Fiat has agreed to buy the remaining 41% of Chrysler it does not own in a move that will create the world’s seventh-largest car company.
The Italian motors giant has owned a majority stake in the US company since 2009.
The agreement ends drawn-out negotiations with the current owners, Veba, the healthcare trust affiliated to the United Auto Workers’ union.
Chrysler and Fiat will pay the trust an initial $3.65 billion.
Once the deal is signed off, Chrysler will pay Fiat another $700 million.
Fiat has owned a majority stake in Chrysler since 2009
Fiat’s chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, plans to widen the company’s global reach.
The Veba trust looks after medical benefits for retired Chrysler workers.
The alliance between the two companies came amid the major restructuring of the US car industry following the financial crisis of the late 2000s.
The link-up gave Fiat access to the vast US car market, while Chrysler was able to benefit from the Italian firm’s expertise in developing small, fuel efficient vehicles.
Recently, Chrysler reported a 22% rise in third-quarter profits to $464 million, with net revenue up 13.5% to $17.6 billion.
Chrysler said its results had been helped by strong sales of its Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Ram 1500 pickup.
According to Japan’s health ministry estimates, the country’s population declined by a record 244,000 people in 2013.
The ministry said an estimated 1,031,000 babies were born last year – down some 6,000 from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the number of people that died last year was 1,275,000 – a rise of around 19,000 from 2012.
Japan’s population has been shrinking for several years now. If current trends persist it will lose a third of its population in the next 50 years.
Japan’s population declined by a record 244,000 people in 2013
A quarter of Japan’s population is currently aged over 65 and that figure is expected to reach nearly 40% by 2060.
The government says the population totaled 126,393,679 as of March 31st 2013 – down 0.2% from a year earlier.
Japan has taken aggressive measures in recent months to spur growth in the world’s third-biggest economy, after years of stagnation.
Shinzo Abe’s government is trying to boost the economy through a combination of quantitative easing and cash injections, higher taxes, higher government spending and longer-term structural reforms.
Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon’s health condition has seriously deteriorated, the hospital treating him has announced.
Ariel Sharon, 85, has been in a coma for almost eight years.
Israeli media reports say he has suffered renal failure.
Ariel Sharon became prime minister in 2001, but in December 2005 he suffered a mild stroke.
Ariel Sharon has been in a coma for almost eight years and now he is suffering renal failure
After a second, major stroke in 2006, Ariel Sharon went into a coma and has been in a persistent vegetative state ever since.
Having fought in three Middle Eastern wars, Ariel Sharon is admired by many Israelis as a great military leader, but reviled by Palestinians.
While serving as defense minister in 1982, Ariel Sharon masterminded Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. During the invasion, Lebanese Christian militiamen allied to Israel massacred hundreds of Palestinians in two Beirut refugee camps under Israeli control.
Ariel Sharon was a keen promoter of the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. He also initiated the construction of the controversial West Bank barrier.
At least eight people have been killed after two car bombs have exploded outside Jazeera hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The blasts were at the Jazeera hotel close to Mogadishu’s airport, which is popular with Somali politicians.
Reports say the blasts were followed by exchanges of fire between security forces and the attackers.
The Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab, who was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, have said they carried out the attack.
At least eight people have been killed after two car bombs have exploded outside Jazeera hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu
The al-Qaeda-linked group still controls many southern and central areas of the country and has continued to launch attacks on the capital.
Four members of the security services were among the dead, including one senior officer, the deputy interior minister said.
Police officer Mohamed Warsame told the AFP agency that the second bomb went off as security services were trying to help the victims of the first blast.
The Jazeera hotel was also targeted in December 2012, when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was staying there. At least seven people die in that attack.
“Selfie”, “twerking” and “hashtag” top 2014 Lake Superior State University List of Banished Words.
LSSU collected suggestions from members of the public for its 39th annual list of words that should be banned.
It recommends the words be “banished from the Queen’s English” because of misuse, overuse or just being useless.
Last year it tried to ban expressions including “double down”, “bucket list” and “YOLO” (You Only Live Once).
For LSSU’s 2014 list, “selfie” received the most nominations.
Selfie, twerking and hashtag top 2014 Lake Superior State University List of Banished Words
The term, which refers to a self-portrait photo, was named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries only last month.
“Twerk” (a dance move) similarly attracts LSSU’s opprobrium, even though it was also shortlisted by Oxford Dictionaries.
The college’s vocabulists also lamented the rise of “hashtag” and “Twittersphere”, terms from social media that have seeped into everyday speech.
Combination words using variations of -mageddon or -pocalypse, such as “snowpocalypse” or “budgetmageddon”, also ended up on the forbidden list.
It is not clear whether the LSSU’s roster will be a game-changer (an expression LSSU tried to ban in 2009).
Last year’s banned words remain stubbornly resilient in usage. And many of the terms banned in recent years, recorded on the complete list, such as “angst”, “24/7”, “no-brainer” and “spoiler alert”, continue to flourish.
Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian, who separated two weeks ago, have put their $4 million Tarzana house on the private market, E! News reported.
There is no more info about the listing.
Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian have put their $4 million Tarzana house on the private market
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom reportedly still maintain good relationship. A source close to the couple recently said: “Khloe and Lamar are still speaking on the phone. Not a lot but every so often. They are still working out some logistics and things are friendly between them. They will always have a deep affection for one another.”
Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson chose not to quack back during his appearance Tuesday night on Fox News’s All-American New Year special.
In one of his first chances to comment on the controversy surrounding his father and co-star Phil Robertson, Willie Robertson had only kind words for the A&E network and New Year’s wishes for the nation.
“We’re just glad to be back to work, and A&E and us are fine,” Willie Robertson said in a live appearance with his wife Korie Robertson from Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Hosts Bill Hemmer and Elizabeth Hasselbeck gave Willie Robertson several chances to address the firestorm surrounding the suspension of his father over anti-gay comments, but without quite ducking the question, the rsality star chose not to take the bait either.
Willie and Korie Robertson had only kind words for the A&E network and New Year’s wishes for the nation on Fox News’s All-American New Year special
“We’re looking forward to getting back to making some funny shows. It’s a New Year so we’re ready to break in a New Year and start it all over again,” Willie Robertson said.
“We’re ready to move on, you know. I think we all learned a lot and we’re just ready to move on, and the family’s happy, and we’re ready to go. I’ve got to make sure my guys are back there building duck calls.”
Asked her thoughts on the suspension by Hasselbeck, Korie Robertson took the same conciliatory tone.
“Hey, I’m just glad the family’s all together, the best thing about the show is we get to do it as a family,” she said.
“We’re all happy, happy, happy.”
A&E reinstated Phil Robertson on Friday, nine days after suspending him over the anti-gay comments made to GQ magazine.
Phil Robertson’s suspension sparked brought out legions of defenders who felt he was being censored by A&E.
James Avery, who played the Honorable Philip Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, has died at the age of 65.
The actor’s publicist, Cynthia Snyder, told The Associated Press that James Avery died Tuesday. She did not immediately know the cause of death or where he died.
According to TMZ, James Avery died in a Los Angeles hospital Tuesday night after complications arising from surgery for an unknown illness.
James Avery had recently undergone open heart surgery.
Jovan Belcher’s mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his team, Kansas City Chiefs, on Tuesday after exhuming the linebacker’s body so that his brain could be examined for evidence of a degenerative condition linked to repeated concussions.
The lawsuit, filed by Cheryl Shepherd in Jackson County (Missouri) circuit court, alleges Jovan Belcher was subjected to “repetitive head trauma,” and that the Chiefs failed to provide adequate medical care before he killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and then committed suicide in December 2012.
Cheryl Shepherd is seeking a jury trial and judgment “in excess of $15,000 for actual damages, punitive damages, and/or aggravating circumstances, for the cost of this action, and for such relief as the court deems fair and reasonable”.
Jovan Belcher’s body was exhumed at a cemetery in Bay Shore, New York, at his family’s request earlier this month so that his brain could be studied for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative neurological condition. CTE has been linked to multiple concussions and includes symptoms such as memory problems, behavioral changes and eventually dementia.
Jovan Belcher’s mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kansas City Chiefs
CTE has made headlines in recent years with the deaths of some former professional athletes, including former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau and former Bears safety Dave Duerson.
Cheryl Shepherd’s lawsuit claims the Chiefs failed to warn her son of the short-term and long-term risks of concussions; failed to identify and remove Jovan Belcher from practice or games after sustaining head trauma; failed to educate Belcher about concussions; failed to monitor or treat Belcher for neurological dysfunction; and failed to provide appropriate counseling.
According to the lawsuit, Jovan Belcher was knocked unconscious during a game against Jacksonville in 2009 but did not receive adequate treatment before returning to team activities.
On December 1, 2012, Jovan Belcher shot to death his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, while Cheryl Shepherd was caring for his infant daughter in a nearby room. Jovan Belcher then sped from the residence to the Chiefs training facility, where he shot himself in the head in the parking lot.
A spokesman for the Chiefs told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the team was aware of the lawsuit. He could not comment further because of the pending litigation.
The Chiefs are already the subject of a worker’s compensation lawsuit filed on behalf of several former players who claim the Chiefs hid the risks of permanent brain injuries from repeated concussions from 1987-93, when there was no NFL collective bargaining agreement in place.
Latvia has joined the eurozone as of 1st of January 2014, becoming the 18th member of the group of EU states which uses the euro as its currency.
The former Soviet republic on the Baltic Sea recently emerged from the financial crisis to become the EU’s fastest-growing economy.
Correspondents report much skepticism in the country after recent bailouts for existing eurozone members.
But there is also hope that the euro will reduce dependency on Russia.
EU commissioner Olli Rehn said joining the eurozone marked “the completion of Latvia’s journey back to the political and economic heart of our continent, and that is something for all of us to celebrate”.
The government and most business owners also welcomed the single currency, saying it would improve Latvia’s credit rating and attract foreign investors.
However, some opinion polls suggested almost 60% of the population did not want the new currency.
Latvia became the 18th member of the group of EU states which uses the euro as its currency
“It’s a big opportunity for Latvia’s economic development,” PM Valdis Dombrovskis said after symbolically withdrawing a 10-euro note as fireworks led celebrations in the capital Riga after midnight.
The governor of the Latvian central bank, Ilmars Rimsevics, said: “Euro brings stability and certainty, definitely attracting investment, so new jobs, new taxes and so on. So being in the second largest currency union I think will definitely mean more popularity.”
One of those reluctant to give up Latvia’s own currency, the lats, was Zaneta Smirnova.
“I am against the euro,” she told AFP news agency.
“This isn’t a happy day. The lats is ours, the euro isn’t – we should have kept the lats.”
Leonora Timofeyeva, who earns the minimum wage of 200 lats (284 euros; $392) per month tending graves in a village north of the capital Riga, said: “Everyone expects prices will go up in January.”
But pensioner Maiga Majore believed euro adoption could “only be a good thing”.
“To be part of a huge European market is important,” she told AFP.
“All this talk about price rises is just alarmist.”
Alf Vanags, director of the Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies, told Bloomberg news agency he personally did not like giving up the familiar lats but it was an “entirely irrational sentiment”.
Euro adoption was good for Latvia “on balance”, he argued, since it provided a mutual insurance policy that countries could draw on when they got into trouble.
Latvia, with its large ethnic Russian minority, is often seen as having closer economic ties to Russia than its fellow Baltic states Lithuania and Estonia. Russia remains an important export market while its banking system attracts substantial deposits from clients in other ex-Soviet states.
Pope Francis has called for the world to unite against violence as a “community of brothers” in his first New Year blessing.
Addressing pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis departed from his prepared text to vent frustration at the level of conflict in the world.
“What is happening in the heart of man?” he asked.
“It’s time to stop.”
Without referring to any specific conflicts, he urged people to accept each other’s differences.
Pope Francis has called for the world to unite against violence as a “community of brothers” in his first New Year blessing
“We belong to the same human family and we share a common destiny,” Pope Francis said, speaking from his studio window overlooking the crowds in the square at the Vatican.
“This brings a responsibility for each to work so that the world becomes a community of brothers who respect each other, accept each other in one’s diversity, and take care of one another.”
Pope Francis plans major reforms in Church organization this year and will soon announce the appointment of a new group of cardinals to replace those who have died or reached the age of 80 in recent years.
Head of Palestinian mission in Czech Republic, Jamal al-Jamal, has been killed by an explosion at his home in Prague.
Jamal al-Jamal had been taken to hospital after the explosion but died of his injuries some four hours later.
Palestinian officials said the blast happened when the Palestinian diplomat was moving a safe. Czech police say there is no evidence that it was a planned attack.
A 52-year-old woman was also taken to hospital suffering from shock.
The explosion happened at a two-storey property in the city’s Suchdol district.
Jamal al-Jamal had been taken to hospital after the explosion but died of his injuries some four hours later
Palestinian mission spokesman Nabil El-Fahel told Czech public radio Jamal al-Jamal had been in the flat with his family at the time of the explosion.
Jamal al-Jamal had only recently moved into the property.
Palestinian officials have been quoted as saying the blast took place when Jamal al-Jamal attempted to move a safe from an old embassy building to the new one.
“The device was in a safe and was triggered after the door of the safe was opened. The police are not ruling out that the device was a part of the safe,” Czech police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova told Reuters.
There are no visible signs of damage to the house from the street, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene.
The Palestinian foreign ministry said it would send a delegation to Prague to assist with the investigation.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which is recognized by the UN and Israel as representing the Palestinian people, has diplomats based in European and other capitals, and has a mission in Prague.
Michael Schumacher remains in a stable but critical condition in hospital, his manager Sabine Kehm has said.
Sabine Kehm said he was being carefully looked after, and that she would not comment on rumors about his condition.
Michael Schumacher is in a medically induced coma in hospital in Grenoble, after he suffered head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps on Sunday.
Doctors said on Tuesday that the F1 champion had shown signs of improvement.
But they added that he was still “not out of danger”.
Michael Schumacher remains in a stable but critical condition in hospital
They will not give any update on Michael Schumacher’s condition on Wednesday unless it changes significantly, Sabine Kehm said.
“The good news for today is… there’s no significant changes,” Sabine Kehm told reporters and well-wishers outside the hospital.
But she added that the situation remained critical.
Doctors say they cannot give a prognosis for his condition in the coming days and months.
But it is medically possible for someone to spend several weeks in an induced coma and fully recover from it.
Michael Schumacher had been skiing off-piste when he fell and hit his head. His helmet cracked on impact after hitting a rock.
Sabine Kehm said that Michael Schumacher was not skiing with just his teenage son, as had been reported, but also with a group of friends.
Bill de Blasio, the first Democrat in more than two decades, has been sworn in as the new mayor of New York City.
Bill de Blasio took the oath of office outside his home a few minutes into the New Year, in line with tradition.
A grander inauguration ceremony will take place later at City Hall, with former President Bill Clinton administering the oath of office.
Bill de Blasio succeeds billionaire Michael Bloomberg, and has promised to govern with a liberal agenda.
He won November’s election by a record margin, contrasting himself with the pro-business Bloomberg years which he said had created a “tale of two cities”.
Michael Bloomberg is credited with leaving New York a safer, healthier and revitalized place after his 12 years in office. However, critics say his policies have widened the gap between rich and poor.
Democrat Bill de Blasio has been sworn in as the new mayor of New York City
Bill de Blasio, 52, was joined by his wife Chirlane McCray and their two teenage children outside their home in Brooklyn for the oath of office administered by state attorney Eric Schneiderman.
“To everyone, this is the beginning of a road we will travel together,” he said after he was sworn in.
He is New York’s first Democratic mayor since David Dinkins, who became the city’s first black leader in 1993.
Bill de Blasio has promised to reverse the city’s rising income inequality and end a controversial stop-and-frisk policy which has been criticized for disproportionately targeting black and Hispanic men.
He worked as an aide to David Dinkins when he was mayor and has also worked closely with the Clintons, managing Hillary Clinton’s successful 2000 run for the US Senate.
He was elected to New York City Council in 2001, representing his home area of Brooklyn, before becoming public advocate, the city’s official watchdog.
Bill de Blasio’s bid for the mayor’s job was aided by the implosion of the campaign of former congressman Anthony Weiner.
El Salvador has resumed evacuating residents living on the slopes of the Chaparrastique volcano.
The 7,000 ft-high volcano started erupting on Sunday morning, spewing ash and gases.
Officials from the Salvadoran environment ministry said there was a risk the volcano could erupt again, this time emitting a lava flow.
The last time the Chaparrastique spewed lava was in 1976. It also caused a strong tremor in the area in 2010.
During Sunday’s eruption a 5,000m-high ash cloud rose from the cone of the volcano. Since then, it has been emitting gases.
Volcanologist Francisco Barahona of the University of El Salvador said that a further increase in the emission of sulphur dioxide could be a sign that another eruption was approaching.
Chaparrastique volcano started erupting on Sunday morning, spewing ash and gases
Another eruption “could trigger not ashes, but a lava flow”, Herman Rosa of the environment ministry said.
More than 2,000 people were evacuated after the first eruption on Sunday, but Civil Protection Director Jorge Melendez said almost half of them had decided to return to their homes against official advice.
Jorge Melendez said people had been “reluctant” to stay in the shelters provided, but he warned the authorities would use coercion in the case of an emergency.
Chaparrastique is one of more than 20 volcanoes in the small Central American nation.
Lebanon has reportedly arrested Majid al-Majid, the head of a jihadist group that claimed the suicide bomb attack on Iran’s embassy in November.
Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn told AFP that Majid al-Majid, the Saudi “emir” of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades, was being held by Lebanese army intelligence in Beirut.
Hezbollah’s al-Manar television also said Majid al-Majid was detained “recently”.
Majid al-Majid, head of al-Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades, was being held by Lebanese army intelligence in Beirut
The embassy attack killed 23 people, including the Iranian cultural attaché.
A cleric close to the Abdullah Azzam Brigades warned attacks would continue in Lebanon until Hezbollah forces stopped fighting alongside government forces in Syria and its prisoners were released in Lebanon.
Wednesday’s reports did not say when Majid al-Majid was captured.
Al-Manar cited Lebanese security sources as saying that two attacks on army checkpoints outside the southern city of Sidon on December 15 had been attempts to free him.
A soldier and four gunmen were killed in the ensuing clashes in the suburb of Majdelyoun, for which there was no claim of responsibility.
Millions of people in the US receive health insurance cover for the first time as ObamaCare healthcare reforms – Affordable Act Care – come into effect as of 1st of January 2014.
President Barack Obama’s reforms are part of his aim to ensure affordable healthcare is available to everyone.
But the policy is controversial and the roll-out of the new system has been beset with problems.
Some religious-affiliated groups won a last-minute reprieve from being forced to provide birth control cover.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor temporally blocked the government from forcing such groups to offer health insurance that would include contraception.
Sonia Sotomayor acted at the request of a group of Catholic nuns in Colorado, the Little Sisters of the Poor, who had earlier lost their request for a preliminary injunction at an appeals court in Denver.
They had argued that the ruling conflicted with the Catholic Church’s stance against the use of contraceptives.
Millions of Americans will receive health insurance cover for the first time as ObamaCare comes into effect
Under the Affordable Care Act, it is now compulsory for people to have health cover – either provided for by their employer or by buying one of the private health plans now on offer.
Those who cannot afford it will get help, but those without any insurance will be fined.
As of 1st of January 2014, health insurance companies are also no longer able to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.
More than 2.1 million people have enrolled so far for private health plans – short of the government’s original target.
But the phased roll-out of the new law has suffered a number of difficulties.
The Healthcare.gov website offering the new health plans was plagued with technical glitches when it was launched in October. There were long sign-in wait times, log-in difficulties, insurance account creation problems, slow page loads and outages.
Insurance companies have also announced the cancellation of millions of policies, saying they did not meet the law’s minimum requirements.
This came despite President Barack Obama’s promise that people would not be forced to move from plans they were happy with.
Barack Obama’s approval ratings fell in the wake of the problems, but the White House says things have been fixed.
Kim Jong-un made his first public reference to the execution of his once-powerful uncle – Jang Sung-taek.
In a New Year message broadcast on state TV, Kim Jong-un said “resolute action” had strengthened the country’s unity.
North Korea announced on December 12 it had executed Jang Sung-taek after convicting him of “acts of treachery”.
The move raised concerns of instability in the secretive nuclear-armed country.
North Korea’s New Year messages are closely scrutinized by South Korea and other regional powers for clues to Pyongyang’s policy goals.
Kim Jong-un made his first public reference to the execution of Jang Sung-taek in his New Year message
Kim Jong-un said action to “eliminate factionalist fi**h” within the ruling Workers’ Party had bolstered the country’s unity “by 100 times”.
“Our party’s timely, accurate decision to purge the anti-party, anti-revolutionary elements helped greatly cement solidarity within our party,” he said.
Kim Jong-un also accused South Korea and US of being “warmongers”, working “frantically” to bring nuclear weapons to the peninsula.
An accidental conflict, Kim Jong-un said, could trigger “an enormous nuclear catastrophe”.
He called for the strengthening of North Korea’s defense capabilities, adding that the country’s dignity and the people’s happiness depend on “the gun barrel”.
Jang Sung-taek was married to the sister of late leader Kim Jong-il, and is believed to have mentored Kim Jong-un when he succeeded his father in 2011.
Although seen as the second-most important figure in the country, Jang Sung-taek was dramatically removed from a special party session by armed guards and stripped of all his titles.
The state news agency KCNA later said he had admitted at a military trial to trying to overthrow the state, and had been executed immediately.
Analysts said one theory for Jang Sung-taek ‘s downfall was that he was too keen an admirer of China’s economic reform.
New Year celebrations took place around the world to mark the start of 2014.
People in Auckland, New Zealand, were among the first to celebrate. In Australia, hundreds of thousands gathered for a spectacular firework display around Sydney’s Harbor Bridge.
Similar shows took place in cities across the world, with thousands lining London’s River Thames.
New York staged its traditional New Year’s Eve countdown and ball-drop over a chilly Times Square.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a New York native, pushed the ceremonial button to drop the famous ball on a rooftop over the square.
Moscow also celebrated with a spectacular fireworks display over the Kremlin.
However, there was intense security in Red Square following recent suicide bombings in the southern Russian city of Volgograd.
Dubai – in the same time zone as Moscow – aimed for a world record with a fireworks extravaganza stretching along 30 miles of seafront.
Adjudicators from Guinness World Records were on hand to check proceedings, but it was not clear immediately whether the attempt was successful.
The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, was the centrepiece of the display.
New Year celebrations took place around the world to mark the start of 2014
East Asian cities also rang in the New Year, with Beijing, Jakarta and Singapore all hosting celebrations.
In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of spectators watched the fireworks over Victoria Harbor.
The Chinese city of Wuhan had called off its display to avoid worsening a smog problem.
In Japan, Shinto priests gathered at shrines. Japanese people traditionally visit shrines and temples to pray for their families at this time.
In the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, an estimated 100,000 people sang the national anthem in the city’s Independence Square in support of further integration with Europe.
The square has been the focus of pro-European protests for more than a month after President Viktor Yanukovych ditched a key deal with the EU.
As midnight struck across Western Europe, Berlin and Paris were among the capitals staging spectacular displays.
In London, the chimes of Big Ben signaled what was billed as the world’s first “multi-sensory” firework show, with peach-flavored “snow” and edible banana confetti showering crowds packing the banks of the River Thames.
Cape Town in South Africa staged a free concert with lasers, fireworks and a special tribute to former President Nelson Mandela, who died on December 5.
In Brazil, organizers of Rio de Janeiro’s celebrations estimated that more than one million revelers packed the city’s famous Copacabana beach to watch fireworks light up the bay after midnight.
Ex-First Lady Barbara Bush has been admitted to a Houston hospital with a “respiratory related issue”, the family said in a statement.
Barbara Bush, 88, the wife of ex-President George H.W. Bush and mother of ex-President George W. Bush, was admitted to the Houston Methodist Hospital on Monday and was listed as being in stable condition.
“She is in great spirits, has already received visits from her husband and family, and is receiving fantastic care,” the family statement said.
Barbara Bush has been admitted to a Houston hospital with a respiratory related issue
Last week Barbara Bush and her husband, the 41st president, honored a Houston philanthropist with a Points of Light Award, a volunteer service award started by the former president.
Barbara Bush was admitted to the same hospital in 2008 after she suffered a perforated ulcer. She had heart surgery the next year for a narrowing of her main heart valve.
In 2010, Barbara Bush was admitted to the hospital after having a mild relapse of Graves disease, a thyroid condition for which she was treated in 1989.
Pakistan’s former leader Pervez Musharraf has failed to appear in Islamabad court for his trial on treason charges.
Pervez Musharraf’s lawyers told the court there was not enough security for him. His trial was postponed last week after reports a bomb was found on his route to court.
The treason charges relate to his decision in 2007 to suspend the constitution and impose emergency rule.
Pervez Musharraf, 70, denies the charges and says all the accusations against him are politically motivated.
He is the first Pakistani former military ruler to face trial for treason. If found guilty, Pervez Musharraf could be sentenced to death or life in prison.
He also faces separate charges of murder and restricting the judiciary.
His lawyers told Wednesday’s hearing that more explosives had been found close to Pervez Musharraf’s residence on the outskirts of Islamabad.
“He is unable to appear before the court because of security hazards,” his lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri said.
Pervez Musharraf has failed to appear in Islamabad court for his trial on treason charges
The court also heard one of Pervez Musharraf’s lawyers, Anwar Mansoor, was recently attacked by a group of men in Lahore. Although he managed to escape unharmed, police refused to take his complaint seriously.
The defense team is arguing that Pervez Musharraf cannot get a fair trial in Pakistan. Defense lawyer Anwar Mansoor said the current prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, “has a bias against” his client.
Pervez Musharraf seized power from Nawaz Sharif in a coup in 1999. He remained president until 2008, when a democratically elected government forced him to resign.
He left the country soon afterwards to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London.
On his return to Pakistan in March 2013, Pervez Musharraf hoped he could lead his party into elections, but was disqualified from standing and found himself fighting an array of charges relating to his time in power.
Correspondents says many Pakistanis believe Nawaz Sharif’s government is using the trial to divert attention from the problems the country is facing, including a struggling economy and continuing sectarian and other attacks.
On December 24, Pervez Musharraf’s lawyers said he could not appear in the courtroom because of a heightened security threat after explosives and weapons were found by the road along his route.
The court granted Pervez Musharraf a one-off exemption from appearing.
Pope Francis has not abolished sin as was published by Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Tuesday.
Father Federico Lombardi said the Vatican felt compelled to deny a published article titled Francis’ Revolution, has abolished sin writing by a renowned Italian intellectual, Eugenio Scalfari.
Pope Francis has not abolished sin as was published by Italian newspaper La Repubblica
He also said the affirmation that Pope Francis has abolished sin was wrong, because those who really follow the pope daily know how many times he has spoken about sin and our human condition as sinners.
According to Reuters, it was not the first brush between the Vatican and Eugenio Scalfari, who founded La Repubblica newspaper in 1976.
Last month the Vatican removed from its website the text of Eugenio Scalfari’s transcript of his conversation with the pope, saying parts of it were not reliable.
In his reaction, Eugenio Scalfari said he had not used a tape recorder or taken notes when he met the pope.
Eugenio Scalfari said he rather reconstructed the long session from memory afterwards and made additions to help the flow of the article.
Iron Man 3 was the highest-earning film of 2013 around the world.
Iron Man 3, in which Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as billionaire crime-fighter Tony Stark, made $1.2 billion, according to online movie tracker Box Office Mojo.
Animated comedy Despicable Me 2 came in at number two with global takings of $918 million.
In the third slot was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire which made $795 million.
According to Variety, the top 10 includes eight sequels or reboots, two original properties and three that were animated.
Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron’s 3D film about astronauts adrift in space, is at number seven having made $653 million since it was released in October.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug also made a late entry into the top 10.
The second installment in the big screen Hobbit adaptation, directed by Peter Jackson, has topped the North American box office since the film was released in mid-December.
Iron Man 3 was the highest-earning film of 2013 around the world
Top 10 worldwide box office 2013:
1. Iron Man 3 – $1,215 million
2. Despicable Me 2 – $918 million
3. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – $795 million
4. Fast & Furious 6 – $788 million
5. Monsters University – $743 million
6. Man of Steel – $662 million
7. Gravity – $653 million
8. Thor: The Dark World – $629 million
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – $614 million
10. The Croods – $587 million
Source: Box Office Mojo
According to other industry statistics, the North American box office is projected to reach $10.9 billion in 2013 – representing its largest ever take, surpassing 2012’s total takings of $10.8 billion by more than $100 million.
However, the estimated number of tickets sold remains similar to last year. The National Association of Theatre Owners projects the actual number of tickets sold in 2013 will remain at 1.36 billion, the LA Times reported.
Ticket-price inflation and pricier 3D and Imax movies helped lift revenue to an all-time high even as attendance failed to match its peak, it said.
A giant yellow rubber duck on display in Taiwanese port of Keelung has burst in unexplained circumstances.
The 50-foot- inflatable duck suddenly collapsed on Tuesday, only 11 days after it had been put on display in the port at Keelung.
Organizers are unsure as to the cause of its demise, but one theory is that it was attacked by eagles.
The duck was designed by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman to be a giant version of a popular bath toy.
Last month a similar duck was damaged elsewhere in Taiwan, when an earthquake triggered a power outage that caused it to deflate.
A third Taiwanese duck was brought ashore in September because of an approaching typhoon.
The giant yellow rubber duck on display in Taiwanese port of Keelung has burst in unexplained circumstances
A large crowd had been anticipated in Keelung Port for New Year celebrations, and the rubber duck was due to be an important part of the festivities.
A video footage showed the giant inflatable suddenly bursting in front of scores of people gathered on a quayside.
“We want to apologize to the fans of the yellow rubber duck,” organizer Huang Jing-tai told reporters.
“We will carefully examine the duck to determine the cause.”
The original duck designed by Florentijn Hofman has been transported around the globe since 2007, visiting cities including Sydney, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.
Florentijn Hofman artist hopes the works will bring people together and encourage a connection with public art.
Despite the ducks’ misfortunes, they have been a big hit among the Taiwanese.
The duck at Kaohsiung, which had to be deflated during Typhoon Usagi, attracted four million visitors during its one-month display.
