Syrian vice president says neither side can win war

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa said that neither the forces of President Bashar al-Assad nor rebels seeking to overthrow him can win the war which is now being fought on the outskirts of Assad's powerbase in Damascus. Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim in a power structure dominated by Assad's Alawite minority, has rarely been seen since the Syrian revolt erupted in March...

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New private home sales in November fall to lowest level in 2012

SINGAPORE: The number of new private homes sold in November fell to the lowest level in 2012.Excluding executive condominiums (ECs), 1,087 units were sold in November -- 44.2 percent less than in October.It is also the second straight month of decline.October saw 25.7 percent less homes moved in at 1,948 units.Analysts attribute the decline to fewer property launches last month.Savills'...

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Exit polls: Narendra Modi to sweep Gujarat, Congress ahead in Himachal

AHMEDABAD: Voting has ended for the Gujarat assembly elections 2012 on Sunday with millions casting their ballot at 23, 318 polling booths at Kutch, north and central Gujarat in the second and final phase of the elections. Elections in the second phase were held in 95 of the 182 constituencies. The initial exit poll results coming from surveys, incumbant chief minister Narendra Modi is all set...

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Experts: No link between Asperger's, violence

NEW YORK (AP) — While an official has said that the 20-year-old gunman in the Connecticut school shooting had Asperger's syndrome, experts say there is no connection between the disorder and violence.Asperger's is a mild form of autism often characterized by social awkwardness."There really is no clear association between Asperger's and violent behavior," said psychologist Elizabeth Laugeson, an assistant...

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Newtown Victims: 'Hero' Teacher, Principal, 20 Kids

Twenty bright first graders with their entire lives ahead of them were gunned down on Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Along with the students, the lives of six school staffers, including a devoted teacher and a proud principal, were lost. Click through to see the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Noah Pozner and his twin sister celebrated their sixth...

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Japan's LDP surges back to power, eyes two-thirds majority with ally

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) surged back to power in an election on Sunday just three years after a devastating defeat, giving ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a chance to push his hawkish security agenda and radical economic recipe. An LDP win will usher in a government committed to a tough stance in a territorial row with China, a pro-nuclear energy...

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Disputed islands are Japan's: Shinzo Abe

TOKYO: Shinzo Abe, who piloted his Liberal Democratic Party to victory in Sunday's election, said there is no doubt about Japan's ownership of islands at the centre of a dispute with China."China is challenging the fact that (the islands) are Japan's inherent territory," said Abe, who is expected to become prime minister. "Our objective is to stop the challenge. We don't intend to worsen...

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West Bengal opposes direct cash transfer

KOLKATA: After Odisha and Tripura, West Bengal has opposed the Centre's direct cash transfer to bank accounts of beneficiaries claiming it would lead to breakdown of the existing public distribution system and closure of the Food Corporation of India. "The basic objective of the public distribution system to arrest hunger among the poor will be defeated if the beneficiaries are provided cash instead...

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Experts: No link between Asperger's, violence

NEW YORK (AP) — While an official has said that the 20-year-old gunman in the Connecticut school shooting had Asperger's syndrome, experts say there is no connection between the disorder and violence.Asperger's is a mild form of autism often characterized by social awkwardness."There really is no clear association between Asperger's and violent behavior," said psychologist Elizabeth Laugeson, an assistant...

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School Safety Questioned After Conn. Shooting

Along with fire drills, schools have been conducting lockdown drills -- often known as active shooter drills -- since the Columbine massacre in 1999.But safety officials do not agree yet on what teachers and students should do when a homicidal gunman invades their school.At Sandy Hook Elementary School, teachers, staff and students had been drilled on how to handle such a situation."We...

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