Mall Gunman Wanted to Kill 'Total Strangers'

The masked gunman who opened fire in the crowded Clackamas Town Center mall in suburban Portland, Ore., killing two and seriously injuring a third before killing himself, was trying to "kill as many people as possible."The shooter, wearing a white hockey mask, black clothing and a bullet proof vest, tore through the mall just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, entering through a Macy's...

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Nine hurt as gunmen fire at Cairo protesters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Nine people were hurt when gunmen fired at protesters camping in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Egyptian media, as the opposition called for a major demonstration it hopes will force President Mohamed Mursi to postpone a referendum on a new constitution. Supporters of the Islamist leader, who want the vote to go ahead as planned on Saturday,...

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Injured Navy serviceman expected to be in ICU for a few days: CGH

SINGAPORE: Changi General Hospital (CGH) said on Tuesday that Navy serviceman ME2 Jason Chee Weng Fai is still in critical condition and is expected to be in the Intensive Care Unit for a few days.The hospital says Mr Chee has undergone surgery and is in the process of recovery.The Weapon Systems Supervisor was injured on Monday when he got caught between a motorised winch and a rope on...

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Households likely to get 9 subsidized LPG cylinders a year

NEW DELHI: The government will raise the cap on supply of subsidized cooking gas (LPG) to nine cylinders per household in a year from current restriction of six, oil minister M Veerappa Moily said."I think it is likely to go up definitely from six (cylinders) to 9 (cylinders)," he told reporters here.The government had in September capped supply of subsidized LPG to six cylinders per household...

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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's Mursi gives troops security role in referendum

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Islamist president has given the army temporary power to arrest civilians to help secure a constitutional referendum seen by the Muslim Brotherhood as a triumph for democracy and by its liberal foes as a religious straitjacket. President Mohamed Mursi, bruised by the political uproar in which protesters have besieged his graffiti-besmirched palace to demand his...

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21 workers gather at security firm to demand for wages

SINGAPORE: A group of workers, including 13 Singaporeans, gathered at their security firm on Monday morning demanding for payment of their wages.21 local and Malaysian workers accused Elk Security for failing to pay their wages on time as well as contribute to their CPF accounts.Following discussions between the Manpower Ministry (MOM) and the firm, all parties agreed that the November...

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India, China, Brazil to emerge as key global players: US report

WASHINGTON: Asia will have surpassed North America and Europe combined in terms of global power by 2030 with China, India and Brazil becoming especially important to the global economy, according to a new US intelligence assessment. "The diffusion of power among countries will have a dramatic impact by 2030," says the fifth installment in the US National Intelligence Council's series aimed at providing...

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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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