WH on Hagel withdrawal: nope; governors descend on D.C.; and a CIA whistleblower parties on way to the clink (read-this roundup)

Former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel remains the nominee for defense secretary. (Susan Walsh - AP) Here’s what the Loop is reading Friday:Pen pals — A group of 15 Republican senators wrote to President Obama asking him to withdraw the nomination of former Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel (R) to be secretary of defense. The White House response: Um, no thanks. Look out for the...

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India sets rules for new bank permits in rural push

MUMBAI : India on Friday unveiled rules for issuing new bank licences in a push to expand financial services into the country's rural hinterland where hundreds of thousands of villages have no banking outlets.Ninety percent of India's 600,000 villages do not have banking facilities, the Reserve Bank of India says, while fewer than half of the country's 1.2 billion people have a bank account.Private...

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Indian Coast Guard inducts a new generation of interceptor boat

MUMBAI: The Indian Navy has added feathers to its armoury with the commission of Indian Coast Guard Ship C-154, the New Generation of Arneson Surface Drive (ASD) Interceptor Boat. The 28 metres long Interceptor Boat with 75 tonnes displacement can achieve a maximum speed of 35 knots. This Interceptor Boat has been built by M/s Bharati Shipyard Ltd. The vessel is fitted with state-of-the-art navigation...

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Oldest Known Wild Bird Hatches Chick at 62

Wisdom, the oldest known wild bird, has yet another feather in her cap—a new chick.The Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis)—62 years old at least—recently hatched a healthy baby in the U.S. Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, her sixth in a row and possibly the 35th of her lifetime, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) North American Bird Banding Program. (Related:...

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Group releases list of 90 medical ‘don’ts’

Don’t use feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia. Don’t use drugs to aggressively treat diabetes in those older than 65. Don’t automati­cally use imaging technology for minor head injuries in children and headaches in adults. And don’t give antacids to babies with reflux. Those are among the 90 medical “don’ts” on a list being released Thursday by a coalition of doctor and consumer...

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Cycling: Giro d'Italia to start in Belfast next year

BELFAST, United Kingdom: Another of cycling's biggest races will start in Britain next year after organisers announced on Thursday that the Giro d'Italia will be flagged off in Northern Ireland.The 2014 edition of one of the sport's three Grand Tour races will begin in Belfast on May 10, kicking off three days of action that will also include a stage finishing in Dublin, capital of the...

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2 more ministers resign, Jagadish Shettar govt safe for now

BANGALORE: With in a month after 12 of its MLAs resigned, the beleaguered ruling-BJP yet again received a jolt.Joining the list of the ministers and MLAs to resign, forest minister CP Yogeshwar and small scale industries minister Narasimha Naik resigned from the ministry by handing the papers to chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Thursday.As Speaker KG Bopaiah was out of the state, Yogeshwar and...

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NASA's Mars Rover Makes Successful First Drill

For the first time ever, people have drilled into a rock on Mars, collecting the powdered remains from the hole for analysis.Images sent back from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on Wednesday confirmed that the precious sample is being held by the rover's scoop, and will soon be delivered to two miniature chemical labs to undergo an unprecedented analysis. (Related: "Mars Rover Curiosity...

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Lead Pistorius Cop Facing Attempted Murder Charge

The South African Police Service said today that Hilton Botha, the lead investigator in the Oscar Pistorius murder case, will no longer be part of the investigation after this week's bail hearing ends.The decision comes in light of the revelation that the detective is facing his own attempted murder charges in connection to a 2011 shooting."We became aware of the allegations that...

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White House could name Gina McCarthy to EPA Wednesday

Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, Gina McCarthy (Melina Mara - The Washington Post) Looks like it could be Gina McCarthy’s big day. The assistant administrator for air and radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency is the White House’s pick to head that agency — and the long-expected announcement could come as soon as Wednesday, we’re hearing.McCarthy...

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