapons...

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Indian factory index at five-month high: HSBC

MUMBAI: India's manufacturing activity rose in November to its fastest pace in five months led by a rise in new orders, a private business survey showed on Monday.The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) from HSBC India Manufacturing, which gives a snapshot of manufacturing health from output to jobs, climbed to 53.7 in November, compared to 52.9 in the previous month.A figure of over 50 indicates...

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FDI in retail to safeguard international market mafias' interest: BJP

ANI Dec 1, 2012, 03.28PM ISTNEW DELHI: India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said retail reform is a step taken by the Congress led-federal government to safeguard the interests of the international market mafias at the cost of national interest. BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Saturday that voting inside the parliament would decide as to who is in favour of national...

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Photos: Kilauea Lava Reaches the Sea

Into the Sea Photograph by Hugh Gentry, ReutersA spectacular natural phenomenon was on display early this week as lava from a vent in Hawaii's Kilauea volcano flowed into...

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Boehner on Fiscal Cliff Talks: 'You Can't Be Serious'

President Obama and his White House team appear to have drawn a line in the sand in talks with House Republicans on the "fiscal cliff."Tax rates on the wealthy are going up, the only question is how much?"Those rates are going to have to go up," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner flatly stated on ABC's "This Week." "There's no responsible way we can govern this country at a time...

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DIA sending hundreds more spies overseas

The Pentagon will send hundreds of additional spies overseas as part of an ambitious plan to assemble an espionage network that rivals the CIA in size, U.S. officials said. The project is aimed at transforming the Defense Intelligence Agency, which has been dominated for the past decade by the demands of two wars, into a spy service focused on emerging threats and more closely aligned...

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China jails local government "interceptors": report

BEIJING: A Chinese court handed jail terms to 10 "interceptors" for illegally imprisoning citizens hoping to lodge complaints with the central government, state media said Sunday.The 10 were imprisoned after they illegally detained people from the central province of Henan who had travelled to Beijing to complain about local government abuses, the state-run Beijing Youth Daily reported.Under...

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