US trade gap widens in October as exports fall

WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit widened in October as exports fell sharply from the prior month amid a slowing global economy, government data released Tuesday showed.The trade gap increased to US$42.2 billion from a revised US$40.3 billion in September, the Commerce Department said.Exports fell by 3.6 percent, while imports fell by 2.1 percent.The decline in exports was the sharpest...

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EC asks Centre to stop increase in cap on subsidized LPG cylinders

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has written to the petroleum ministry directing that the move to raise LPG cylinder cap from six to nine cylinders a year, as reportedly announced by minister Veerappa Moily on Tuesday afternoon, be "stopped forthwith". It has also sought explanation from the minister on the alleged provocation for announcing the sop less than two days before polling for the...

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New tests could hamper food outbreak detection

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's about to get faster and easier to diagnose food poisoning, but that progress for individual patients comes with a downside: It could hurt the nation's ability to spot and solve dangerous outbreaks.Next-generation tests that promise to shave a few days off the time needed to tell whether E. coli, salmonella or other foodborne bacteria caused a patient's illness could reach medical...

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Closing Tax Loopholes Not Enough to Avert 'Cliff'?

Closing "corporate tax loopholes" sure sounds good to the average, non-corporate American -- so good, in fact, that politicians talk about it all the time.House Speaker John Boehner's fiscal-cliff proposal purports to raise $1.6 trillion in revenue by "clos[ing] special-interest loopholes and deductions while lowering rates."The White House, meanwhile, has complained that Boehner...

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Egypt army gets temporary power to arrest civilians

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's government has temporarily given the military the authority to arrest civilians to help safeguard a constitutional referendum planned for Saturday, the official gazette said. The order, gazetted late on Sunday, said the military would support police and liaise with them to protect "vital institutions" until the referendum result is declared. The...

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SAF serviceman injured onboard ship berthed at Changi Naval Base

SINGAPORE: A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular serviceman has been critically injured while onboard the Landing Ships Tank RSS Endeavour, which is berthed at Changi Naval Base.29-year-old ME2 Chee Weng Fai Jason, a Weapon Systems Supervisor, was checking on a berthing rope that was being tightened on Monday afternoon when he got caught between a motorised winch and the rope, said the...

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Wal-Mart lobbying creates storm, company denies illegality

NEW DELHI: The issue of Wal-Mart lobbying today led to a political storm with opposition creating pandemonium in the Rajya Sabha and promising to create further trouble on Tuesday by pressing its demand for a probe and a statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. BJP, CPM, CPI, SP, JD(U), Trinamool Congress, AGP and AIADMK used the issue to target the government over its decision to allow 51% FDI...

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Royal Hoax: DJs 'Shattered' After Nurse's Suicide

The two Australian radio DJs who prank-called the London hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated last week said they were "shattered" and "gutted" after the nurse who answered their call apparently killed herself.Shock jocks Mel Greig, 30, and Michael Christian, 25, cried as they spoke to Australia's Channel 9 overnight in their first public interview since Jacintha...

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Egypt's Mursi scraps decree, fails to appease opponents

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's president scrapped a decree that gave him extra powers and ignited violent protests, but irate opponents said on Sunday he had deepened the conflict by pressing on with a vote on a constitution shaped by Islamists. President Mohamed Mursi and his Islamist partisans have insisted the referendum go ahead on December 15 to seal a democratic transition that began...

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Frankfurt airport axes 150 flights after snowfall

FRANKFURT: Frankfurt airport cancelled 150 incoming and outgoing flights on Sunday because of snowfall and warned that more cancellations could be expected.Intercontinental, domestic and European flights were all affected at the airport, Europe's third-busiest, and the conditions would delay other flights, a spokesman said.A total of 1,250 flights had been scheduled for Sunday at what...

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