The European Commission has warned Italy and Spain that their draft budgets for 2014 may not comply with new eurozone debt and deficit rules.
The European Union’s executive arm also said French and Dutch plans only just passed muster.
Non-complying countries may have to revise their tax and spending plans before re-submitting them to national parliaments.
It is the first time the Commission has done this.
The European Commission has warned Italy and Spain that their draft budgets for 2014 may not comply with new eurozone debt and deficit rules
Under EU rules, eurozone member states are obliged to cut deficits until they achieve a balanced budget or go into surplus.
They also have to reduce public debt levels.
The European Commission does give countries some flexibility if their deficit is below the EU ceiling of 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) and their debt levels are falling.
But when Italy, the eurozone’s third largest economy, asked for such leniency over its 2014 budget plans, the Commission refused because its public debt is still rising.
France, which has slipped back into recession, has taken steps to cut its deficit to below the 3% threshold, but its structural reform plans were only making “limited progress”, the Commission said.
Other countries at risk of breaking EU rules included Finland, Luxembourg and Malta.
According to Philippine officials, the number of people confirmed dead from Typhoon Haiyan now stands at 3,621.
UN and local agencies have issued conflicting tolls, and the final figure is likely to rise still higher.
One week after the storm, food and supplies are now beginning to reach survivors, but aid agencies say the logistics of distribution are enormous.
The Philippine government has defended its response to the disaster, one of the strongest storms ever on land.
The number of people confirmed dead from Typhoon Haiyan now stands at 3,621
The latest death toll of 3,621 issued by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council was up from the figure of 3,422 the interior secretary had given a few hours before.
The UN put the number of dead at 4,460. Officials said it was likely more bodies would be found as aid teams reached outlying areas.
Helicopters from a US aircraft carrier have been transporting supplies to the devastated town of Guiuan on the Pacific coast – the first to take the full force of the typhoon.
The carrier, USS George Washington, is expanding search-and-rescue operations and providing a platform for helicopters to move supplies.
Pallets loaded with food and water have been taken from the aircraft carrier to Tacloban, the capital of badly hit Leyte province, and Guiuan.
More than 800 people showed up early Wednesday morning at the Post Exchange (PX) on Fort Hood, Texas, to have books signed by Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson.
Uncle Si Robertson, who’s a Vietnam veteran, has a son, Scott Robertson, who was assigned to Fort Hood at one time, and deployed to Iraq.
Si Robertson’s new book is titled Si-cology 1: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle.
More than 800 people showed up at the PX on Fort Hood to have books signed by Si Robertson
Officials at the PX said they planned for 600 to 800 fans, but more than that were in the line that wound around the building.
Many fans said they like the show because of the family values and the fact that there’s no profanity so even kids can watch it.
The event even attracted some Si Robertson lookalikes, who said they’ve watched the show since it premiered in 2012.
Si Robertson will be visiting other military bases for similar book signings during the next few months.
Gambia has announced that it has severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
President Yahya Jammeh’s office said the move was for reasons of “national strategic interest”.
Gambia was one of a few African countries to recognize Taiwan, which China regards as part of its territory.
Correspondents say it is unclear if the move is linked to the development of relations with China, which has a growing influence in Africa.
Despite the announcement, Yahya Jammeh said Gambia hoped to “remain friends” with the Taiwanese people.
“This decision has been taken in our strategic national interest,” a statement from his office read, without elaborating.
“We are proud that we have been a very strong and reliable partner of the Republic of China [Taiwan] for the past 18 years, the results of which are there for every Taiwanese to see.
“Despite the end of diplomatic ties with Taiwan, we will still remain friends with the people of Taiwan.”
Gambia has decided to cut its diplomatic ties with Taiwan
Taiwan said it was surprised by Gambia’s decision.
“Our government express shock and regret that Gambian President Yahya Jammeh sent a letter to our embassy in Gambia on 14 November to inform us [of] the immediate termination of ties,” Vice Foreign Minister Simon Ko said in Taipei.
“We think this is Jammeh’s personal decision,” he added.
China has been investing heavily in Africa at it relies on the continent for oil and other natural resources.
China and Taiwan split in 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party overthrew the Republic of China (ROC) and founded the People’s Republic on the mainland, forcing the ROC government to retreat to Taiwan. Beijing says Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
Initially, most African states recognized the Taipei government but their number has steadily declined.
Gambia’s decision means that Swaziland, Sao Tome and Principe and Burkina Faso are the only African countries that remain allies with Taiwan.
However, earlier this week officials in Sao Tome and Principe said China plans to open a trade mission to promote projects there.
It comes 16 years after Beijing broke off relations with the tiny Central African nation over its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.
R. Kelly confirmed on Thursday that he has recorded a song with Justin Bieber.
“I just did a song [with Justin Bieber],” R. Kelly told Vibe.
“[Justin Bieber] just called me to do a song and it’s hot. He wanted to go and do some R&B stuff, so we got together and did that.”
The track will come out next week, according to a tweet by Justin Bieber.
R.Kelly confirmed that he has recorded a song with Justin Bieber
The confirmation verifies the rumors Justin Bieber started himself when he mysteriously tweeted “They aren’t ready” at R. Kelly two weeks ago.
It also explains the Instagram pictures Justin Bieber posted in January that came with the caption: “Me and my homey R. Kelly.”
Asked about collaboration in general, R. Kelly replied: “Honestly, I’m at my best one-on-one. So anybody who wants to mess with Kellz, I’m on the front line for ’em.”
R. Kelly has been very busy on the collaboration front lately. Most recently, he added some lyrics to Bruno Mars’ Gorilla. He also dropped a few verses on Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP song Do What U Want and he teamed with 2 Chainz on his own track, My Story, which will be found on the singer’s forthcoming album Black Panties.
Dario Franchitti announced Thursday he will no longer be able to compete in auto racing because of injuries suffered in an October 6 crash.
The 40-year-old IndyCar champion, who suffered a broken back, right ankle and concussion in a crash at the Houston Grand Prix that sent his car airborne into a catchfence and back onto the temporary street circuit, also won three Indianapolis 500s in a career that started in 1997.
Dario Franchitti and his team were looking forward to his return in 2014, when Ganassi is welcoming 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan to the stable that already includes three-time and reigning IndyCar champion Scott Dixon.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver ends his career tied for eighth on the all-time list with 31 career wins and 33 pole positions.
Dario Franchitti issued the following statement: “Since my racing accident in Houston, I have been in the expert care of some of the leading doctors and nurses, all of whom have made my health, my safety and my recovery their top priority. I am eternally grateful for the medical care I have received over the last several weeks. I’d also like to thank my family and friends for their unbelievable support.
Dario Franchitti announced he will no longer be able to compete in auto racing because of injuries suffered in Houston crash
“One month removed from the crash and based upon the expert advice of the doctors who have treated and assessed my head and spinal injuries post accident, it is their best medical opinion that I must stop racing. They have made it very clear that the risks involved in further racing are too great and could be detrimental to my long term well-being. Based on this medical advice, I have no choice but to stop.
“Racing has been my life for over 30 years and it’s really tough to think that the driving side is now over. I was really looking forward to the 2014 season with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, with a goal of winning a fourth Indianapolis 500 and a fifth IndyCar Series championship.
“I’d like to thank all my fellow competitors, teammates, crew and sponsors for their incredible support over the course of this amazing ride. I’d also like to thank Hogan Racing, Team KOOL Green and Andretti Green Racing for the opportunities to compete on the racetrack, and especially Target Chip Ganassi Racing, who have become like a family to me since I joined their team back in 2008. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all my fans around the world. I can’t thank you enough for standing by my side for all these years.
“I’ll forever look back on my time racing in CART and the IndyCar Series with fond memories and the relationships I’ve forged in the sport will last a lifetime.
“Hopefully in time, I’ll be able to continue in some off-track capacity with the IndyCar Series. I love open-wheel racing and I want to see it succeed. I’ll be working with Chip to see how I can stay involved with the team, and with all the amazing friends I’ve made over the years at Target.”
Professor John Blundell from the Institute of Psychological Sciences at the University of Leeds warns the term “food addiction” is being used far too freely.
Some have likened food addiction to drug addiction, and then used this term to associate it with overeating, and as a clinical explanation for the obesity epidemic, implicating millions of people.
The use of the term “food addiction” is a step towards medicalization and implies that normal human social behavior is pathological.
Forms of eating therefore become an illness. This attitude is not helpful and has huge implications for the way in which people view their own behavior and their lives.
The concept of food addiction comes from a combination of experimental data, anecdotal observations, scientific claims, personal opinions, deductions and beliefs.
It is an over-simplification of a very complex set of behaviors.
The existing evidence fails to define the precise characteristics of the actual foods concerned or the eating environment that underlies the assumed addiction risk.
This is in contrast to drug addiction, where the molecule is identified and its pharmacological effect on the brain is characterized.
Some have likened food addiction to drug addiction, and then used this term to associate it with overeating
Animal studies have shown changes to specific brain regions in those given a sugary diet – and human brain scans show activation of reward systems in the same part of the brain when sweet tastes are consumed.
Therefore, it is not surprising that reward centres are activated when sweet foods are consumed, as we know that the reward circuits in the brain have been established through evolution as signalling systems that control our appetite.
Many stimuli influence these areas of the brain and, in addition, there is an intrinsic drive to consume carbohydrate-rich foods to satisfy a basic metabolic need of the brain.
Sweetness is a major signal for such foods but the science has not yet assessed this fully and much more work is needed before we could say that food is addictive.
Attributing food addiction as the single cause underlying the development of obesity, despite the existence of numerous other very plausible explanations, is unhelpful, particularly for those trying to live more healthy lives.
Prof. John Blundell many people may potentially latch on to the concept of food addiction as an excuse to explain their overeating – the premise that it’s “not my fault” and therefore, “I can’t help it”.
This removes the personal responsibility they should feel and could act on – and they infer that their eating is a form of disease.
Food addiction may offer an appealing explanation for some people but the concept could seriously hinder an individual’s capacity for personal control.
Binge eating disorder does exist – but it is a rare clinical condition affecting fewer than 3% of obese people.
Sufferers have a strong compulsion to eat, which persists alongside the sense of a loss of control.
Addiction-like food behavior may be a component of the severe and compulsive form of binge eating disorder.
Al Ruscio, who appeared in Showgirls, Bonanza, The Godfather II, Seinfeld, has died on Tuesday at the age of 89, his daughter announced.
The veteran actor played different characters during his 50-year career, but he will perhaps be best remembered as the defiant restaurant manager at Monk’s in Seinfeld, and as crime boss Leo Cuneo in The Godfather sequel.
Al Ruscio created the drama department at the Midwestern College in Denison, Iowa
Al Ruscio was also known as TV actor appearing in Peter Gunn, The Untouchables, McCloud, Lou Grant, Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.
The character actor also created the drama department at the Midwestern College in Denison, Iowa, and served as a professor of acting at the University of Windsor in Canada.
Al Ruscio also penned So Therefore… A Practical Guide for Actors, which was published in 2012.
More than 6 tons of seized ivory including tusks, carvings and jewellery have been crushed in Colorado.
Thousands of items accumulated over the past 25 years were dumped into a steel crusher at the National Wildlife Property Repository north of Denver.
The items were seized from smugglers, traders and tourists at US ports of entry since the 1989 international embargo on the ivory trade took effect.
Elephants continue to be shot for their prized tusks despite the global ban.
“These stockpiles of ivory fuel the demand,” said Dan Ashe, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
More than 6 tons of seized ivory including tusks, carvings and jewellery have been crushed in Colorado
“We need to crush the stores of ivory worldwide.”
Dan Ashe said keeping the stockpile could feed consumer demand for illegal souvenirs and trinkets.
Officials said the collection represented the killing of more than 2,000 adult elephants.
The illegal trade in ivory threatens the very existence of the African elephant, the largest land animal on Earth, experts have warned.
Last year saw the highest number of large seizures of illegal ivory for more than two decades.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry announced a $1 million reward to help smash a Laos-based poaching syndicate that slaughters endangered elephants and rhinos for their tusks and horns.
John Kerry said profits from wildlife trafficking were being pumped into other illicit activities such as narcotics, arms, and human trafficking.
Venezuela’s National Assembly has helped President Nicolas Maduro to move closer to decree powers.
Under the new measures Venezuela’s president would be able to govern by decree for 12 months.
The bill still needs to be revised by a special commission and debated for a second time, but correspondents do not expect significant changes to be made.
Nicolas Maduro says he will use it to tackle corruption and the economic crisis. However, critics fear he may use it to silence the opposition.
The approval of the first reading of the bill comes after a member of parliament, Maria Aranguren, who defected to the opposition was stripped of her parliamentary immunity on Tuesday, being replaced by a government loyalist.
This provided the one remaining vote that the government was missing to achieve the 99 votes needed for the approval of the “Ley Habilitante”, or Enabling Act.
Nicolas Maduro says he will use the special powers to tackle corruption and the economic crisis
The vote did not come as a surprise, but the opposition has openly criticized the move saying the government will use it to clamp down on opponents ahead of local elections in December.
“The only objective of this enacting is to persecute government critical voices in society, the NGOs and the political parties with different views,” opposition parliamentary Eduardo Gomez Sigala told EFE news agency.
Nicolas Maduro first asked parliament in October to grant him special powers to fight corruption and what he called “economic sabotage”.
The country is facing shortages of food and essential goods, power cuts and around 54% annual inflation.
The government recently seized many high street shops selling its merchandise at reduced prices, because they were allegedly overcharging consumers.
Venezuela also imposed strict controls over the sale of foreign currency to combat the growing black market of dollars.
Former President Hugo Chavez, who died of cancer in March, resorted to Enabling Acts four times during his 14 years in power.
Nicolas Maduro has pledged to continue his policies but does not command the same support enjoyed by Hugo Chavez.
A new study suggests that dogs were domesticated in Europe.
The scientists have long argued over the precise timing and location for their emergence.
The new research, based on a genetic analysis of ancient and modern dog and wolf samples, points to a European origin at least 18,000 years ago.
Olaf Thalmann and colleagues report the investigation in Science magazine.
It adds a further layer of complexity to the story.
Earlier DNA studies have suggested the modern pooch – in all its shapes and sizes – could track its beginnings back to wolves that attached themselves to human societies in the Middle East or perhaps in East Asia as recently as 15,000 years ago.
The problem with these claims is that palaeontologists have found fossils of distinctly dog-looking animals that are 30,000 years old or more.
Dr. Olaf Thalmann, from Finland’s University of Turku, and his team, have had another go at trying to sort through the conflicting DNA evidence.
The new research, based on a genetic analysis of ancient and modern dog and wolf samples, points to a European origin at least 18,000 years ago
They compared genetic sequences from a wide range of ancient animals – both dogs and wolves – with material taken from living canines – again, from both dogs and wolves.
This analysis reveals modern dogs to be most closely related to ancient European wolves or dogs – not to any of the wolf groups from outside Europe, nor even to modern European wolves (suggesting the link is with old European wolves that are now extinct). And because the dog remains used in the research are dated to be more than 18,000 years old, it indicates a timing for domestication that is much older than some researchers have previously argued.
If correct, it means dogs started to diverge from wolf populations when humans had yet to settle into fixed, agricultural communities and were still hunting and gathering.
It is possible there were wolves that would follow these hunters, may be at a distance at first, living off the scraps and discards from the humans’ big-game kills such as mammoth, before eventually being incorporated into the human groups as they became less wary.
“You can see how wolves benefitted from living near humans because they got these carcases, but humans too would have benefitted,” said Dr. Olaf Thalmann.
The latest study is unlikely to be the last word on the subject, however.
Using DNA – and the subtle changes it undergoes over time – to examine animal origins and relationships is a very powerful tool, but far from fool-proof.
One of the problems scientists have is that dog populations have become very mixed over time, as a result of being moved around by their human owners. This complicates the genetic signal.
The difficulty is further amplified by the fact that some dogs have at times also clearly back-bred with wild wolves. Teasing all this apart is very difficult.
A resolution will require more sampling and more analysis, particularly of the core, or nuclear, DNA of ancient animals.
This and many of the previous studies have relied on so-called mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a small sub-packet of genetic material in cells that, although incredibly useful, does not represent the fullest information possible.
The larger nuclear DNA material could provide the more compelling answers but it is much more difficult to retrieve, especially in very old bones or fossils. A number of research groups around the world are trying, though.
James “Whitey” Bulger has been handed two life sentences plus five years by a court in Boston.
Whitey Bulger, who led Boston’s Winter Hill gang in the ’70s and ’80s, spent 16 years on the run before his 2011 capture in California.
He was convicted last August of 11 murders.
James “Whitey” Bulger, 84, had argued unsuccessfully that he was promised immunity by a now-deceased prosecutor in return for Bulger’s offer of protection from other mobsters.
In sentencing, Judge Denise Casper told Whitey Bulger: “The scope, the callousness, the depravity of your crimes are almost unfathomable.
“Your crimes are made all the more heinous because they are all about money.”
On Wednesday, family members of some of the victims had a chance to confront him in the courtroom, with one man calling him a “terrorist” and “Satan”.
At one point a courtroom heckler labeled James “Whitey” Bulger a coward after he opted not to testify in his own defense.
James “Whitey” Bulger has been handed two life sentences plus five years
Over the course of the proceedings, James Bulger’s former associates detailed the methods he used to silence people.
Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi described how Whitey Bulger persuaded him that his girlfriend had to die because she had learned about his dealings with a corrupt FBI agent.
He described how Whitey Bulger strangled her in front of him, and then explained how two other gang members disposed of the body.
Prosecutors called him a “sociopath” and portrayed him as a cold-blooded, hands-on boss who killed anyone he saw as a threat, along with innocent people who happened to get in the way.
But his lawyers tried to soften his image by producing a photo album showing him as an “ordinary” man and insisting that their client was not “immune” to the emotions of the victim’s families.
The FBI also came under criticism from several family members of the victims, who said the organization allowed James Bulger to kill and torture while he worked as an informant on the crime group New England Mafia.
David Wheeler, the son of an Oklahoma businessman killed by a hitman from James Bulger’s gang, called him a “government-sponsored assassin”, but said the “greatest shame of all” fell on the FBI.
But James Bulger’s defence sought to portray the FBI office that led the investigation into his alleged crimes as corrupt, arguing that the witnesses who testified against him were former criminals.
James “Whitey” Bulger was on the FBI’s most wanted list alongside Osama bin Laden.
But it was an FBI agent, John Connolly Jr., who tipped off Whitey Bulger with the plans to capture him.
James “Whitey” Bulger fled in 1994 and was captured in 2011 with his long-time girlfriend Catherine Elizabeth Greig, a dental hygienist who, earlier this year, was sentenced to eight years for harboring a fugitive.
John Connolly Jr. was subsequently convicted of second-degree murder in Florida, for leaking information to Whitey Bulger that led to the slaying of a gambling executive.
James “Whitey” Bulger is said to have been the inspiration for the gangster played by Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese’s 2006 film The Departed.
President Barack Obama has announced a one-year reprieve for millions of Americans facing cancellation of their health insurance policies under his embattled healthcare law.
The president said insurers could extend individually purchased plans that would otherwise be cancelled.
While pushing for the law’s passage, Barack Obama vowed people with individual plans who liked their policies could keep them.
“We fumbled the rollout on this healthcare law,” he said.
In recent weeks insurance companies have sent letters to their customers announcing the cancellation of coverage that does not meet the Affordable Care Act’s strict new requirements for policies sold on the individual private market.
The law included a provision that would allow individual plans that did not meet the standard to continue as long as they were created before 2010. But many firms did not maintain these plans.
While Barack Obama said on Thursday that those people could keep their old plans, he encouraged them to shop around for better, more cost-effective coverage.
Under the change announced on Thursday, insurance companies that extend those plans will be required to inform customers of which medical care they do not cover, and inform them that other insurance options offering more coverage may be available.
Barack Obama also said he expected to have to “win back” credibility and the “confidence” of the American people in the wake of ongoing issues with the health law, his signature domestic policy initiative.
Barack Obama has announced a one-year reprieve for millions of Americans facing cancellation of their health insurance policies under his embattled healthcare law
“I completely get how upsetting this can be for many Americans,” Barack Obama said, acknowledging that he had made assurances that anyone who wanted to keep their plans would be able to.
“To those Americans: I hear you loud and clear.”
It is unclear how many will be affected by the fix. White House officials told Reuters that state insurance commissioners would have to allow it to go ahead and it would be up to insurance firms to renew the plans.
Ahead of Barack Obama’s announcement, Republican House Speaker John Boehner insisted it was time to “scrap this law once and for all”.
“You can’t fix this government-run health care plan called ObamaCare,” John Boehner said of the law, which relies mostly on health insurance plans offered by private, for-profit companies.
“It’s just not fixable.”
At the White House briefing room, Barack Obama acknowledged the flaws with the law’s rollout had put a “burden” on his fellow Democrats.
The American public has remained divided over the law since its 2010 passage and subsequent rollout. Republicans, who were unanimously opposed to the law and have tried to undermine it at every turn, have sought political advantage in every reported problem with the law.
The law, known to both sides as “ObamaCare”, is certain to be an issue in the 2014 mid-term elections.
Before Barack Obama announced the change, the White House had said it was against proposals that would allow insurers to continue selling medical coverage that did not offer the level of benefits required under the law.
“The old individual market was not working well,” Barack Obama said on Thursday.
“And it’s important that we don’t pretend that somehow that’s a place worth going back to.”
Meanwhile, the Obama administration is still struggling to fix ongoing glitches with the healthcare.gov website, established by the law to enable consumers who do not get health insurance from their employers or from the government to shop for private plans.
Among other issues, the site has been plagued by long wait times to sign up for an insurance plan and serious flaws on the back end where customers’ data are processed and sent to insurance companies.
The problems have proven so severe that fewer than 27,000 people in 36 US states have successfully enrolled in healthcare programs on the site since it launched on October 1st.
In comparison, about 79,000 enrolled using websites run by states.
Canadian actress Genevieve Sabourin has been convicted of stalking Alec Baldwin and sentenced to six months in jail.
Genevieve Sabourin, 41, was found guilty of stalking, attempted aggravated harassment, harassment and attempted contempt of court.
The judgement in New York came a day after Genevieve Sabourin was sentenced to 30 days in prison for contempt of court.
Alec Baldwin, 55, testified during the trial that Genevieve Sabourin had besieged him with unwanted phone calls and emails.
Genevieve Sabourin has been convicted of stalking Alec Baldwin and sentenced to six months in jail
The actor denied having a relationship with Genevieve Sabourin and accused her of subjecting him and his wife Hilaria Baldwin to “dangerous” harassment.
Alec Baldwin testified that he had met Genevieve Sabourin over lunch with a mutual friend in 2000 when he was filming in Montreal.
He said he had met her again in 2010 to offer her career advice – a meeting Genevieve Sabourin claimed had ended as a romantic relationship.
Genevieve Sabourin said she had merely wanted him to explain why he did not want to see her anymore following their alleged brief romance.
Judge Thomas Mandelbaum said on Thursday that Genevieve Sabourin had no right to pursue contact with Alec Baldwin that she knew would be unwelcome.
He said she had waged a “relentless and escalating campaign of threats” against Alec and Hilaria Baldwin and had shown an “utter lack of respect” for the law.
Genevieve Sabourin was composed but defiant after the verdict was announced, telling the judge she was “innocent” and had not done anything wrong.
Bob Dylan has received France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, in a brief ceremony in Paris.
Presenting him with the award, France’s Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti said Bob Dylan was a hero for young people hungry for justice and independence.
Bob Dylan has famously never liked being used as a spokesman for other people’s causes.
After the speech, Bob Dylan said simply that he was “proud and grateful” and left.
No cameras were allowed for the ceremony at the culture ministry.
Bob Dylan, 72, has never recorded any songs in French but a generation of people in France fell in love with his music and his message in the 1960s and 70s.
Bob Dylan has received France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, in a brief ceremony in Paris
Cover versions were legion, many of them by the singer Hugues Aufray, who was in the audience.
In her speech, Aurelie Filippetti waxed lyrical about Bob Dylan’s cultural importance.
Naming song after song, ranging from The Times They Are A-Changin’ in the 1960s to Time Out Of Mind in the 1990s, Aurelie Filippetti sought to tie them to eras and causes such as the US civil rights movement.
Bob Dylan, she told him in the speech, had himself been inspired by poets including the French symbolists Verlaine et Rimbaud.
The minister also made an awkward allusion to Dylan’s influence on the famous Paris student uprising of May 1968.
A journalist who attended the ceremony said Bob Dylan had looked distinctly uncomfortable.
Bob Dylan, who is playing concerts in Paris this week, met Justice Minister Christiane Taubira at a reception after the ceremony, Le Parisien newspaper reports. No details were given.
Bob Dylan’s award was temporarily blocked earlier this year after army general Jean-Louis Georgelin, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion, voiced reservations about his use of cannabis and anti-war politics.
Established by Napoleon, the Order of the Legion of Honor is presented to individuals who have served France in various ways.
Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson has endorsed political outsider and Republican businessman Vance McAllister, who will be battling it out December 9 in a special run-off election for a vacant seat in Louisiana’s 5th Congressional district where Robertson and his famous clan are residents.
Willie Robertson, once rumored to be considering a run for the very same seat, appears in a campaign video reminding voters to “get out…and vote for my good buddy Vance McAllister. Let’s send somebody from the 5th District who speaks for us to help turn Washington around.”
Vance McAllister appears at the end of the video and says: “I’m not a politician, but I approve this message.”
He has been promoting his outsider status from the beginning against state Senator Neil Riser, his Republican opponent.
Willie Robertson has endorsed political outsider and Republican businessman Vance McAllister, who will be battling it out December 9 in a special run-off election for a vacant seat in Louisiana’s 5th Congressional district
The strategy has worked so far, with Vance McAllister beating 12 other candidates, including state lawmakers, mayors and a former congress member, in an October 16 open primary where he garnered 18 percent of the vote.
However, Neil Riser, who won 32% of the vote in the primary, will be stiff competition for the contested seat, which Rep. Rodney Alexander vacated this summer to take a position in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.
But Vance McAllister’s campaign thinks the name-recognition of the Robertsons will help them cross the finish line first.
“I think it gives an added bit of bona fides,” Vance McAllister adviser John Robinson told Roll Call, which posted the campaign video Thursday.
“I heard some people say, <<Oh, we’ve heard of Neil Riser, but we know the Robertsons are behind you>>.”
It’s hard to believe people haven’t heard of the Robertsons, even if they haven’t seen an episode of Duck Dynasty. The show, which follows the lives of the tight-knit duck call-making band of brothers and their families, is the most watched cable reality television show in history, beating out one-time rating juggernauts like American Idol.
This isn’t Willie Robertson’s first foray into political waters. While promoting his show – and squelching rumors of personal political ambitions on Fox News in August – Willie Robertson revealed his candidate pick for 2016.
“I’m curious to know about Jindal,” Willie Robertson said.
Volkswagen has announced a recall of about 2.6 million cars worldwide, including 640,000 in China, a crucial growth market.
The recall affects a range of models that may have problems with lights, leaking fuel lines and the wrong type of engine oil.
It includes 800,000 of its Tiguan SUV model, one of VW’s best-selling models globally this year.
The recall is one of the biggest in VW’s history.
Some 640,000 cars are being recalled in China, where VW produces cars for the local market, as well as selling imports.
Volkswagen has announced a recall of about 2.6 million cars worldwide
China is now the biggest car market in the world, an important source of demand for global carmakers looking for growth to offset declines in European car sales.
VW says it wants to double its manufacturing capacity in China to four million cars a year by 2018, helping it to become the biggest car company in the world by sales.
The recall is a setback for those ambitions, although the faults appear to be relatively minor.
There are concerns that the affected Tiguan cars have faulty fuses in their lighting circuits.
A further 239,000 Amarok pick-up trucks may have leaking engine fuel lines.
Another 1.6 million cars and vans may have problems caused by the use of a synthetic oil in their gear boxes.
These include 640,000 vehicles produced in, or imported to, China between 2009 and 2013.
VW has already recalled more than 380,00 vehicles in China this year because of gearbox problems.
However, the size of the recall is dwarfed by Toyota’s recall of 10 million cars in 2009 and 2010, amid fears over sticky accelerator pedals and floor mats.
Ireland is to make a clean break from its 3-year 85 billion euro bailout programme in December, without seeking precautionary funding.
Irish PM Enda Kenny confirmed the move during a speech to the parliament.
The Irish economy is emerging from one of the deepest recessions in the eurozone, having sought an international bailout in November 2010.
Ireland is due to leave the EU-IMF bailout on December 15.
Enda Kenny said: “We will exit the bailout in a strong position. The government has been preparing for a return to normal market trading.
“We will set out a path to a brighter economic future for our people, a path from mass unemployment to full employment, from involuntary emigration to the return of thousands of people who have to leave for other countries to find work.
Ireland is to make a clean break from its 3-year 85 billion euro bailout programme in December, without seeking precautionary funding
“Today is just the latest step in that ongoing journey, a significant step indeed but also just another step towards our ultimate job of getting Ireland working again.”
He added that German chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to work closely with Ireland to improve funding mechanisms for the economy, including access to finance for small and medium businesses.
International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde said the performance of Ireland bodes well for the future.
“The Irish authorities have established a very strong track record of policy implementation. This bodes well as Ireland exits its EU/IMF-supported programme,” she said.
It is understood a decision not to seek a special overdraft facility was finalized at an emergency cabinet meeting on Thursday, ahead of Finance Minister Michael Noonan flying out to a summit in Brussels.
The Department of Finance said confidence and sentiment towards Ireland has improved considerably in recent months and domestic and international economic conditions were also improving.
Europe has decided to relax rules about the use of electronics during flights, paving the way for devices to be used during take-off and landing.
Currently smartphones, tablets and other devices can be used only while a flight is in the air.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published guidelines saying use of such devices should now be allowed during take-off and landing.
It follows the US bringing in similar rules last month.
Europe has decided to relax rules about the use of electronics during flights, paving the way for devices to be used during take-off and landing
The EASA stipulates that devices must be used in “airplane mode”, meaning passengers cannot use voice or text services.
This is due to the possibility of radio interference with flight equipment.
The changes will apply to aircraft operated by European airlines and are likely to be introduced at the end of the month.
Explaining the US change of heart, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that recent reviews had determined that most commercial aircraft can tolerate radio interference signals from such devices.
Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has been found in a prison hospital in western Siberia, her husband announced.
Pyotr Verzilov has spoken to his wife for the first time since she went missing 26 days ago.
He said she was undergoing tests for “various conditions” at the Tuberculosis Hospital No 1 in Krasnoyarsk.
But he added that she does not have tuberculosis.
Pyotr Verzilov said his wife had told him that conditions at the hospital were much better than at the penal colony in Mordovia, where she had been held previously, and that she had not been beaten during the 26 days she was missing.
Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has been found in a prison hospital in western Siberia
Russian prison authorities issued a statement confirming that “convict Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has arrived to the institution of the Russian prison service in the Krasnoyarsk region”.
A spokesman said her exact location had been sent to her lawyer, who had instructions not to tell anyone else.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and two other Pussy Riot band members were sentenced to two years in jail last year, after staging an anti-Vladimir Putin protest in a Moscow cathedral. In the song they implored the Virgin Mary to “throw Putin out”.
They were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.
One member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on appeal in October.
After her appeal attempt failed, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova went on hunger strike. She had complained of abuses by prison staff at Mordovia, including working long hours and being denied drinking water in her prison cell. She was moved to a medical unit and her whereabouts were unknown since October.
Brewmeister’s owners, Lewis Shand and John McKenzie, spent nine months creating Snake Venome, the world’s strongest beer at 67.5%.
The new beer is so strong it comes with a warning label on the neck of the bottle.
Lewis Shand and John McKenzie said: “This is not a beer to be drunk like all the other ones, you’re not supposed to drink more than 35 ml in one sitting.
“It’s a great thing to buy someone for Christmas though, as it’s difficult to buy presents for guys and I’m sure they’ll appreciate the chance to say they’ve drunk the world’s strongest beer.”
A 275ml bottle of Snake Venom costs £50 ($80) – the equivalent of £6.25 per serving.
Lewis Shand and John McKenzie spent nine months creating Snake Venom, the world’s strongest beer at 67.5 percent
Lewis Shand, 27, claimed the beer was like nothing avid drinkers have ever tasted before, adding: “It tastes like a liquor rather than a beer and has a whole host of different flavors, ranging from bubblegum to caramel.”
Although the Scottish brewers have clinched the honor of world’s strongest beer for now, it’s likely their crown will be snatched away quite quickly – breweries have been battling for the title for years.
Brewdog fired the starting pistol with their Tactical Nuclear Penguin, which boasted 32% proof. Then a German brewery entered the race with Schorschbock at 40%. Brewdog nudged ahead with Sink The Bismarck a short time later, with an ABV of 41%.
More recently, beers such as ‘t Koelschip, Start The Future and Armageddon nudged the strength up to an eye-watering, mouth-stinging 65%.
Eurozone’s economy grew by just 0.1% in Q3 2013, down from 0.3% growth in the previous quarter.
The figure marks just the second quarter of a growth phase that replaced an 18-month recession, the longest period of contraction to affect the single currency area.
It shows the eurozone’s recovery is extremely tentative.
Europe’s Central Bank last week cut interest rates to 0.25% to lift growth.
Europe’s economy is taking far longer to recover than the other advanced regions affected by the credit crisis of 2008.
Weaker countries in the eurozone have been propped up by bailout money, advanced on condition they cut government spending sharply to reduce their debts.
Moves to do this have hit directly at voters, through large-scale job cuts, reduced wages and pensions, higher taxes and widespread changes to public services.
With the resulting higher unemployment and fall in living standards, few economists think there is much there to drive forward a robust recovery.
Growth of 1.1% is being predicted by the European Commission for next year and 1.7% in 2015.
Eurozone’s economy grew by just 0.1 percent in Q3 2013
The US, with its own giant government debt, is currently growing at an annualized rate of 2.8%, compared with the eurozone’s rate so far this year of about 0.4%.
Even figures from the region’s strongest and most important economies, France and Germany, proved disappointing.
France shrank 0.1% in the third quarter of the year, while German growth slowed to 0.3% from 0.7% in the previous quarter.
Figures from Italy, the third most important country, showed its economy shrank by 0.1%, after a 0.3% contraction in the second quarter.
There were better signs of economic activity from some of the worst-hit countries in southern Europe.
Spain returned to quarter-on-quarter growth for the first time since the first quarter of 2011, albeit with growth of just 0.1%.
Portugal’s economy grew by 0.2% in the quarter.
When France’s economy grew by 0.5% in the second quarter of the year, it pulled the country out of recession, although economists had not expected that level of growth to be sustained.
Figures from the national statistics agency Insee showed that exports dropped by 1.5% in the third quarter, while business investment fell by 0.6%.
However, France’s Finance Minister, Pierre Moscovici, said he still believed the economy would grow by 0.1-0.2% over 2013 as a whole.
Germany’s statistics office Destatis also cited weak exports as a factor holding back growth.
Pink Star diamond has sold for $83 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva – a record price for a gemstone.
The diamond measures 2.69 cm by 2.06 cm (1.06 inches by 0.81 inches) and is set on a ring.
The Pink Star was sold to Isaac Wolf, a well known New York diamond cutter who has renamed it the Pink Dream.
The winning bid surpasses the $46.2 million paid for the Graff Pink diamond three years ago, which was half the size of the Pink Star.
The $83 million includes Sotheby’s commission.
Pink Star diamond has sold for $83 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva
The winning bid was for 68 million Swiss francs ($74 million) and reports say there was a long silence between that offer and the previous telephone bid of 67 million Swiss francs.
“Ladies and gentlemen, 68 million is the world record bid for a diamond ever bid and it’s right here,” Sotheby’s David Bennett said as he brought down the hammer.
Sotheby’s played the theme tune from the “Pink Panther” movie after the winning bid was confirmed.
According to the auctioneer, the Pink Star was mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999, but it did not say which country.
It took two years to cut and polish the diamond, which was 132.5 carat in its rough state.
In its finished condition the Pink Star is 59.60 carat, more than double the size of the next biggest diamond in its class.
A carat is a weight measurement used for gemstones and is 0.2g (0.00705 ounces).
Sotheby’s has sold almost $200 million worth of jewellery in its current auction, a record for a single auction according to the company.
Andy Warhol’s painting Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) has sold for $105 million at Sotheby’s, breaking the artist’s record by more than $30 million.
Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) depicts the aftermath of an accident, with a twisted body sprawled across the mangled interior of a vehicle.
It is one of four double-panel car crash paintings that Andy Warhol created in 1963. The others are all in museums.
Andy Warhol’s previous auction record was set in 2007, when $71.7 million was paid for Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I).
Andy Warhol’s painting Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) has sold for $105 million at Sotheby’s
Silver Car Crash has previously been owned by collectors such as Charles Saatchi, Thomas Ammann, as well as German multi-millionaire playboy Gunter Sachs.
Five bidders went as high as $80 million, said auctioneer Tobias Meyer. Sotheby’s did not identify the winner, who placed their bid by telephone.
“It’s a great price – and completely worth it,” said Tobias Meyer.
“It’s the best painting I’ve ever sold in my whole career.”
The price was the second-highest in history for a contemporary work of art – the highest being the $142.4 million fetched by Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud earlier this week at Christie’s.
Andy Warhol’s record-breaking work used images appropriated from newspapers, which he then silk-screened onto canvas, using reflective silver paint, repeating the scene many times over. The second panel in the 8-by-13 foot work is a blank canvas of silver.
