Tax fight sends GOP into chaos

The main thing that has held Republicans together philosophically is the belief in holding down taxes. Not one of them in Congress has voted for a significant increase in more than two decades. Now that very issue is tearing the GOP apart and making it an all-but-ungovernable majority for Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to lead in the House. Disarray is a word much overused in politics....

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Astra missile test-fired on 2nd consecutive day from Chandipur

BALASORE (ODISHA): A day after a perfect developmental trial of " Astra", India today again successfully test-fired its indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, 15 km from here.The sophisticated missile was test-fired from a launcher in launch pad-2 of the ITR at about 3.34 PM targeting a flying object being supported by a pilotless...

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Pictures: Fungi Get Into the Holiday Spirit

Photograph courtesy Stephanie Mounaud, J. Craig Venter InstituteMounaud combined different fungi to create a Santa hat and spell out a holiday message.Different fungal grow at different rates, so Mounaud's artwork rarely lasts for long. There's only a short window of time when they actually look like what they're suppose to."You do have to keep that in perspective when you're making these creations,"...

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Obama Still an 'Optimist' on Cliff Deal

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON D.C. – Ten days remain before the mandatory spending cuts and tax increases known as the “fiscal cliff” take effect, but President Obama said he is still a “hopeless optimist” that a federal budget deal can be reached before the year-end deadline that economists agree might plunge the country back into recession.“Even though Democrats and Republicans are...

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PM Lee "considering seriously" if by-election should be held for Punggol East

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says he is considering seriously if a by-election should be held for the Punggol East single-member constituency, and if so, when to hold one.The parliamentary seat in Punggol East fell vacant following the resignation of the MP for the area Michael Palmer.Mr Lee was replying to questions from the Singapore media at the end of his visit to India...

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BJP activists protest Sanjay Nirupam's remarks against Smriti Irani

MUMBSI: BJP workers on Friday staged a protest against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam for his reported derogatory remarks against TV actor and BJP member Smriti Irani.Activists of BJP's youth and women's wings took out a morcha and demanded an apology from Nirupam for his remarks against Irani, who is also a Member of Parliament.Around 300 BJP cadres participated in the procession which concluded at...

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Hollies Get Prickly for a Reason

With shiny evergreen leaves and bright red berries, holly trees are a naturally festive decoration seen throughout the Christmas season.They're famously sharp. But not all holly leaves are prickly, even on the same tree. And scientists now think they know how the plants are able to make sharper leaves, seemingly at will. (Watch a video about how Christmas trees are made.)A new study...

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NRA to Speak on Stopping Newtown Repeat

For the past week, leadership at the National Rifle Association has largely stayed away from the media, but this morning the group may weigh in on how to keep a deadly shooting massacre like last week's at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school from happening again.The NRA will hold a news conference in Washington, D.C., just before 11 a.m.Its leadership has held off on interviews...

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In the Loop’s presidential election contest winners

(Marlon Correa) The presidential popular vote counting is just about over — although Cook Political Report guru David Wasserman, who has President Obama at 50.97 percent of the vote now, says there are still some yet to be counted. But if we’re going to get t-shirts out to the winners of the In The Loop election contest (popular vote) in time for Christmas, we’ve got to stop...

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Football: Milan-Barca, Madrid-United top last-16 line-up

NYON: Ties between Barcelona and AC Milan and Manchester United and Real Madrid topped the bill in the draw for the Champions League last 16 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Thursday.Arsenal were drawn against last season's beaten finalists, Bayern Munich, while Celtic's reward for reaching the knockout phase is a rendezvous with Italian champions Juventus.Big-spending French...

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