Cities can be great, given good planning & infrastructure: Khaw

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan says a major shift in planning and development strategy to invest ahead of demand will ensure Singapore remains a liveable city for future generations.He was speaking in Parliament on Wednesday as debate continues on the Population White Paper and Land Use Plan.Mr Khaw gave the assurance that there will be enough affordable homes for...

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Shanti Asiatic, Udgam students take top honours at Spell Bee contest

AHMEDABAD: The city hosted season five of the city finals of Radio Mirchi and HDFC Life's 'Spell Bee - India Spells 2013'.In what can be termed as India's biggest and only spelling contest, standard VIII student Kartikey Sharma of Shanti Asiatic School, Ahmedabad emerged as the winner along with the 1st runner-up, standard IX student Dia Majumder from Udgam School. They will now proceed to compete...

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Critics seek to delay NYC sugary drinks size limit

NEW YORK (AP) — Opponents are pressing to delay enforcement of the city's novel plan to crack down on supersized, sugary drinks, saying businesses shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars to comply until a court rules on whether the measure is legal.With the rule set to take effect March 12, beverage industry, restaurant and other business groups have asked a judge to put it on hold at least until...

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Lance Armstrong Under Criminal Investigation

Federal investigators are in the midst of an active criminal investigation of disgraced former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, ABC News has learned.The revelation comes in stark contrast to statements made by the U.S. Attorney for Southern California, Andre Birotte, who addressed his own criminal inquiry of Armstrong for the first time publicly on Tuesday. Birotte's...

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Mexico says gas leak caused deadly Pemex blast

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican government said on Monday that a gas leak caused a blast that killed at least 37 people at the offices of state oil monopoly Pemex in Mexico City, raising fresh questions about the firm's safety record. Attorney General Jesus Murillo said no trace of explosives was found at the site of the explosion, the latest in a string of disasters to hit the lumbering...

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"Promoting marriage & parenthood" central to keeping S'porean core

SINGAPORE: Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Grace Fu has spoken about what it means by keeping the Singaporean core at the heart of the country's population policies.She made the comments on day two of the parliamentary debate on the White Paper on Population and Land Use Plan.Ms Fu said promoting marriage and parenthood is central to maintaining a strong Singaporean core.And allowing...

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DMK MLAs evicted from TN assembly

CHENNAI: Opposition DMK MLAs were evicted en masse from the Tamil Nadu assembly following a fiery exchange of words with the treasury benches and the MLAs staging a dharna before the speaker's chair. The issue of provocation came from housing minister R Vaithilingam, who made some remarks over DMK's participation in the Congress-led UPA Cabinet which prompted angry reaction from the opposition MLAs...

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Bullying study: It does get better for gay teens

CHICAGO (AP) — It really does get better for gay and bisexual teens when it comes to being bullied, although young gay men have it worse than their lesbian peers, according to the first long-term scientific evidence on how the problem changes over time.The seven-year study involved more than 4,000 teens in England who were questioned yearly through 2010, until they were 19 and 20 years old. At the...

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Sarai Sierra's 2 Young Boys Don't Know Mom's Dead

The two young sons of slain New York mom Sarai Sierra are under the impression that their father has gone to Turkey to bring their mother home - alive.Sierra, whose battered body was found near a highway in Istanbul over the weekend, was the mother of two boys aged 9 and 11.Steven Sierra, who went to Istanbul in search of his wife after she disappeared nearly two weeks ago,...

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Iran hedges on nuclear talks with six powers or U.S.

MUNICH (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday it was open to a U.S. offer of direct talks on its nuclear program and that six world powers had suggested a new round of nuclear negotiations this month, but without committing itself to either proposal. Diplomatic efforts to resolve a dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is peaceful but the West suspects is intended to give Iran...

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