New York murders lowest in 50 years

NEW YORK: The number of murders in New York this year fell to its lowest point in a half-century, mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday -- a bit of good news as the United States tries to combat rampant gun violence.Crime rates and gun laws across the country have been in the spotlight since the December 14 slaying of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Connecticut by a...

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3-fold fee hike likely in Kendriya Vidyalayas

NEW DELHI: If your child studies in a Kendriya Vidyalaya, be prepared for a steep hike in school fee. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan's board of governors, which is meeting on Friday, is likely to clear a three-fold hike in fees. The meeting of the board of governors, expected to be chaired by HRD minister M M Pallam Raju, may also finalize a new logo for the 1,090 KV schools across the country...

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Kenya hospital imprisons new mothers with no money

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, located in a hardscrabble neighborhood of downtown Nairobi, freely acknowledges what he's accused of: detaining mothers who can't pay their bills. Lazarus Omondi says it's the only way he can keep his medical center running.Two mothers who live in a mud-wall and tin-roof slum a short walk from the maternity hospital, which is affiliated...

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At Cliff's Edge, Reid Decries Boehner's 'Dictatorship'

With only five days left before the federal government goes over the fiscal cliff, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shattered any pretense of cooperation with Republicans in a scathing speech that targeted House Republicans and particularly Speaker John Boehner.Reid, D-Nev., spoke on the floor of the Senate as President Obama returned to Washington early from an Hawaiian vacation...

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Syria envoy calls for political change to end conflict

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The international envoy seeking a negotiated solution to Syria's 21-month-old conflict said on Thursday political change was needed to end the violence which has killed 44,000 people. Speaking in Damascus at the end of a five-day trip during which he met President Bashar al-Assad, Lakhdar Brahimi called for a transitional government to rule until elections and said...

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Football: Cole and Gibson win red card appeals

LONDON: West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Everton midfielder Darron Gibson have both had their suspensions quashed after the pair were sent off in Saturday's Premier League match at Upton Park.Cole was dismissed by referee Anthony Taylor for a high challenge on Leighton Baines and Gibson also saw red for a similar challenge on Mark Noble during Everton's 2-1 win.Everton appealed against...

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Himachal Congress MLA’s anticipatory bail rejected

PANCHKULA: A Panchkula court on Wednesday dismissed the anticipatory bail application of newly-elected Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary, wanted by the Haryana police for questioning over the murder of his election campaign's finance manager Jyoti Rani, who also happens to be a dalit. Chaudhary is missing for the past one week. He was last seen on December 20, the day of the election...

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Predicting who's at risk for violence isn't easy

CHICAGO (AP) — It happened after Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Colo., and now Sandy Hook: People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible — partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes.Still, a combination of risk factors in troubled kids or adults including...

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Weather Death Toll Up to 6 as Storm Churns North

A killer Christmas storm is churning its way north leaving hundreds of thousands without power and snarling travel plans for people trying to get home after the holiday.Six people have died, mostly in weather related car crashes, as the South was hammered by as many as 34 tornadoes and a lethal coating of sleet and snow that spread from the South into the Midwest.Over 280,000...

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Syria to discuss Brahimi peace proposals with Russia

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a senior diplomat to Moscow on Wednesday to discuss proposals to end the conflict convulsing his country made by international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, Syrian and Lebanese sources said. Brahimi, who saw Assad on Monday and is planning to hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials and dissidents in Damascus this week, is trying...

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