India and Pakistan to operationalise new visa agreement during Rehman Malik's Delhi visit

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan will operationalise new 'liberalized' visa agreement between the two countries during the visit of Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik to New Delhi on December 11-13.Both the sides had signed it in Islamabad in September, seeking to facilitate more people-to-people contact and trade. Indian home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday formally invited his Pakistani...

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Tapping citizen-scientists for a novel gut check

WASHINGTON (AP) — The bacterial zoo inside your gut could look very different if you're a vegetarian or an Atkins dieter, a couch potato or an athlete, fat or thin.Now for a fee — $69 and up — and a stool sample, the curious can find out just what's living in their intestines and take part in one of the hottest new fields in science.Wait a minute: How many average Joes really want to pay for the privilege...

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Insiders Reveal 2012 Election Secrets

Pete Souza/White HouseThe 2012 election cycle came full circle last week when representatives from the Obama and Romney campaigns, as well as top advisers to many of the GOP primary candidates and several influential outside groups, gathered at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government for a 2012 debrief — finally answering some of the lingering questions about the race.On neutral ground in Cambridge,...

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NATO warns Syria not to use chemical weapons

BEIRUT (Reuters) - NATO told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday that any use of chemical weapons in his fight against encroaching rebel forces would be met by an immediate international response. The warning from NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen came as U.S. government sources said Washington had information that Syria was making what could be seen as preparations...

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Rugby: England, Wales, Australia in 'group of death' for 2015 World Cup

LONDON: England, Wales and Australia were all drawn together in a potential 'group of death' when the draw for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England was made on Monday.The trio all found themselves in Pool A at a draw conducted at London's Tate Modern gallery.This means one of the sport's traditional powers will be knocked out before the quarter-finals, with only the top two teams from each...

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NRHM scam: CBI files chargesheet against Pradeep Shukla

GHAZIABAD: The CBI today filed chargesheet against senior IAS officer Pradeep Shukla in connection with alleged irregularities in upgrading of 89 district hospitals in the state, under National Rural Health Mission scheme, causing a loss of Rs 16 crore to the exchequer. The agency had received sanction to prosecute Shukla, the then family welfare secretary, on November 30 from the Centre after...

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US envoy hits China's stand in UN climate talks

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The United States on Monday challenged China's view of how to split the burden of curbing carbon emissions, saying the rich-poor divide in past climate agreements has no place in a future pact to fight global warming.The U.S. envoy to international climate talks in Qatar, Todd Stern, said that the next climate deal must be based on "real-world" considerations, not "an ideology that...

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Kate Middleton Is Pregnant, in Hospital

Kate Middleton is pregnant.The most eagerly awaited pregnancy was announced today by St. James Palace on behalf of Middleton and her husband Prince William.The child, whether boy or girl, will eventually be heir to the British throne according to new legislation awaiting final approval.The duchess was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital today in central London with hyperemesis...

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Israel says will stick with settlement plan despite European pressure

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel rejected concerted criticism from Europe on Monday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to expand settlement building after the United Nations' de facto recognition of Palestinian statehood. Britain, France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark summoned the Israeli ambassadors in their capitals to hear appeals for Netanyahu to reverse course and deep disapproval...

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No US budget deal without tax hikes: White House

WASHINGTON: Lead White House negotiator Timothy Geithner insisted Sunday there would be no deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" unless Republicans allowed tax rates on the wealthiest Americans to rise.Talks to avoid the dreaded "fiscal cliff" are at a dangerous impasse after President Barack Obama's opening gambit in the high-stakes negotiations was shot down by leading Republicans on Thursday...

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