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Uttarakhand: early monsoon strikes hard

50 people washed away as heavy rains lash Uttarakhand

Over 10 people are feared dead and 50 were washed away as heavy rains continued to lash Uttarakhand Monday, officials said.

  • Obama says Bernanke has 'stayed a lot longer' than he wanted at Fed Reuters
    Obama says Bernanke has 'stayed a lot longer' than he wanted at Fed

    By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama hinted in an interview aired on Monday that he may be looking for a new chief of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, saying current Chairman Ben Bernanke has stayed a lot longer than he had originally planned. Obama, speaking to Charlie Rose, host of a PBS interview program, compared Bernanke to longtime FBI Director Robert Mueller, who agreed to stay two years longer than he had planned and is to leave in the coming months. "Well, I think Ben Bernanke's done an outstanding job. ...

  • INSIGHT - FBI relies on secret U.S. surveillance law, records show Reuters
    INSIGHT - FBI relies on secret U.S. surveillance law, records show

    By John Shiffman, Kristina Cooke and Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI has used secret evidence obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to prosecute at least 27 accused terrorists since 2007, according to a Reuters review of public records. While the recent spotlight has been on the use of the FISA law by the U.S. National Security Agency for surveillance programs following disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the FBI also makes extensive use of the law for domestic counterterrorism. ...

  • Batteries hold key to wearable device revolution Reuters
    Batteries hold key to wearable device revolution

    By Alexei Oreskovic and Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Longer-lasting batteries are crucial for a new crop of wearable computers whose rise may upend Apple and Google's dominance of mobile devices, two of the field's pioneers say. Wearable devices - from bracelets that monitor physical activity and sleeping patterns to clothing with built-in sensors and Web-ready glasses - may mark the next big technology shift, just as smartphones evolved from personal computers. That transition has put the unglamorous battery in a starring role. ...

  • Rupee weakens, not far from record low ahead of Fed Reuters
    Rupee weakens, not far from record low ahead of Fed

    MUMBAI (Reuters) - The rupee opened weaker against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, tracking weaker Asian currencies ahead of the two-day Federal Reserve meeting amid concerns about a potential early roll down of the U.S. monetary stimulus programme. The rupee was at 58.32 to the dollar at 9:12 a.m. from its Monday close of 57.87/88. The currency is not far off a record low of 58.98 hit a week ago. (Reporting by Subhadip Sircar; Editing by Rafael Nam)

  • Japan says G8 stance is sign of approval for "Abenomics" Reuters
    Japan says G8 stance is sign of approval for "Abenomics"

    By Stanley White TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese cabinet ministers welcomed the Group of Eight summit's stance on Tokyo's sweeping stimulus policies as a vote of confidence in the government's strategy to end 15 years of entrenched deflation and revive a lacklustre economy. Japan's economics minister also moved to parry any suggestion that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policies, known as "Abenomics", are aimed at intentionally weakening the yen to benefit the country's exports. ...

  • U.S. identifies Guantanamo prisoners it wants to hold indefinitely Reuters
    U.S. identifies Guantanamo prisoners it wants to hold indefinitely

    By Jane Sutton GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Monday publicly identified for the first time 46 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay whom it wants to hold indefinitely without charge or trial because it says they are too dangerous to release but cannot be prosecuted. The Defense Department released the names on Monday after the Miami Herald and a group of Yale Law School students sued for its release in a U.S. District Court in Washington. ...

  • Obama sees Iran's election of moderate as hopeful sign Reuters
    Obama sees Iran's election of moderate as hopeful sign

    By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday that Iran's election of a moderate as its next president is a sign that Iranians want to move in a different direction, but he was uncertain whether it would lead to a breakthrough over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. In an interview with public television anchor Charlie Rose, Obama said the United States and its allies would be willing to hold talks with Iran over its nuclear program, as long as Tehran recognized that international sanctions would not be lifted unless Iran proved it is not building a nuclear weapon. ...

  • US right to arm Syrian rebels, says Israeli president Reuters
    US right to arm Syrian rebels, says Israeli president

    By Crispian Balmer JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli President Shimon Peres has thrown his weight behind U.S. plans to arm Syrian rebels, shrugging off fears the weapons could be turned on Israel and exacerbate the conflict. In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters before his 90th birthday, Peres dismissed the idea that Israel could launch a unilateral military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities and urged Palestinians and Israelis to forge immediate peace. ...

  • Jury finds no negligence in trial over man's 8-month erection Reuters

    By Myles Miller WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - A jury on Monday cleared a doctor of negligence in a lawsuit filed by a Delaware truck driver who underwent a penile implant procedure and ended up with an erection that lasted eight months. "We're stunned," attorney Michael Heyden said as he left the New Castle County courthouse, where his client Daniel Metzgar, 44, of Newark, Delaware, was suing urologist Thomas Desperito of Wilmington, Delaware. In April 2010, four months after the procedure was performed, Metzgar experienced swelling and went to a hospital, where he underwent testing. ...

  • Nikkei turns down as market wary ahead of Fed outcome; Sony gains Reuters
    Nikkei turns down as market wary ahead of Fed outcome; Sony gains

    By Dominic Lau TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average reversed early gains on Tuesday, underscoring the volatility that has roiled the market lately, as investors awaited the outcome of a Federal Reserve meeting for clues on whether it will continue to support the U.S. economy. By the midday break, the Nikkei slipped 0.7 percent to 12,941.80 after trading as high as 13,139.48. It climbed 2.7 percent on Monday, lifting the index out of a bear market. "There was no reason to be bullish this morning, other than a couple of reverse trades," a Tokyo-based trader said. ...

  • EBay CEO confident of getting China payments license Reuters
    EBay CEO confident of getting China payments license

    By Alistair Barr SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - EBay Inc's PayPal division will become the first foreign company to secure a payments license in China, CEO John Donahoe predicted, but the e-commerce giant is taking a cautious approach to expansion in the country. Donahoe sees "encouraging signs" from the Chinese authorities, but said it remained next-to-impossible to guess when its fast-growing PayPal unit would finally get the green light to operate in the world's second largest economy, he told the Reuters Global Technology Summit on Monday. (For a video of the interview, click on http://reut. ...

  • Asian shares slide as upcoming Fed meeting jangles nerves Reuters
    Asian shares slide as upcoming Fed meeting jangles nerves

    By Chikako Mogi TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares slid on Tuesday as investors waited on tenterhooks for news of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee's plans for its stimulus programme - with the mere suggestion of fine-tuning it enough to unnerve investors. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.7 percent, dragged down by a 0.9 percent decline in Australian shares which faced selling in high-yielding stocks. The pan-Asian index, which plumbed its lowest since September on Thursday, was weighed down by a 1 percent drop each in its materials and energy sectors. ...

  • Wimbledon holds no fear for Radwanska any more Reuters
    Wimbledon holds no fear for Radwanska any more

    By Clare Fallon EASTBOURNE, England (Reuters) - Wimbledon can hold no fear for Agnieszka Radwanska this year, after she survived all the way to the final last July. Having got her maiden grand-slam final out of the way, conquering her nerves and taking eventual winner Serena Williams to three sets, the Polish world number four is feeling relaxed about returning to the All-England Club next week. ...

  • AIRSHOW-U.S. arms companies see rising foreign demand Reuters
    AIRSHOW-U.S. arms companies see rising foreign demand

    By Andrea Shalal-Esa PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. arms makers see rising foreign demand for fighter jets, missile defense systems and other weapons as countries modernise their forces and U.S. officials, facing tighter budgets, encourage allies to invest more in intelligence gathering and aerial refueling equipment. U.S. Air Force arms sales to international buyers doubled over the past two years and further increases are likely, a senior Air Force official said at the Paris air show on Monday. ...

  • Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil Reuters
    Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil

    By Todd Benson and Asher Levine SAO PAULO (Reuters) - As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption. The marches, organized mostly through snowballing social media campaigns, blocked streets and halted traffic in more than a half-dozen cities, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia, where demonstrators climbed onto the roof of Brazil's Congress building and then stormed it. ...

  • Obama defends surveillance of American communications IANS

    Washington, June 18 (IANS) As the US whistleblower accused President Barack Obama of worsening "abusive" practices, Obama defended extensive surveillance of US communications, saying it had disrupted multiple terrorist plots and had adequate checks and balances.

  • Being single doesn't suit me: Katie Price IANS

    Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Model Katie Price admits she can't be single, and says she needs to be with a man at all times.

  • 'Suraj Pancholi coping well with jail' IANS

    Mumbai, June 18 (IANS) Locked away with hardened criminals, Suraj Pancholi seems to be coping well with his condition, according to his sister who met him at the Arthur Road Jail here.

  • Tom Hiddleston not in 'The Avengers' sequel? IANS

    Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Actor Tom Hiddleston will reportedly not reprise his role as Loki in sequel of "The Avengers".

  • Jennifer Aniston stays naked all day? IANS

    Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Actress Jennifer Aniston, who recently moved in with her fiance Justin Theroux to their new mansion here, reportedly stays naked in house.

  • Psy to record with Brain May IANS

    Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Korean singer-rapper Psy of "Gangnam style" fame, is set to record a track with singer-musician Brian May.

  • Avril Lavigne plans lavish wedding IANS

    Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne has started planning for her lavish wedding with Nickelback frontman and lead guitarist Chad Kroeger. She even has a special surprise for him.

  • Over 30 wild animals seized from Singapore flat IANS

    Singapore, June 18 (IANS) Over 30 wild animals of highly endangered species such as the slow loris, marmoset, Indian star tortoise and ball python, prohibited for being kept as pets, have been seized from a flat in Singapore during a raid, authorities said.

  • UAE, Italy discuss bilateral relations IANS

    Rome, June 18 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Italy have held talks over ways to strengthen bilateral ties for economic and trade cooperation.

  • Miley Cyrus wants to start afresh IANS

    Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS) Singer Miley Cyrus admits she isn't fond of her old records, and says she would love to work as a "new artist".

  • UN chief urges global efforts for drought, desertification IANS

    United Nations, June 18 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon has called for a collective global action to build resilience and prepare for droughts, as well as to combat desertification (a type of land degradation).

  • Emirates to fly 60 extra flights during Ramadan IANS

    Dubai, June 18 (IANS/WAM) The Emirates will operate nearly 60 extra flights to assist pilgrims travelling to the Saudi Arabia during the holy month of Ramadan.

  • Obama,South Korean president discuss regional issues IANS

    Washington, June 18 (IANS) US President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye have held discussion on regional issues over phone, the White House said Monday.

  • Iran to be more 'transparent' over n-issue: Hassan Rouhani IANS

    Tehran, June 18 (IANS) Iran's president-elect Hassan Rouhani said Monday that his country would try to be more " transparent" in its nuclear issue to "build confidence".

  • Russia against allowing no-fly zone in Syria IANS

    Moscow, June 18 (IANS) Russia said Monday that it would not allow the imposition of a no-fly zone over the conflict-ravaged Syria and expressed surprise over Cairo severing ties with Damascus.