Egypt assembly seeks to wrap up constitution

CAIRO (Reuters) - The assembly writing Egypt's constitution said it could wrap up a final draft later on Wednesday, a move the Muslim Brotherhood sees as a way out of a crisis over a decree by President Mohamed Mursi that protesters say gives him dictatorial powers. But as Mursi's opponents staged a sixth day of protests in Tahrir Square, critics said the Islamist-dominated assembly's...

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Golf: McIlroy welcomes proposed putting rule change

THOUSAND OAKS, California: World number one Rory McIlroy was among those welcoming a proposed ban on "anchored" putting, announced on Wednesday by golf's global governing bodies."Fully agree with the anchoring ban," the Northern Ireland golfer said on Twitter after the Royal & Ancient and US Golf Association jointly announced they proposed to ban golfers from anchoring putters to their...

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Israel ahead of US in race to supply ‘tank-killer’ missiles to India

NEW DELHI: Israel has upstaged the US in the ongoing race to bag the huge deal to supply third-generation anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to the Indian Army, in a project which could well be worth $1 billion eventually. Defence ministry sources said the plan to go in for the American FGM-148 Javelin ATGMs has "virtually been shelved" because of Washington's reluctance to provide full military...

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Simple measures cut infections caught in hospitals

CHICAGO (AP) — Preventing infections from surgery is a major concern for hospitals and it turns out some simple measures can make a big difference.A project at seven big hospitals reduced infections after colorectal surgeries by nearly one-third. It prevented an estimated 135 infections, saving almost $4 million.The measures included having patients shower with special germ-fighting soap before surgery,...

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Obama Taps Twitter for Tax-Cut Push

President Obama today sought to inject a dose of public pressure into the "fiscal cliff" debate, urging Americans who face an across-the-board tax hike in 34 days to lobby lawmakers by phone, email and Twitter."If there's one thing I've learned; when the American people speak loudly enough, lo and behold, Congress listens," Obama said from a White House auditorium.He was flanked...

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Egyptians challenge Mursi in nationwide protests

CAIRO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands Egyptians protested on Tuesday against President Mohamed Mursi in one of the biggest rallies since Hosni Mubarak's overthrow, accusing the Islamist leader of seeking to impose a new era of autocracy. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in streets near the main protest in Cairo's Tahrir Square, heart of the uprising that toppled Mubarak last...

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Gas explosion blamed for deadly German fire

TITISEE-NEUSTADT, Germany: An explosion following a gas leak triggered a fierce blaze in a workshop for the disabled in Germany which killed 14 people, officials said on Tuesday.All but one of the dead from the fire which began on Monday at the centre in the southwestern town of Titisee-Neustadt in Germany's Black Forest region were handicapped, police said.A 50-year-old female carer was...

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AIADMK, BJD to vote against UPA on FDI

NEW DELHI: The BJP-Left combine's move to team up and insist on a vote on FDI policy seems to have paid off. The vote is expected to see parties like AIADMK and BJD opposing the government, deepening the impression of a near vertical split in political opinion over FDI. Although UPA leaders claim the standoff over the FDI policy was not as grave as it was made out to be, it needed some persistent...

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CDC: HIV spread high in young gay males

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say 1 in 5 new HIV infections occur in a tiny segment of the population — young men who are gay or bisexual.The government on Tuesday released new numbers that spotlight how the spread of the AIDS virus is heavily concentrated in young males who have sex with other males. Only about a quarter of new infections in the 13-to-24 age group are from injecting drugs or heterosexual...

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GOP Senators More Troubled After Rice Meeting

United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice's attempts to "make nice" with a trio of Republican senators who have criticized her response to the Sept. 11 terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, seem to have backfired.The senators said they left their face-to-face meeting with Rice this morning "more concerned" and "significantly troubled."The three Republicans, Sens....

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