FDI in retail: PM's dinner fails to achieve breakthrough, BJP to continue to seek vote

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's dinner invite to senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday to attempt to end the political logjam in Parliament, appears to have not cut much ice with the main opposition, as it has resolved to continue to corner his government on the decision to allow foreign direct investment in the country's retail sector. Manmohan Singh had hosted...

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Distant Dwarf Planet Secrets Revealed

Orbiting at the frozen edges of our solar system, the mysterious dwarf planet Makemake is finally coming out of the shadows as astronomers get their best view yet of Pluto's little sibling. Discovered in 2005, Makemake—pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh after a Polynesian creation god—is one of five Pluto-like objects that prompted a redefining of the term "planet" and the creation of a new group...

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Stores Work to Keep Black Friday Safe

With earlier-than-ever deals and 147 million people expected to hit the stores this holiday weekend, retailers such as Best Buy are taking extra steps to avoid the Black Friday shopper chaos -- and inevitable news stories -- of the past.Best Buy officials said they've been prepping for the madness for days.The retailer has created color-coded maps, moved merchandise around to...

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Survey: Federal workers’ morale dropping

Salary freezes, tight budgets and a dim view of federal work held by many Americans have soured the motivation and commitment of many government employees, a survey released Wednesday found. Federal employees still think that their jobs are important, and many are passionate and dedicated to their agency’s mission. But increasing threats to their pay and benefits and criticism of their...

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Australian swim chief quits over Olympics' poor performance

SYDNEY: Swimming Australia chief executive Kevin Neil has quit his post in the wake of the team's poor showing at the London Olympics, which was tarred by reports of pranks and ill-discipline.Australia's swimmers won just one gold, six silver and three bronze in London, their lowest tally in the pool since the 1992 Barcelona Games, and were without an individual gold medallist for the...

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Four Tamil Nadu fishermen attacked by Lankan navy

RAMESWARAM: Four fishermen were injured today when they were attacked allegedly by Sri Lankan naval personnel when they were fishing near Katchatheevu in the Palk Straits. Sticks, bottles and stones were allegedly hurled by the Lankan navalmen at the fishermen and their boats also suffered damage in the attack, officials said. They also snapped the fishing nets, and seized global positioning and...

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Distant Dwarf Planet Secrets Revealed

Orbiting at the frozen edges of our solar system, the mysterious dwarf planet Makemake is finally coming out of the shadows as astronomers get their best view yet of Pluto's little sibling. Discovered in 2005, Makemake—pronounced MAH-keh MAH-keh after a Polynesian creation god—is one of five Pluto-like objects that prompted a redefining of the term "planet" and the creation of a new group...

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Egypt's Morsi Wins U.S., Israeli Gratitude

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is being credited with brokering the cease-fire today between Israel and Hamas, but the international gratitude and praise he is gettting could come with a political price at home.Both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama heaped praise on the Egyptian president. Obama called his Egyptian counterpart today to thank him for...

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Blazing a legal trail to help improve health care

Ariane Tschumi has spent more than a year in government as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF), taking on challenging assignments at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designed to develop her leadership skills and give her a window into how government operates. She has worked alongside health-care experts designing model programs intended to better health care and lower...

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Former Japan PM dubbed "The Alien" to quit party

TOKYO: Former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama has reportedly announced he is to leave the party he founded as it heads to a general election it is likely to lose.Hatoyama, whose wild-eyed expression contributed to his being dubbed "The Alien" by Japanese press -- a moniker he adopted -- said his beliefs were too far from the policies now espoused by the ruling Democratic Party of...

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