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Super Bowl 2015: Katy Perry to headline NFL half-time show

Sonia Pantiss
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Super Bowl 2015: Katy Perry to headline NFL half-time show

Katy Perry will headline the NFL Super Bowl half-time show in February 2015.

Katy Perry, 30, tweeted she had “already started testing out ideas” for the show on February 1 in Arizona.

The show is the most-watched musical event of the year, with a record 115 million viewers in the US watching this year’s half-time show.

Katy Perry joins the likes of Bruno Mars, Beyonce and Madonna who have previously performed.

The announcement of Katy Perry’s upcoming performance was made at half-time during the Cowboys-Giants game on Sunday night.

It was accompanied by a video featuring Katy Perry at a “half-time show testing facility” apparently trying out ideas for her show.

It includes a glitter-filled stadium, unicorns, giant sharks breathing fire, kittens and the suggestion Katy Perry could be wrapped in bacon.

Katy Perry’s performance will be the NFL’s fourth consecutive show to include younger acts after previous performers Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, and The Who.

Katy Perry is currently on her Prismatic world tour in Australia.

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 tops US box office with $123 million

Sonia Pantiss
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 tops US box office with $123 million

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 has topped the US box office with $123 million, a significant drop from last year’s installment, Catching Fire, which took $152 million on its debut.

The movie adaptations of The Hunger Games, based on the best-selling teen books by Suzanne Collins, have taken more than $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office.

In the North American box office rundown, Walt Disney’s animated action film Big Hero 6 was in second place this weekend, with ticket sales of $20.1 million.

Space adventure Interstellar, which has taken $121 million since its release at the beginning of November, took $15 million this weekend and was at number three.

Former number ones, comedy Dumb and Dumber To and thriller Gone Girl, rounded out the top five.

Lionsgate, which has split the final Hunger Games book into two parts, will release the final installment in 2015.

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Rurik Jutting ruled mentally fit to stand trial for Hong Kong double murder

Nancy Clayson
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Rurik Jutting ruled mentally fit to stand trial for Hong Kong double murder

Rurik Jutting, who was charged with the murder of two women in Hong Kong, has been ruled mentally fit to stand trial by a judge.

British Rurik Jutting, a 29-year-old banker, was remanded in custody in Hong Kong earlier this month and referred for psychiatric testing.

He is accused of killing Sumarti Ningsih and Seneng Mujiasih, who were found dead in his flat on November 1.

The two Indonesian women were in Hong Kong as domestic workers but working in the s** trade.

Judge Bina Chainrai ruled that Rurik Jutting was mentally fit to stand trial after spending two weeks having tests in a secure psychiatric centre, the AFP news agency said.

The case has now been adjourned until July 6, 2015, at the request of the prosecution who argued that several months were needed to examine the evidence in detail.

Wearing the same T-shirt as his last two court appearances, with New York written on the front, Rurik Jutting said he understood he would be held in custody until next year.

Rurik Jutting has not entered a plea. If found guilty, he could face a life sentence.

On November 1, he called police to his up-scale home in the Wan Chai nightlife district. Two days later police charged him with the murders which appear to have happened a few days apart.

Seneng Mujiasih’s body was found in the living room with knife wounds to her neck and buttock.

Sumarti Ningsih’s body was found a few hours later in a suitcase on the balcony. She had sustained neck injuries and police believe she was killed on October 27.

Rurik Jutting, originally from Cobham, Surrey, is a Cambridge University graduate and also studied at Winchester College, an independent boarding school in Hampshire.

Rurik Jutting was working in Hong Kong as a securities trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch until just before the women died.

Hillary Clinton 2016: Barack Obama says Bill Clinton’s wife would be a great president

Diane A. Wade
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Hillary Clinton 2016: Barack Obama says Bill Clinton’s wife would be a great president

In a recent interview, President Barack Obama has said that Hillary Clinton would be a “great president” if she decided to run for the White House in 2016.

Barack Obama told ABC News Hillary Clinton was not “going to agree with me on everything”, which could be a welcome break for voters after his eight years in office.

Hillary Clinton, 67, lost the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination campaign to Barack Obama.

She is expected to announce whether she will run again in the early 2015.

President Barack Obama said he talked regularly with Hillary Clinton, describing her as a “friend”.

He said a number of possible Democratic contenders for the top job would do well, but Hillary Clinton was the only one he mentioned by name.

He added the wife of former President Bill Clinton would make a “formidable” and “great” president.

At the same time, Barack Obama acknowledged that Hillary Clinton, who had served in his administration as secretary of state, might do things differently from him.

“One of the benefits of running for president is you can stake out your own positions, and have a clean slate, a fresh start.”

Barack Obama also admitted that voters would want what he described as a “new car smell” in the 2016 elections, hinting that he may not have a high-profile role in the campaign.

Hillary Clinton played a prominent role in last month’s mid-term elections, in which the Republicans took control of the Senate.

For two months, Hillary Clinton criss-crossed the country campaigning hard to help Democrats in tight races.

Hilary Clinton her husband, ex-President Bill Clinton, were the surrogates every Democrat wanted while President Barack Obama was spurned.

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Tamir Rice: Cleveland police officers kill 12-year-old boy over replica gun

Nancy Clayson
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Tamir Rice: Cleveland police officers kill 12-year-old boy over replica gun

Cleveland police shot dead a 12-year-old boy after carrying what turned out to be a replica gun in a playground.

The medical examiner for Cuyahoga County identified the boy as Tamir Rice.

Police say an officer fired two shots at Tamir Rice after he failed to obey an order to raise his hands.

A caller reported the boy to police for scaring people with a gun but said that he did not know if it was real.

One of the officers was in his first year on the local force, the other had more than 10 years of experience.

Tamir Rice was shot on Saturday afternoon and died in hospital early on Sunday morning.

Cleveland deputy police chief Ed Tomba said Tamir Rice was shot twice after pulling the gun from the waistband of his trousers.

The boy did not make any verbal threats nor point the gun towards the officers, Ed Tomba added.

Police said the weapon was an “airsoft” replica gun that resembled a semi-automatic pistol, adding that an orange safety indicator had been removed.

The caller said the boy was pulling the gun in and out of his trousers.

“I don’t know if it’s real or not,” the caller told police.

Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland police association, said the two officers at the scene were not told about the caller’s comments.

An investigation is under way and both officers have been placed on administrative leave.

He says there have already been calls for tighter controls on fake guns, with one local lawmaker – Alicia Reece – saying she intends to introduce legislation that would require fake guns sold in Ohio to be brightly colored.

Cleveland’s police force has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, most notably over a high-profile car chase in 2012 that ended with two deaths and officers firing 137 shots.

The US Justice Department is currently conducting an investigation of the force’s pursuit and use-of-force practices.

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Chicago building collapse: Two people pulled from rubble near Washington Park

Nancy Clayson
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Chicago building collapse: Two people pulled from rubble near Washington Park

Two people were pulled from the rubble of a three-unit apartment building that collapsed following an explosion on Chicago’s South Side on November 23, fire officials said.

The two victims are now in serious condition in hospital.

The two people, one of them described as an elderly woman, were believed to be the only ones inside at the time of the explosion at the three-story building at East 58th Street and South Calumet Avenue, about a block from Washington Park, the fire department said.

A dog was also rescued alive, fire officials said.

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Regin: Symantec discovers new computer spying bug

Nancy Clayson
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Regin: Symantec discovers new computer spying bug

Symantec has discovered Regin, one of the most sophisticated pieces of malicious software ever seen.

The leading computer security company says Regin was probably created by a government and has been used for six years against a range of targets around the world.

Once installed on a computer, Regin can do things like capture screenshots, steal passwords or recover deleted files.

Experts say computers in Russia, Saudi Arabia and Ireland have been hit most.

It has been used to spy on government organizations, businesses and private individuals, they say.

Researchers say the sophistication of the software indicates that it is a cyber-espionage tool developed by a nation state.

They also said it likely took months, if not years, to develop and its creators have gone to great lengths to cover its tracks.

Sian John, a security strategist at Symantec, said: “It looks like it comes from a Western organization. It’s the level of skill and expertise, the length of time over which it was developed.”

Symantec has drawn parallels with Stuxnet, a computer worm thought to have been developed by the US and Israel to target Iran’s nuclear program.

That was designed to damage equipment, whereas Regin’s purpose appears to be to collect information.

Afghanistan: At least 45 people killed in suicide bomb attack at volleyball match

Roy Siemens
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Afghanistan: At least 45 people killed in suicide bomb attack at volleyball match

At least 45 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a volleyball tournament in Paktika province, eastern Afghanistan, officials say.

Local reports say a suicide bomber walked into the large gathering before detonating the explosives.

About 60 people were also wounded in the bombing in Yahyakhail district.

It came after Afghan lawmakers approved security deals allowing NATO and US soldiers to remain after the withdrawal of most foreign troops next month.

The total number of soldiers in the new NATO force will be about 12,000. Their mission has been defined as training, advising and assisting the Afghan security forces.

There will also be a separate US-led force dealing with the remnants of al-Qaeda.

Sunday’s bombing occurred when a crowd of people were preparing to watch the final of a regional volleyball tournament.

The crowd was made up mostly of young people and all of the casualties were civilians.

The dead and injured have been taken to a local hospital. Several people had died on the journey to the hospital.

President Ashraf Ghani, who came to power in September, described the incident as a “heinous attack”, according to his spokesman.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks on both Western and Afghan targets across the country this year.

The agreements with NATO and the US still need to be ratified by the Afghan upper house.

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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2014: Lewis Hamilton wins F1 World Drivers’ Championship

Clyde K. Valle
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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2014: Lewis Hamilton wins F1 World Drivers’ Championship

Lewis Hamilton has won his second World Drivers’ Championship after the 2008 victory in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton, second in qualifying, took the lead at the start and controlled the race, as Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg suffered car trouble and finished 14th.

He joins a number of other drivers on two titles, including his great contemporary rival Fernando Alonso. Michael Schumacher is the all-time record holder with seven, while the most successful current driver is Sebastian Vettel on four.

Nico Rosberg, who started on pole, was left struggling by the failure of his hybrid system. With two laps to go, he was told to retire by his engineers at Mercedes but said: “I would like to go to the end.”

As Lewis Hamilton crossed the line, Prince Harry, attending the race, took to the team radio to say: “Lewis, well done for not making the British public sweat. You are an absolute legend.”

Lewis Hamilton, 29, stood on his car to celebrate after he returned to the pits and then went over to embrace girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and his family, who had flown in for the race day to support him.

His win was his 11th of the season, compared to Nico Rosberg’s five, and he finished 67 points clear at the top of the title standings.

It was the 33rd win of Lewis Hamilton’s career, moving him clear of his great rival Fernando Alonso into fifth in the all-time list.

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Hitler watercolor painting sells for $161,000 at Nuremberg auction

Sonia Pantiss
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Hitler watercolor painting sells for $161,000 at Nuremberg auction

An Adolf Hitler’s watercolor painting has sold at an auction in Germany for 130,000 euros ($161,000).

The 1914 painting of Munich’s city hall was put up for sale by two elderly sisters. Their grandfather had bought the painting in 1916.

A private buyer from the Middle East, who wished to remain anonymous, bought the work, auction house Weidler said.

Experts generally consider Hitler’s artworks to be of poor quality.

The auction was held in the central German town of Nuremberg.

The auction house said bidders from four continents had expressed an interest in the work.

The original bill of sale was included with the painting, which contributed to the relatively high selling price, auction house director Kathrin Weidler said.

The sellers would donate 10% of the proceeds to a charity that helped disabled children, Kathrin Weidler added, according to Reuters news agency.

Previous sales of Hitler’s art have caused controversy, and been criticized by some relatives of Holocaust survivors.

As a young aspiring artist, Adolf Hitler sought admission to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, but was rejected.

Adolf Hitler became military and political leader of Germany from 1933 to 1945, launching World War Two and causing the deaths of millions, including six million Jewish people under Nazi rule.

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Flood warning remains in effect in Buffalo, Genessee, Wyoming, Chatauqua and Cattaraugus

Nancy Clayson
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Flood warning remains in effect in Buffalo, Genessee, Wyoming, Chatauqua and Cattaraugus

Weather forecasters now warn of flooding as the snow melts in the north-east of the US.

Officials in New York state are worried some buildings may collapse when the rain arrives. The storms are blamed for at least 13 deaths in the area.

The state remains paralyzed by “historic” levels of snowfall.

The city of Buffalo was estimated to have received as much snow in three days as it normally gets in a year.

In parts of the city the snow was estimated to be as much as 8ft deep. Some areas received a further 3ft earlier this week.

The deaths of at least 13 people have been linked to the storms, mostly from exposure and heart attacks. Some of those who died were shoveling snow.

Weather forecasters have predicted light rain to begin over the weekend alongside warmer temperatures.

Officials in the Buffalo area of New York state have warned that the major concern now is the threat of roof collapses.

More than 30 collapses in the area have already been reported.

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo said boats, pumps, sand bags and other equipment had been moved to western parts of the state to deal with potential emergencies.

He said: “If the temperature goes up as quickly as they are forecasting, there is a potential for building collapses, significant flooding.”

He added: “We don’t have a crystal ball. We can’t say exactly whether there will be a flooding problem. We can’t say what kind of structure collapses we’re going to have. But we anticipate both to some extent.

“Flooding can be terrible. I mean really terrible. Flooding can be worse than the snow.”

With many roads still impassable, sporting fixtures have either been postponed or cancelled.

A flood warning remains in effect in the counties of Erie, including the city of Buffalo, Genessee, Wyoming, Chatauqua and Cattaraugus, the National Weather Service said.

Tunisia votes in first presidential election since Arab Spring

Diane A. Wade
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Tunisia votes in first presidential election since Arab Spring

Tunisia is voting in the first presidential election since the 2011 Arab Spring revolution that triggered uprisings across the region.

Twenty seven candidates are in the race, but incumbent Moncef Marzouki and anti-Islamist leader Beji Caid Essebsi are widely seen as the favorites.

The poll forms part of a political transition after the revolution that ousted Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

A parliamentary vote was held in October.

Tunisia – seen as the birthplace of the Arab Spring – is considered to have had the most successful outcome, with relatively low levels of violence.

Today’s election will deliver the country’s first directly elected leader since the removal of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Most polling stations were opening at 08:00 and due to close 10 hours later.

If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a run-off round will be held on December 31.

“We were the first to enter this cycle of change which they have called the Arab Spring,” PM Mehdi Jomaa was quoted as saying on the eve of the poll.

“We will be the first [to make the transition] but others will follow,” he added.

Beji Caid Essebsi, from the Nidaa Tounes (Tunisia’s Call) party, is the favorite to win after his party came first in the parliamentary election.

However, critics say Beji Caid Essebsi, an 87-year-old who served in the governments of post-independence leader Habib Bourguiba as well as Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, represents the past.

Among the other candidates are Moncef Marzouki, parliamentary Speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar, Republican Party leader Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, female magistrate Kalthoum Kannou and businessman Slim Riahi.

The Islamist party Ennahda, which led Tunisia’s last government but was beaten by Nidaa Tounes in October’s parliamentary election, did not field a candidate.

A statement from Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi spoke of wanting “to avoid deepening polarization or dividing the country”. Ennahda’s rise had led to concerns among more secular-minded Tunisians that Islamists would dominate politics.

Tunisia is still facing the specter of civil unrest and terrorism, with Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou warning of “serious security threats” near the Algerian border where al-Qaeda militants are said to be hiding.

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Bahrain elections 2014: Shia-led opposition boycotted vote

Diane A. Wade
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Bahrain elections 2014: Shia-led opposition boycotted vote

Bahrain has voted in the country’s first parliamentary elections since protests erupted in the wake of the Arab Spring in 2011.

The government called on all Bahrainis to cast their ballots.

However, the Shia-led opposition boycotted Saturday’s legislative and municipal elections, calling them an attempt to entrench “absolute rule”.

Despite being ruled by a Sunni monarchy, the majority of the Bahraini population are Shias.

Protesters took to the streets in 2011 to demand greater rights, but the government, backed by Saudi tanks, moved in to crush dissent.

Talks to resolve the situation have since collapsed and unrest has continued.

A coalition of opposition groups has called the poll a “sham” and demanded an elected prime minister who is independent from the al-Khalifa monarchy.

The government was hoping for a strong turnout to back up its contention that the opposition represented a small minority of Bahrainis.

Information Minister Sameera Ebrahim Bin Rajab said the “door to dialogue will never be shut” but added: “Violence is not allowed. It is tantamount to terrorism.”

Bahrain is of strategic importance to Washington and hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Correspondents say the election is also being closely watched by Saudi Arabia, which has a large Shia Muslim population in its Eastern Province.

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Marion Barry dead at the age of 78

Nancy Clayson
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Marion Barry dead at the age of 78

Ex-Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry, who won re-election after a drug arrest, has died at the age of 78.

Democrat Marion Barry served three terms from 1979 to 1991 before his personal life overshadowed his politics.

He was arrested in an FBI sting operation and tried on drug charges in 1990, but was only convicted on a single count of possession.

Marion Barry remained popular with many poorer African American voters, and served a final term as mayor from 1995 to 1999.

He died overnight at a hospital in Washington, DC Council spokeswoman LaToya Foster said,

Marion Barry had kidney problems stemming from diabetes and high blood pressure.

His 1990 arrest – which came during his third term – came after he was videotaped by the FBI smoking crack in a Washington hotel room with a female friend.

During the subsequent trial jurors remained deadlocked on most counts.

Marion Barry’s conviction for drug possession led to a six-month prison sentence.

Albania opens Enver Hoxha secret bunker for first time

Diane A. Wade
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Albania opens Enver Hoxha secret bunker for first time

Albania has opened to the public for the first time a huge secret bunker that the communist regime built in 1970’s to survive a nuclear bomb.

Then dictator Enver Hoxha wanted the bunker near the capital Tirana to guard against Soviet Union or US attacks.

PM Edi Rama showed several Western ambassadors around the 106-room, five-storey complex on November 22.

Enver Hoxha’s regime built up to 700,000 bunkers before he died in 1985. The pro-Chinese regime was toppled in 1990.

“We have opened today a thesaurus of the collective memory that presents thousands of pieces of the sad events and life under communism,” Edi Rama said in a speech in the bunker’s 200-seat hall.

The bunker has been opened to the public ahead of Albania’s World War Two liberation day on November 29.

The government plans to use it as a tourist attraction and an exhibition space for artists.

Timothy Giardina linked to counterfeit poker chips

Diane A. Wade
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Timothy Giardina linked to counterfeit poker chips

Former deputy head of U.S. Strategic Command Rear Admiral Timothy M. Giardina may have made his own counterfeit $500 poker chips with paint and stickers to feed a gambling habit that eventually saw him banned from an entire network of casinos, AP reported.

The admiral was fired last year as deputy commander of U.S. nuclear forces, but evidence of his possible role in manufacturing the counterfeit chips has not previously been revealed

According to a criminal investigative report, his DNA was found on the underside of an adhesive sticker used to alter genuine $1 poker chips to make them look like $500 chips.

The Navy did not disclose how extensively he gambled.

Timothy M. Giardina was a habitual poker player, spending a total of 1,096 hours – or an average of 15 hours per week – at the tables at the Horseshoe casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the 18 months before being caught using three phony chips in June 2013.

He was such a familiar figure at the casino, across the Missouri River from his office near Omaha, Nebraska, that some there knew him as “Navy Tim”.

A career submarine officer, Timothy Giardina is a 1979 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.

On July 18, Timothy Giardina was banned from both the Horseshoe and Harrah’s for 90 days, but he returned at least twice to play poker at the Horseshoe before the ban expired. The second time, in October, he was given a lifetime ban from all gambling establishments run by the Horseshoe’s owner, Caesar’s Entertainment Corp.

Six days after he received the lifetime Caesar’s ban, Tim Giardina was kicked out of the Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, according to the NCIS records that gave no reason for that expulsion. That casino is not a Caesar’s property.

Timothy Giardina, who remains on the Navy payroll as a staff officer in Washington, was never charged with counterfeiting. Instead he was found guilty in May 2014 of two counts of conduct unbecoming an officer – lying to an investigator and passing fake gambling chips. He was given a written reprimand and ordered to forfeit $4,000 in pay.

The Navy chose not to pursue a court martial because they were uncertain they could get a conviction with the evidence they had, officials said.

In September 2013 Timothy Giardina was quietly suspended from his post at Strategic Command, which he had assumed in December 2011. One month later he was fired and reduced in rank from three-star to two-star admiral.

McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade 2014: Date, Time, Location and Lineups

Nancy Clayson
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McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade 2014: Date, Time, Location and Lineups

The 81st McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade will take place on November 27, from 8AM to 11AM in Downtown Chicago (from Congress to Randolph).

Tune into the parade on Chicago’s WGN Channel 9, or across the country on WGN America.

Honored Guests:

Grand Marshal Dee Snider (Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Tale)

Honorary Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald®

Hollywood Palms Cinema presents Karolyn Grimes (It’s a Wonderful Life)

McDonald’s® Owner / Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana present Jackie Robinson West (LLWS National Champions)

Colin Egglesfield (Something Borrowed)

Doug Sohn (Hot Doug’s)

Miss Illinois 2014 Marisa Buchheit

Yuri Sardarov (Chicago Fire)

The Original Harlem Globetrotters

Santa and Mrs. Claus

Staged Performances:

Goodman Theatre presents A Christmas Carol

The Joffrey Ballet presents America’s #1 Nutcracker

McDonald’s® Owner / Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana present Tsukasa Taiko

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents LEGENDS

Black Ensemble Theater’s Tribute to Etta James

Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus presents We Are Santa’s Elves

Coast2Coast Productions presents March of the Dancing Soldiers

Crystal Lake Strikers Drumline

Emerald City Theatre’s Hansel & Gretel

Hromovytsia Ukranian Dance Ensemble presents Hopak

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Million Dollar Quartet

Pro Dance Elite presents Singing Swing

Renacer Boliviano Dance Troupe presents Kullawada

Ursuline Academy Dance Team presents The Grinch

Marching Bands:

115 Bourbon Streeet presents Marist High School (Chicago, IL)

Coffeecake Connection Company presents Thorton Township High School (Harvey, IL)

McDonald’s Owner/Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana present Merrillville High School (Merrillville, IN)

Northeast Illinois Heating & Cooling Corp. presents Waukegan High School (Waukegan, IL)

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers present Pearl City High School (Pearl City, HI)

Sparkle Glass Cleaner presents Hinsdale South High School (Darien, IL)

TCF Bank presents Bartlett High School (Bartlett, IL)

Arkansas City High School (Arkansas City, KS)

Bay High School Band (Panama City, FL)

Giant Inflatables

Agency 360 presents Fred Flintstone

CNH Industrial presents Arthur

Concierge Preferred presents Curious George

Social Media Beast presents Scooby Doo

Meijer presents Madeline

Strawberry Shortcake

Floats:

Chicago Park District presents Holiday Happenings

Chicago’s Very Own WGN presents the WGN-TV Holiday Float

Chicago Zoological Society presents Brookfield Zoo’s Holiday Magic

Garrett Popcorn Shops presents BrighTin the Holidays

Good Intentions presents Growing with Illinois

Jewel-Osco presents “Red Alert” Candy Train

McDonald’s® Owner / Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana present Ronald McDonald® and his Big Red Shoe

McDonald’s® Owner / Operators of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana presents the Jackie Robinson West Little League Team

Assyrian American Civic Club of Chicago

Durango, Mexico

Mid-USA Falun Dafa Association

Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago

Tatra Mountain Cultural Foundation

Tuskegee Airmen

Un Dia an Antigua Guatemala

Von Heidecke’s Dance Center / Chicago Festival Ballet

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King Bhumibol of Thailand absence sparks concern

Diane A. Wade
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King Bhumibol of Thailand absence sparks concern

Fresh concerns over the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand have been raised after he failed to appear for a scheduled event.

On November 21, King Bhumibol, 86, was due to preside over the confirmation of two ministers appointed by PM Prayuth Chan-ocha.

However, the ministers were told that King Bhumibol was unable to meet them.

The monarch has been staying at a hospital in Bangkok following an operation last month.

His health is a sensitive issue in Thailand.

Any discussion about the royal succession is tightly constrained by a stringent lèse-majesté law.

King Bhumibol, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has been on the throne for 67 years.

Beyonce releases 7/11 video music

Sonia Pantiss
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Beyonce releases 7/11 video music

Beyonce has released the video music for her single 7/11.

7/11 is the sixth single from her self-titled album which came out last year.

The three and a half minute clip shows Beyonce dancing around an apartment building and hotel, accompanied by friends.

Scenes include the construction of a human pyramid and a scene in which Beyoncé bounces on her bed.

Beyonce’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, is being seen on her bed during some scenes.

The video appears to have been shot on a mobile phone, lacking the professional production of most videos. At one point Beyonce picks up the camera and points it at herself, mimicking the popular “selfie” style of photography.

Activities depicted in the video appear to be a reference to US “sorority” culture at the American universities.

Beyoncé’s latest album has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

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News reporter Mike Amor gets hit by flying skateboard on live TV

Nancy Clayson
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News reporter Mike Amor gets hit by flying skateboard on live TV

Australian TV reporter Mike Amor was hit in the head by a skateboard while recording a news item at Venice Beach in California.

Mike Amor, a correspondent for Australia’s Channel Seven, wass reporting to camera on the edge of a skatepark at the beach when a stray board hit him in the back of the head.

Just seconds after Mike Amor says to the camera: “You’d be right to be skeptical, thousands of traditional skateboarders”, a board comes flying out of the bowl and hurtling towards the unwitting reporter’s head.

The reporter was not seriously injured and carried on recording the news item shortly after the incident.

Mike Amor has had a 25-year career that has seen him cover the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the Libyan Rebellion.

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Vatican raffles off gifts given to Pope Francis to raise money for poor

James J. Williams
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Vatican raffles off gifts given to Pope Francis to raise money for poor

The Vatican is raffling off the gifts given to Pope Francis in order to raise money for the poor.

A Homero Ortega hat, a new four-wheel-drive Fiat Panda, bicycles, an espresso coffee machine, watches are among the objects to be raffled off.

A poster recently went up around the Vatican announcing the raffle of 13 objects as well as more than 30 unspecified “consolation prizes”.

In the past, most gifts given to popes have either been quietly given away to missions, church institutions, or have gathered dust in a Vatican warehouse.

Pope Francis has made concern for the poor one of the hallmarks of his papacy. He recently ordered shower stalls to be built around the Vatican so that homeless people in the area could wash up.

Tickets for the raffle cost 10 euros ($12.50) and could be purchased from the Vatican post office.

The raffle winners will be announced on January 8, 2015.

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Bunny Mellon’s blue diamond breaks world record at Sotheby’s auction

Sonia Pantiss
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Bunny Mellon’s blue diamond breaks world record at Sotheby’s auction

Bunny Mellon’s blue diamond has fetched $32.6 million at an auction in New York, breaking the world auction record for any diamond of its color, Sotheby’s says.

The stunning 9.75 carat, pear-shaped diamond was bought by a Hong Kong private collector after 20 minutes of competitive bidding on November 20.

The price also set a new world auction record for price-per-carat for any diamond, the auction house said.

The jewel had been owned by Rachel Lambert otherwise known as Bunny Mellon, the art collector wife of the late philanthropist and racehorse breeder Paul Mellon. She died in March aged 103.

“Mrs. Mellon’s diamond absolutely deserves the place in the record books that it achieved,” said Gary Schuler, head of Sotheby’s jewellery department in New York.

It was the highlight of a collection of Bunny Mellon’s jewels and other prized objects that Sotheby’s sold for more than $42 million in New York on November 20, well above the pre-sale estimate of $19.2 million.

Kenya bus attack: Al-Shabab militants kill 28 people in Mandera

Roy Siemens
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Kenya bus attack: Al-Shabab militants kill 28 people in Mandera

Al-Shabab militants have confirmed that they have attacked a bus in northern Kenya, killing 28 people.

The bus was travelling to Nairobi when it was stopped in Mandera county, not far from the Somali border.

The Somali gunmen separated out non-Muslims by asking passengers to read from the Koran, officials and witnesses said. Those who failed were then shot in the head.

Al-Shabab has carried out a series of attacks in Kenya since 2011.

A statement on a website linked to the Islamist group carried a statement saying the attack was carried out in retaliation for security raids on mosques in the coastal city of Mombasa earlier this week.

Kenyan interior ministry said on its Twitter feed that a camp belonging to the attackers had been destroyed by Kenyan military helicopters and jets, with “many killed”.

More than 60 passengers were on the bus when it was attacked, before dawn on November 22, about 19 miles from Mandera town.

The driver tried to accelerate away, but the vehicle became stuck in mud caused by recent heavy rains.

About 10 heavily armed men talking Somali ordered the passengers off the bus.

Kenya’s Red Cross said emergency workers were trying to retrieve bodies from the scene.

Security agencies were “in pursuit of the criminal gang” that carried out the attack, the interior ministry said. It described the assailants as “bandits”.

A local official quoted by Kenyan media said the government had failed to answer their pleas for extra security.

The attack comes after a week of heightened tension in Mombasa, which has suffered a series of al-Shabab attacks.

Security forces raided mosques in the city, saying they were being used to store weapons. The raids triggered apparent revenge attacks by Muslim youths.

Kenya has experience a series of al-Shabab attacks since it sent troops to Somalia three years ago to help fight the militant group.

Mandera, a remote area in Kenya’s north-east that shares a long and porous border with Somalia, has been one of the regions worst-affected by the violence.

On the Somali side of the border, al-Shabab is said to have a base that was recently bombed by Kenyan warplanes. It was not immediately clear whether this was the same base targeted by Kenya following Saturday’s attack.

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Jose Socrates: Former Portugal prime minister detained over tax fraud

Diane A. Wade
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Jose Socrates: Former Portugal prime minister detained over tax fraud

Portugal’s ex-PM Jose Socrates has been detained by police as part of a corruption investigation.

Jose Socrates, who led Portugal’s centre left government from 2005 to 2011, was arrested on November 21 as he flew into Lisbon airport.

The former leader is one of four people detained as part of a probe into money-laundering and bribery.

The announcement comes in the wake of several other ongoing corruption investigations in Portugal.

Jose Socrates was held overnight and is expected to be questioned on November 22.

A statement from the attorney-general’s office said prosecutors had carried out searches at several locations, aided by 70 tax and police officers.

It said the investigation is into banking operations and transfers “without known justification or legal admissibility”.

It also stressed it was a separate from a long-running investigation into tax fraud in which several public figures have been caught up.

The development also comes just days after Portugal’s Interior Minister Miguel Macedo resigned following another investigation into alleged corruption linked to the allocation of residence permits.

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Ferguson protests: Michael Brown’s father appeals for calm ahead of grand jury decision

Nancy Clayson
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Ferguson protests: Michael Brown’s father appeals for calm ahead of grand jury decision

Michael Brown’s father has appealed for calm ahead of a grand jury decision against Officer Darren Wilson.

Michael Brown, a black teenager, was shot dead by police in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9.

His father said “hurting others or destroying property it not the answer” in a video posted online.

Michael Brown, 18, was killed by white Officer Darren Wilson following an altercation.

There were more protests overnight and two people arrested as demonstrators gathered outside the police station.

President Barack Obama has joined the calls for calm.

He told ABC News: “This is a country that allows everybody to express their views. Allows them to peacefully assemble, to protest actions that they think are unjust.

“But using any event as an excuse for violence is contrary to rule of law and contrary to who we are.”

Late on Friday, the FBI arrested two men suspected of purchasing explosives for use in protests, CBS News reported.

US Attorney General Eric Holder earlier urged police in the area to show restraint, providing new guidance on how to maintain public safety while protecting free speech rights.

A St Louis County grand jury is currently weighing criminal charges against the officer involved in the shooting. No word has yet been given on when a decision will be announced.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency in the area and called in 400 National Guard troops in anticipation of protests should charges not be filed in the case.

The case has stoked racial tensions in the US, with many in the African American community calling for Darren Wilson to be charged with murder.

Darren Wilson, meanwhile, has maintained he acted in self-defense.

Initial protests in August turned violent as demonstrators clashed with local police using military-grade riot gear.

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