Update: Obama claim on background checks moved from ‘verdict pending' to 2 Pinocchios

(Larry Downing/Reuters) “The law already requires licensed gun dealers to run background checks, and over the last 14 years that’s kept 1.5 million of the wrong people from getting their hands on a gun. But it’s hard to enforce that law when as many as 40 percent of all gun purchases are conducted without a background check.” — President Obama, remarks on gun violence, Jan. 16,...

Read More..

Polling Day commences for 31,600 voters in Punggol East

SINGAPORE: Punggol East residents will head to the polls on Friday, Polling Day, as Singapore marks its second by-election in eight months.Some 31,600 voters in Singapore and 59 voters overseas will cast their votes in a four-cornered fight for the single member constituency (SMC).The Punggol East single member seat fell vacant in December 2012 when former Speaker of Parliament and MP...

Read More..

Jaipur Literature Festival shifts focus to cinema on second day

JAIPUR: The debate shifted from literature to cinema on the second day of the Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday. Actor Shabana Azmi questioned the portrayal of women in films in a session on the subject. She called for a need for heroines to ''make an informed choice'' about the roles they play and the way they are portrayed. ''My problem is that the commoditization of women is, very often,...

Read More..

5 Amazing Animal Navigators

A house cat named Holly, which made news this week for trekking nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) back to her hometown, isn't the only supernavigator in the animal kingdom."Any animal that comes back to the right place after a long travel, or comes back to the same place again and again following a major movement, is amazing," said Martin Wikelski, a migration expert at the Max Planck...

Read More..

White House Makeover: McDonough to Chief of Staff

Jan 25, 2013 10:15am Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty ImagesBy ANN COMPTON and MARY BRUCEPresident Obama is giving his West Wing team an extreme make-over for the second term, with the departure of top strategist David Plouffe and the naming of Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough to be his next chief of staff.Once again, the President is keeping...

Read More..

Oil prices rise on strong economic indicators

NEW YORK: Oil prices jumped Thursday on greater economic optimism following strong economic indicators in the US, China and Europe.A barrel of US benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures for delivery in March settled at US$95.95 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 72 cents.In London, Brent North Sea crude for March delivery ended at US$113.28 a barrel, up 48 cents from Wednesday."The...

Read More..

Moral and secular ethics go beyond religious belief: Dalai Lama

JAIPUR: The Dalai Lama on Thursday called for adopting moral and secular ethics, which go beyond the religious belief. The Tibetan spiritual leader told a gathering on the opening day of the Jaipur Literature Festival that one might be a believer or a non-believer, but secular and moral ethics were very important. He was in conversation with Pico Iyer in a session titled 'Kinships of Faiths: Finding...

Read More..

US oil price slumps after pipeline cutback

NEW YORK: US crude oil prices closed sharply lower Wednesday, dragged down by news that a key pipeline had cut capacity due to a bottleneck.New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate, for delivery in March, tumbled US$1.45 from Tuesday's close to settle at US$95.23 a barrel.In London trade, meanwhile, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in March settled at US$112.80 a barrel, an...

Read More..

Aam aadmi asked to pick up tab for overhaul in emergency response system

NEW DELHI: Justice J S Verma Committee has recommended largescale changes in the government's emergency response system, but has put its financial burden on aam aadmi's pocket.Calling into question the government's habit of announcing a new helpline every time some untoward incident happens, the Committee has recommended setting up of one central emergency response (ER) number for all exigencies,...

Read More..

Pentagon to Allow Women in Combat

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will lift a long-standing ban on women serving in combat, according to senior defense officials. The ensuing administrative process could mean women will serve in front line combat roles, but not until 2016.The move, first reported by the Associated Press, was not expected this week, although there has been a concerted effort by the Obama administration...

Read More..