Malaysian customs seize record 24 tonnes of ivory

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian customs have seized 24 tonnes of unprocessed elephant tusks worth almost US$20 million, the largest haul in the country to date, officials said Tuesday.Some 1,500 tusks hidden in two containers were discovered by customs officials at the country's main port of Klang, in the western state of Selangor.The tusks had been hidden within pieces of timber inside the containers,...

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Kargil hero's father moves United Nations Human Rights Council for justice

BANGALORE: The father of an Indian army officer who was killed in action has moved to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) against the torture and murder of his son, Capt Suarabh Kalia, and five soldiers of the Jat regiment during the Kargil conflict in 1999. The petition has been jointly sent by the Flag of Honour Foundation and Dr NK Kalia, father of the captain. Capt Kalia was 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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Insight: Congo army debacle at Goma raises specter of betrayal

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - When Congo's government army retreated in panic from the eastern city of Goma last month, many observers blamed the poor morale and leadership, ill discipline and corruption that have sapped its fighting capacity for years. In the hours before Goma fell to M23 rebels on November 20, drunk and terrified Congolese soldiers roamed the streets...

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Morsi gives Egypt army police powers before referendum

CAIRO: President Mohamed Morsi has ordered Egypt's army to take on police powers from Monday -- including the right to arrest civilians -- in the run-up to a divisive constitutional referendum that has triggered mass street protests.The decree, published in the government gazette, takes effect on the eve of mass rival protests on the referendum and follows street clashes that have left...

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Cauvery water dispute: SC not to interfere with Cauvery monitoring committee award

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today made it clear that it will not interfere with the Cauvery monitoring committee's order directing Karnataka to provide Tamil Nadu with 12 TMC of Cauvery water during December despite both warring states expressing dissatisfaction over the award. A bench of justices D K Jain and Madan B Lokur turned down the plea of Tamil Nadu which contended that the report is factually...

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Smokers celebrate as Wash. legalizes marijuana

SEATTLE (AP) — The crowds of happy people lighting joints under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning with nary a police officer in sight bespoke the new reality: Marijuana is legal under Washington state law.Hundreds gathered at Seattle Center for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalization measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they...

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Mexican-American Star Dead in Plane Crash: Father

UPDATED: Multiple reports, including one from Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Mexico's Secretary of Communications and Transports, confirm that the remains of the private jet carrying Jenni Rivera have been found, with no survivors. Rivera, 43, was one of seven passengers.Rivera's father, Pedro, confirmed the news of his daughter's passing to reporters stationed outside of his home in...

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Egypt president scraps decree that sparked protests

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has canceled a decree that gave him sweeping powers and sparked violent unrest but did not delay this month's referendum on a new constitution that was a major demand of his opponents. Islamist supporters of Mursi have insisted the referendum should go ahead on time on December 15, saying it is needed to complete a democratic transition...

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