Manchin, Warner change stances on gun rights in wake of Newtown shootings

As funerals began in Connecticut on Monday, there was further proof that Friday’s mass shooting has reawakened a long-dormant debate in Washington: whether, and how, to limit assault weapons like the one used by the gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School. White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday that President Obama supports reinstating an assault weapons ban and is likely to advocate...

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Big turn-out at Punggol East Meet-the-People Session

SINGAPORE: While a typical Meet-the-People Session (MPS) at Punggol East would see about 50 residents seeking their Member of Parliament (MP) each week, Monday night's session - the first since former MP Michael Palmer resigned last week over an extramarital affair - saw a queue of about 50 people even before the session began. The Monday night's MPS was conducted by Deputy Prime Minister...

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Cong needs Himachal win to stall anti-UPA slide

NEW DELHI: The unanimous forecast of a BJP landslide in Gujarat has made it imperative for Congress to win Himachal Pradesh, lest a washout is seen as evidence of anti-UPA sentiment across the country. Assembly elections in the two states were never seen by experts as a real contest, with Gujarat put in the saffron column much before the votes were cast. The reports of BJP rebel Keshubhai Patel...

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Crayfish Harbor Fungus That’s Wiping Out Amphibians

Scientists have found a new culprit in spreading the disease that's been driving the world's frogs to the brink of extinction: crayfish.In the last few decades, the disease caused by the chytrid fungus has been a disaster for frogs and other amphibians. More than 300 species are nearly extinct because of it. Many probably have gone extinct, but it can be difficult to know for sure when...

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Gunman's Computer Damaged, Drive Possibly Ruined

A computer at the Connecticut home where Newtown, Conn., school shooter Adam Lanza lived with his mother was badly damaged, perhaps smashed with a hammer, said police who hope the machine might still yield clues to the gunman's motive.The computer's hard drive appeared to have been badly damaged with a hammer or screw driver, law enforcement authorities told ABC News, complicating...

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Electoral college set to vote on President Obama’s reelection

President Obama hasn’t officially secured a second term in the White House. Technically, that won’t happen until the electoral college casts its ballots Monday — presumably in favor of the winner for each state. Even then, Congress has to formally declare Obama the victor after counting the electoral votes on Jan. 6....

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Fewer students choosing to retake PSLE

SINGAPORE: Amid the national debate on the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) - including whether it has become a be-all and end-all for 12- year-olds - less pupils are choosing to retake the PSLE compared to previous years, as other education paths become available and awareness of such options grows. Since 2007, NorthLight School and Assumption Pathway School - which opened their...

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Even ATMs freeze in Himachal cold

MANALI/SHIMLA/DHARAMSHALA: It's snowed in Himachal and there's already a cold wave in Delhi. Soon, tourists from all over the country will flock to the hill station to experience the chill, sometimes even eating the snow. But life for those living in the higher reaches can get very tough — from lighting a fire under the fuel tank of your vehicle in the morning to melt the frozen diesel just to start...

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Space Pictures This Week: Frosty Mars, Mini Nile, More

Photograph by Mike Theiss, National GeographicThe aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, illuminates the Arctic sky in a recent picture by National Geographic photographer Mike Theiss.A storm chaser by trade, Theiss is in the Arctic Circle on an expedition to photograph auroras, which result from collisions between charged particles released from the sun's atmosphere and gaseous particles...

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Conn. Shooter Had Hundreds of Rounds

Adam Lanza had hundreds of rounds and used multiple high capacity magazines when he went on a rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 20 first graders and six adults, Connecticut State Police said today.After shooting at victims in two classrooms and a hallway with a high-powered semi-automatic rifle, he put a bullet into his own head with a handgun."The weapon that...

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