Algeria hostage toll rises with report of Japanese deaths

ALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) - The hostage death toll from a four-day siege at an Algerian gas plant deep in the Sahara has risen to almost 60, with at least nine Japanese nationals also reported killed in an attack claimed by a veteran Islamist fighter on behalf of al Qaeda. Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal is expected to give details at a Monday news conference about one of the...

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Thai deputy PM dies of suspected heart problem

BANGKOK: Thai deputy prime minister and minister of tourism and sports Chumpol Silpa-archa, aged 72, died on Monday of a suspected heart problem, his party said.Chumpol, the leader of the Chart Thai Pattana Party -- a member of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's ruling coalition -- was admitted to hospital with breathing problems on December 17."We received news that he passed away this...

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I may put up a token fight against Gadkari, Mahesh Jethmalani says

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Mahesh Jethmalani has hinted that he may throw his hat in the contest for the post of party president, if there is no one to challenge the incumbent Nitin Gadkari. "I have not made up my mind, but if I decide, I may put up a token fight," Jethmalani told reporters on Monday when questioned about the possible contest. Mahesh Jethmalani had earlier objected to Nitin Gadkari continuing...

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Flu season fuels debate over paid sick time laws

NEW YORK (AP) — Sniffling, groggy and afraid she had caught the flu, Diana Zavala dragged herself in to work anyway for a day she felt she couldn't afford to miss.A school speech therapist who works as an independent contractor, she doesn't have paid sick days. So the mother of two reported to work and hoped for the best — and was aching, shivering and coughing by the end of the day. She stayed home...

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Obamas Share the Love, Even for Michelle's Bangs

Jan 20, 2013 10:49pm (Charles Dharapak/AP Photo)President Obama used the first public remarks of his second term to address what he called the “most significant” event of this weekend: his wife’s much-talked-about new haircut.“I love her bangs,” Obama told supporters at an inaugural reception at the National Building Museum. “She looks good. She always looks good.”First...

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Algeria ends desert siege with 23 hostages dead

ALGIERS/IN AMENAS, Algeria (Reuters) - Algerian troops ended a siege by Islamist militants at a gas plant in the Sahara desert where 23 hostages died, with a final assault which killed all the remaining hostage-takers. Believed to be among the 32 dead militants was their leader, Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri, a Nigerien close to al Qaeda-linked commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar, presumed mastermind...

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Malaysian prime minister to make rare visit to Gaza

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will visit Gaza this week, an official said Sunday, in what would be a rare visit by a foreign leader to the impoverished Palestinian territory.Najib will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and other officials on the one-day visit on Tuesday, an aide to the prime minister told AFP on condition of anonymity.The aide declined...

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Karunanidhi hails Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress vice-president

CHENNAI: Congratulating Rahul Gandhi on his elevation as Congress vice-president, key UPA ally and DMK chief M Karunanidhi today expressed confidence that he would take the party to a 'new height.' "Your abiding interest in the youth of our country and your earnest commitment to the advancement of rural areas and farmers are all well-known," the DMK chief, whose party has been an ally of ruling...

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Lilly drug chosen for Alzheimer's prevention study

Researchers have chosen an experimental drug by Eli Lilly & Co. for a large federally funded study testing whether it's possible to prevent Alzheimer's disease in older people at high risk of developing it.The drug, called solanezumab (sol-ah-NAYZ-uh-mab), is designed to bind to and help clear the sticky deposits that clog patients' brains.Earlier studies found it did not help people with moderate...

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Algeria Hostage Crisis Over, One American Dead

After the Algerian military's final assault on terrorists holding hostages at a gas complex, the four-day hostage crisis is over, but apparently with additional loss of life among the foreign hostages.One American, Fred Buttaccio of Texas, has been confirmed dead by the U.S. State Department. Two more U.S. hostages remain unaccounted for, with growing concern among U.S. officials...

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