Thor: The Dark World topped the North American box office, taking $86.1 million in its opening weekend.
The sequel to the 2011 movie sees Chris Hemsworth reprise his role as the god of thunder who battles to save Earth from evil forces.
Bad Grandpa, from the makers of Jackass, held the number two spot for a second week, taking $11.3 million.
Animated film Free Birds was just behind at three with $11.2 million.
Free Birds features the voices of Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson as a pair of turkeys who try to keep their kind off Thanksgiving dinner plates.
Last Vegas, featuring Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline as four friends who reunite for a stag party, fell one place to four.
Thor: The Dark World topped the North American box office, taking $86.1 million in its opening weekend
Last week’s number one, Ender’s Game, tumbled down the chart in its second week to five.
Industry forecasts had predicted the second Thor installment would debut with at least $90 million. The new movie missed that target but did surpass the original film, which opened with $65.7 million.
Miley Cyrus lit what appeared to be a joint on stage at the MTV EMAs in Amsterdam last night.
Miley Cyrus, 20, was accepting her award for best video for Wrecking Ball.
She opened her bag, took out the rolled up cigarette and lit it in front of the crowd.
The drug is not legal in the Netherlands but you will not be prosecuted for having a small amount in your possession and it is sold openly in cafes in the city.
The fans in Amsterdam did not seem to find it offensive.
Miley Cyrus lit what appeared to be a joint on stage at the MTV EMAs in Amsterdam
Miley Cyrus performed twice during the ceremony, opening the show with We Can’t Stop.
She later silenced the room with a powerful vocal performance of Wrecking Ball, stood in front of a video of her crying.
Meanwhile at the event, Eminem picked up best hip hop act and the global icon award.
Bruno Mars won for best song, while Justin Bieber and Katy Perry picked up best male and female.
There were performances from Snoop Dogg, Kings of Leon and The Killers.
30 Seconds to Mars picked up best alternative act, beating Arctic Monkeys for the fan voted awards.
“We’re just happy to be at the party, enjoy the insanity, it’s our fifth time at the EMAs and we have a lot of gratitude,” frontman Jared Leto said.
The MTV EMAs will take place in Glasgow in 2014, where they will be held at the brand new SSE Hydro venue.
A South Korean newspaper reported on Monday that North Korea publicly executed around 80 people earlier this month, many for watching smuggled South Korean TV shows.
The conservative JoongAng Ilbo cited a single, unidentified source, but at least one North Korean defector group said it had heard rumors that lent credibility to the front-page report.
The source, said to be “familiar” with North Korea’s internal affairs and recently returned from the country, said the executions were carried out in seven cities on November 3.
In the eastern port of Wonsan, the authorities gathered 10,000 people in a sports stadium to watch the execution of eight people by firing squad, the source quoted one eyewitness as saying.
Most were charged with watching illicit South Korean TV dramas.
North Korea publicly executed around 80 people earlier this month, many for watching smuggled South Korean TV shows
Several of the cities, including Wonsan and Pyongsong in the west, have been designated as special economic zones aimed at attracting foreign investment to boost the North’s moribund economy.
The Seoul-based news website, Daily NK, which is run by North Korean defectors and has a wide network of sources, said it had no information on the executions.
But another defector-run website, North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, said its sources had reported several months ago on plans for a wave of public executions.
“The regime is obviously afraid of potential changes in people’s mindsets and is pre-emptively trying to scare people off,” said one website official.
Watching unsanctioned foreign films or TV — especially those from the capitalist South — is a serious offence in North Korea.
However, efforts to control their distribution have been circumvented by technology, with an increasing number being smuggled in on DVDs, flash drives and mp3 players.
As well as South Korean soap operas, US shows like Desperate Housewives are believed to have a small but avid following.
Supporters of Chinese politician Bo Xilai have set up a political party, and made Bo the party chairman.
Wang Zheng said she was inspired to set up the Zhi Xian Party after following Bo Xilai’s trial.
It is a highly unusual move in China, where the ruling Communist Party retains a monopoly on power.
Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing Party chief, was given a life sentence in September for corruption and abuse of power.
Wang Zheng, a university professor, said her party would act in a similar manner to a special interest group, calling for the Chinese constitution to be upheld and for income inequality to be tackled.
“The goal of the party is to guard the constitution,” Wang Zheng said.
“In the past, for so many years, the ruling party has often done things that are against the constitution.”
Wang Zheng said the party was inspired by Bo Xilai’s work to help the poor as Chongqing party chief.
Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing Party chief, was given a life sentence in September for corruption and abuse of power
“In recent decades, China’s reform methods were against the constitution” as the political system had allowed the gap between the rich and the poor to increase, she said.
She added that what she was doing was consistent with Chinese law.
“The Communist Party is the ruling party. According to the constitution, the nation is led by the Communist Party that co-operates with the other parties, and we are one of the participating parties.”
Wang Zheng said there had been an overwhelmingly positive response to her party, but did not reveal the size of her party’s membership.
The party has named Bo Xilai its honorary chairman, although it is unclear whether Bo has agreed to any association with the group.
The Zhi Xian Party translates into “The Supremacy of the Constitution” Party in Chinese.
Wang Zheng is already facing a backlash by the government for her actions, and her home is under police surveillance.
However, Wang Zheng said she was “not scared”.
“I have the confidence that what I am doing is not illegal and most of the people I am in touch with, including the security police, they are actually nice people,” she said.
China has jailed activists in the past for setting up political parties. Activist Qin Yongmin was jailed for 12 years in 1998 after trying to register the China Democracy Party.
Bo Xilai was removed from office in 2012 amid a scandal which saw his wife Gu Kailai convicted of British businessman Neil Heywood’s murder.
During his time in Chongqing, Bo Xilai was popular with the city’s poor and rural citizens for running a high-profile crackdown on crime and promoting China’s communist past, including the public singing of “red songs”.
In September Bo Xilai’s was found guilty of taking bribes amounting to 20 million yuan ($3.3 million) either personally or through his family. He was also accused of abusing his office by using his position to cover up for his wife’s crime.
Bo Xilai’s supporters, however, believe he is the victim of a political purge.
Soyuz capsule carrying the Sochi 2014 Olympic torch has returned to Earth after it was taken on its first spacewalk as part of the Russian lead-up to the Winter Games.
The Olympic torch landed in central Kazakhstan after leaving the International Space Station (ISS).
Three astronauts delivered it back after a three-and-a-half hour descent.
The torch was taken up to the ISS on Thursday and then waved outside the space station.
Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky posed for photographs as they held the torch 260 miles above Earth.
The Olympic torch has been carried into space twice before – in 1996 and 2000 – but it had never previously left a spaceship.
The torch was unlit inside the ISS because of safety concerns and outside due to the lack of oxygen.
A different crew – Russia’s Fyodor Yurchikhin, NASA US astronaut Karen Nyberg and Italian Luca Parmitano – bought it back to Earth, landing on the Kazakh steppes shortly before 08:50 on Monday.
Soyuz capsule carrying the Sochi 2014 Olympic torch has returned to Earth after it was taken on its first spacewalk
The capsule descended to the ground under a parachute.
Fyodor Yurchikhin, the mission commander, was carried from the capsule to a reclining chair and covered with blanket against the cold.
The torch was removed from a protective bag and given to Fyodor Yurchikhin, who waved it and smiled for the cameras.
The capsule completed a perfect descent and touched down exactly on time, according to a NASA TV commentator.
It will to be used to light the Olympic cauldron at the winter games in February next year.
The trip to the space station is all part of elaborate preparations for Russia’s first Olympics since the Soviet era.
It was seen as part of a rebranding exercise by Russia designed to portray it as a strong, modern country.
Sochi Winter Games are the most expensive Olympics so far, costing around $50 billion (1,620 billion roubles).
Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito has been at the center of a racial scandal for the past weeks after allegedly bullying his own teammate Jonathan Martin, who left the team on October 28.
Jonathan Martin’s attorney, David Cornwell, released a statement Thursday saying that Martin endured harassment that went far beyond the traditional locker-room hazing. David Cornwell also stated that, beyond the well-publicized voicemail with its racial epithet, his client “endured a malicious physical attack on him by a teammate, and daily vulgar comments. The facts are not in dispute.”
Richie Incognito responded to the controversy Sunday, in a sit-down interview with FOX Sports that was taped Saturday at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. It is Richie Incognito’s first extended interview since the story broke. The interview first aired on NFL FOX Sunday, but an extended version aired Sunday night on FOX Sports Live.
In an exclusive interview with Jay Glazer, Richie Incognito asserts that he’s not a racist and insists that his relationship with Jonathan Martin was not as fractured as it may seem
In the interview, Richie Incognito asserts that he’s not a racist, insists that his relationship with Jonathan Martin was not as fractured as it may seem and says that much of what has been reported is misleading.
Richie Incognito also turned over his phone records, which showed 1,142 texts between him and Jonathan Martin in the past year.
Jonathan Martin sent these two texts to Richie Incognito three days after he left the team:
“Wassup man? The world’s gone crazy lol I’m good tho congrats on the win”
“Yeah I’m good man. It’s insane bro but just know I don’t blame you guys at all it’s just the culture around football and the locker room got to me a little.”
GOCE satellite has re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, burning up in the process.
Early estimates suggested any surviving debris of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) satellite could have fallen somewhere along a path through East Asia and the Western Pacific to Antarctica.
Dubbed the “Ferrari of space” because of its sleek looks, GOCE is the first ESA mission to make an uncontrolled re-entry in more than 25 years.
The gravity mapping probe’s plunge was inevitable once it ran out of fuel.
The mission was operating in an extremely low orbit – at 139 miles altitude, the lowest of any scientific satellite – and needed to constantly thrust an electric engine to stay aloft, but last month its fuel reserves were exhausted.
Pre-return modelling had indicated that perhaps a fifth to a quarter of GOCE’s one-tonne mass could have endured the fiery fall through the atmosphere.
Its sophisticated gradiometer – the instrument used to make gravity measurements – incorporated composite materials that were expected to ride out the destructive forces that would ordinarily incinerate traditional components.
GOCE was last observed at 22:42 GMT on Sunday as it passed 75 miles above Antarctica.
GOCE satellite has re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, burning up in the process
It has fuel and thrusters to direct its destructive dive towards the vast and uninhabited waters of the Southern Ocean, east of New Zealand.
The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee – the global forum on “space junk” – chose GOCE as its special study project for 2013.
This meant a large number of tracking and surveillance facilities around the world were activated to monitor the satellite’s descent to Earth.
More detailed information is therefore likely to emerge in the coming hours and days on exactly where and when any materials struck the surface of the planet.
Statistics show that there is typically at least one piece of space “junk” re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere every day; with, on average, one intact defunct spacecraft or old rocket body coming back every week.
ESA’s last mission to make an uncontrolled re-entry was the magnetosphere explorer Isee-2, which came back in 1987.
ESA does, however, regularly manage controlled re-entries. Its space station freighter, the Automated Transfer Vehicle, can weigh some 13 tonnes when it comes back to Earth.
GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) was launched in 2009 as part of a series of innovative environmental research satellites.
Its super-sensitive gradiometer was used to detect the tiny variations in the pull of gravity across the surface of the Earth.
GOCE’s maps have very broad applications. The data is a key reference in civil engineering for relating heights measured at widely separated locations, and for the computer models that need to understand how the oceans move to forecast future changes in climate.
California-based Glass Onion Catering that makes prepared chicken salad has recalled more than 180,000 pounds of its products after some were linked to a few cases of E. coli infection.
Glass Onion Catering has recalled products distributed to Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.
So far, 26 people in three states have been diagnosed with the same E. coli infection, the USDA says. Fifteen of them say they ate products traced to Glass Onion Catering, which supplies midsized grocery store chains such as Trader Joe’s with “gourmet grab and go” products.
“The company announced that the products are being recalled in conjunction with other foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A full list of products being recalled will be available on FDA’s website at: www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Recalls/default.htm,” USDA said in a statement.
Some of the affected products include:
12 oz. packages of “delish pan pacific chop salad”
13.4 oz. packages of “atherstone Fine Foods Southwestern Style White Chicken Wrap with Chimichurri Sauce”
10.7 oz. packages of “super fresh Foods California Grilled Chicken Salad, Low Fat Mendocino Mustard Dressing
10.7 oz. packages of “Lunch Spot Southwestern Style Chicken Wrap, Chile & Lime Dressing
10.7 oz. plastic containers of “TRADER JOE’S Field Fresh Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken”
Glass Onion Catering has recalled more than 180,000 pounds of its products after some were linked to a few cases of E. coli infection
It’s unusual for chicken to be contaminated with E. coli. Usually, the culprit is salmonella with chicken. The latest outbreake involving chicken was traced to Foster farms chicken produced in California. It made 300 people sick.
USDA, which regulates the safety of many foods, says the cluster of E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses started October 29.
“Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FDA, the California Department of Public Health, the Washington State Department of Health, and the Arizona Department of Health Services, FSIS has determined that there is a link between the grilled chicken salads and the illness cluster,” USDA says.
Foodborne illness is common, according to CDC. Every year, about 48 million Americans, or one in six people, get sick from eating contaminated food. Common outbreaks include Salmonella in eggs or vegetables, E. coli in beef and Listeria in dairy products.
E. coli is a very common and usually harmless bacteria but the 0157:H7 strain can cause dehydration, bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Most people get better on their own but infection can cause a sometimes-deadly type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Malala Yousafzai’s book has been banned from private schools across Pakistan, education officials said on Sunday.
The Pakistani officials claim the teenage activist’s book doesn’t show enough respect for Islam and called her a tool of the West.
Malala Yousafzai attracted global attention last year when the Taliban shot her in the head in northwest Pakistan for criticizing the group’s interpretation of Islam, which limits girls’ access to education.
Her profile has risen steadily since then, and she released a memoir in October, I Am Malala, that was co-written with British journalist Christina Lamb.
While Malala Yousafzai has become a hero to many across the world for opposing the Taliban and standing up for girls’ education, conspiracy theories have flourished in Pakistan that her shooting was staged to create a hero for the West to embrace.
Adeeb Javedani, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, said his group banned Malala Yousafzai’s book from the libraries of its 40,000 affiliated schools and called on the government to bar it from school curriculums.
“Everything about Malala is now becoming clear,” Adeeb Javedani said.
Malala Yousafzai’s book has been banned from private schools across Pakistan
“To me, she is representing the West, not us.”
Kashif Mirza, the chairman of the All Pakistan Private Schools Federation, said his group also has banned Malala Yousafzai’s book in its affiliated schools.
Malala Yousafzai “was a role model for children, but this book has made her controversial,” Kashif Mirza said.
“Through this book, she became a tool in the hands of the Western powers.”
He said the book did not show enough respect for Islam because it mentioned Prophet Muhammad’s name without using the abbreviation PUH – “peace be upon him” – as is customary in many parts of the Muslim world. He also said it spoke favorably of author Salman Rushdie, who angered many Muslims with his book The Satanic Verses, and Ahmadis, members of a minority sect that have been declared non-Muslims under Pakistani law.
In her reference to Salman Rushdie, Malala Yousfzai said in the book that her father saw The Satanic Verses as “offensive to Islam but believes strongly in the freedom of speech.”
“First, let’s read the book and then why not respond with our own book,” the book quoted her father as saying.
Malala Yousafzai mentioned in the book that Pakistan’s population of 180 million people includes more than 2 million Ahmadis, “who say they are Muslim though our government says they are not”.
“Sadly those minority communities are often attacked,” the book said, referring also to Pakistan’s 2 million Christians.
The conspiracy theories around Malala Yousafzai reflect the level of influence that right-wing Islamists sympathetic to the Taliban have in Pakistan. They also reflect the poor state of education in Pakistan, where fewer than half the country’s children ever complete a basic, primary education.
Millions of children attend private school throughout the country because of the poor state of the public system.
The Taliban blew up scores of schools and discouraged girls from getting an education when they took over the Swat Valley, where Malala Yousafzai lived, several years ago. The army staged a large ground offensive in Swat in 2009 that pushed many militants out of the valley, but periodic attacks still occur.
The mastermind of the attack on Malala Yousafzai, Mullah Fazlullah, recently was appointed the new head of the Pakistani Taliban after the former chief was killed in a US drone strike.
Pope Francis donned a bright red nose and clowned around with a newlywed couple inside the Vatican this week.
The Pope posed with the bride and groom, who are volunteers at a charity that brings clown therapy to sick children.
The lighthearted moment came hours after Pope Francis kissed and prayed with a severely disfigured man at the end of his general audience at St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis donned a bright red nose and clowned around with a newlywed couple inside the Vatican
In the eight months since he was elected pope, Pope Francis, 76, has emerged as an endearing figure known for his humility and desire to build a more inclusive church.
When a young boy wandered on stage during a homily last month, the pontiff let him stay by his side and even gave him a playful pat on the head.
Pope Francis has stayed true to his humble Jesuit roots by choosing to live a simple life.
The US government is seeking $864 million in compensation from Bank of America for losses over home loans sold to it by the bank’s Countrywide Financial unit.
US attorney Preet Bharara made the request in documents filed late Friday in New York.
Bank of America was found liable for defrauding two US state-backed mortgage companies by a federal jury last month.
Countrywide Financial was acquired by Bank of America in 2008.
The ruling was a major win for the US government, which launched the case in the wake of the financial crisis.
Reports last month suggested that US banking giant JP Morgan is set for a record $13 billion fine to settle investigations into its mortgage-backed securities.
The US government is seeking $864 million in compensation from Bank of America for losses over home loans sold to it by the bank’s Countrywide Financial unit
Wells Fargo agreed to pay $335 million to settle claims it misled investors over mortgage-backed bonds.
The US Department of Justice is investigating at least nine banks over their sales of mortgage-backed securities.
Countrywide Financial was found liable for selling thousands of defective loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The month-long trial focused on a Countrywide programme that was internally called “Hustle” or “high-speed swim lane” which allowed loans to be processed quickly without checking their quality.
The wrongdoing, which mostly took place before Countrywide was acquired, was discovered after a whistleblower filed a lawsuit against the firm.
The US economy witnessed a big boom in its housing market in the lead-up to the 2007-08 global financial crisis.
As house prices continued to rise, many banks looked to cash in on the boom by creating complex financial products that grouped together home loans.
However, a collapse in the housing market saw the value of those investments plummet as the underlying mortgage holders became unable to repay their debts.
This snowballed into the subprime crisis, which hurt investors globally and caused billions of dollars in losses.
Peruvian sisters Roxana and Victoria Abril are claiming to be the rightful owners of the land on which the UNESCO World Heritage site Machu Picchu is located.
They say it legally belonged to their grandfather.
Roxana and Victoria Abril are asking for millions of dollars in compensation from the Peruvian state.
Machu Picchu is the crown jewel in Peru’s tourism industry, but it has not been without its controversies since its “rediscovery” in 1911 by US explorer Hiram Bingham.
Each year, those on South America adventure tours are joined by hundreds of thousands of other visitors to the famous Incan citadel, which is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
While many travel by train, hundreds of intrepid tourists set out each week to take on the four-day Inca trail trek, arriving at the Sun Gate at sunrise on the fourth morning for a spectacular view of the site that is difficult to forget.
Machu Picchu is the crown jewel in Peru’s tourism industry
However, a running court battle between the Abril family and the Peruvian government over the ownership of the land and ruins has hit the headlines after the Abrils called on UNESCO to put pressure on ministers to compensate them.
According to the Telegraph, the family bought the site on June 14th 1910 – a year before it was “rediscovered” by Hiram Bingham.
Edgar Echegaray Abril, 70, still holds the deed, which showed that his ancestors paid gold for the site.
The estate was sold to the Zavaleta family in 1944, but the ruins were not part of the deal as they were being expropriated by the state.
However, this expropriation was never completed and Edgar Echegaray Abril and his relations believe they are due compensation from the Peruvian government for decades of tourism on what would appear to be their land.
The Abrils’ lawyer Fausto Salinas claimed that UNESCO should step in to help in the same way it calls for greater protection of the historic ruins.
“The state said at that time [1944] <<we’re going to expropriate>>, but the process was never completed, and in Peru, as in international law, if the property is not expropriated from you, you don’t lose it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the lawyer is also representing the Zavaletas, who are claiming compensation for the land they own lying outside the ruins, but inside the Machu Picchu Archaeological Park.
Those travelling arounf South America and wishing to see Machu Picchu normally start their journey from nearby Cuzco – itself a beautiful mountain city with numerous Incan wonders to behold.
A relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex has been unearthed in southern Utah, marking the discovery of the oldest known member of its group of dinosaurs yet.
The newly discovered dinosaur measured about 24 feet long, weighed around 2.5 metric tons, and had a large head filled with sharp teeth. To evoke just what a powerful predator it was, researchers have given it a fittingly grand name: Lythronax argestes, which translates to gore king of the Southwest.
The newly discovered dinosaur measured about 24 feet long, weighed around 2.5 metric tons, and had a large head filled with sharp teeth
The discovery is being reported this week in PLOS One by researchers led from the Natural History Museum of Utah. They describe the Lythronax as a two-legged carnivore with a short, narrow snout that lived around 80 million years ago. With the back of the Lythronax’s skull being on the wider side as well, the researchers note that it actually resembles the T. rex – which lived 10 to 12 million year later – more than any other dinosaur that lived alongside it.
“Lythronax may demonstrate that tyrannosaurs followed a pattern similar to what we see in other dinosaurs from this age, with different species living in the north and south at the same time,” Joseph Sertich, a co-author of the report, says in a statement.
Lythronax lived on the ancient continent of Laramidia, a split-off portion of North America that ran from Alaska, down the west coast of the US, and into Mexico. The researchers suggest that the sea that divided North America may also have spilled over into Laramidia, at times dividing its north and south and allowing dinosaur genera to divide into a variety of species. As for the recovered Lythronax fossils, the researchers will be keeping them close to home – they’ll be on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City as part of its permanent collection.
Four years ago, New York City, by a Mayoral Proclamation from Michael Bloomberg, established November 10, 2009, as “Sesame Street Day”.
Sesame Street Day 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the show’s first broadcast on November 10, 1969.
Sesame Street Day 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the show’s first broadcast on November 10, 1969
To celebrate, the corner of 64th Street and Broadway in Lincoln Square was temporarily renamed 123 Sesame Street with a dedication ceremony on November 9, 2009.
Sesamestreet.org celebrated its own Sesame Street Day throughout the week of November 10 – 17, 2009.
Kim Kardashian cooed about her 4-month-old daughter North West via Twitter on November 9.
“Moms- do u ever want to wake up your baby to give him or her kisses?” Kim Kardashian wrote.
“I want to soooooooo bad right now, but she’s so peaceful sleeping,” the 33-year-old reality star gushed.
Two days earlier, Kim Kardashian and her fiancé Kanye West, 36, were spotted with their baby girl enjoying a low-key outing in Santa Barbara, California. During the trip, Kim Kardashian went without makeup as she cradled North in her arms.
Kim Kardashian cooed about her 4-month-old daughter North West via Twitter
Kanye West, meanwhile, pushed North’s stroller alongside them as they walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
The sighting is only the third time little Nori has been revealed to the public since her birth.
This isn’t the first time Kim Kardashian has gushed about baby North.
“She’s the sweetest little girl. She never cries,” Kim Kardashian recently boasted during an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on October 30.
“She’s a perfect little angel. I hope she grows up to be smart and opinionated like her dad.”
According to Philippine officials, around 10,000 people may have died in just one area hit by Typhoon Haiyan.
Typhoon Haiyan – one of the worst storms on record – destroyed homes, schools and an airport in the eastern city of Tacloban.
Neighboring Samar island was also badly affected, with reports of 300 people dead and 2,000 missing.
The Philippine government has so far only confirmed the deaths of 151 people throughout the country, but hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
Houses in Tacloban have been flattened by the massive storm surge that accompanied Typhoon Haiyan.
There’s no clean water, no electricity and very little food.
City officials said they were struggling to distribute aid and that looting was widespread.
The typhoon is now bearing down on Vietnam. More than 600,000 people have been evacuated in northern provinces.
At least four people were reported killed there, apparently while trying to escape the storm.
Typhoon Haiyan is expected to make landfall south of Hanoi on Monday afternoon local time, although it will have decreased markedly in strength.
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst storms on record, destroyed homes, schools and an airport in the eastern city of Tacloban
Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas says the scale of the relief operation that is now required is overwhelming, with some places described as a wasteland of mud and debris.
“From a helicopter, you can see the extent of devastation. From the shore and moving a kilometre inland, there are no structures standing. It was like a tsunami,” he told Reuters news agency.
“I don’t know how to describe what I saw. It’s horrific.”
Tecson Lim, city administrator of Tacloban, told the Associated Press that the death toll in the city alone “could go up to 10,000”.
Police chief Elmer Soria said about 70% to 80% of the area in the path of the storm in Leyte province was destroyed.
He said most of the deaths were from drowning or collapsed buildings.
“Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families,” high school teacher Andrew Pomeda told AFP news agency.
“People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food, rice and milk… I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger.”
Meanwhile Leo Dacaynos, an official in Eastern Samar province, told local radio 300 people had been found dead in a single town, Basey, with another 2,000 missing and many injured.
Communication is still limited in many areas.
The latest report from the Philippines’ Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed 151 deaths on Saturday. It said almost 480,000 people had been reported displaced.
Thousands of troops have been deployed to the disaster zones. However, rescuers are struggling to get to remote areas, hampered by debris and damaged roads.
Typhoon Haiyan – one of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall – swept through six central Philippine islands on Friday.
It brought sustained winds of 147mph, with gusts of 170 mph, with waves as high as 45ft, bringing up to 15.75 inches of rain in places.
The Pentagon has announced it is providing the Philippines with naval and aviation resources to help with humanitarian relief efforts.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US was delivering helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and search and rescue equipment after a request from the Philippines government.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has received medical clearance from doctors to return to work.
A month ago Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner underwent surgery to remove a brain clot on her brain.
A government spokesman, Alfredo Scoccimarro, said the results from scans the president had on Friday had been satisfactory.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, 60, is expected to resume her official duties on Monday.
“On Monday there will be a medical re-evaluation to determine the pace at which she can resume her daily tasks,” said Alfredo Scoccimarro.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has received medical clearance from doctors to return to work
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner won’t be allowed to fly for at least another 30 days, and she’ll undergo further tests on December 9.
The Argentine president had surgery on October 8 to remove blood that had pooled on the surface of her brain after she fell and knocked her head.
While Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been receiving treatment, her allies have suffered heavy losses in mid-term elections that reduced her majority in congress, ending any speculation that she may try to amend the constitution to allow her to run for a third term in office.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is due to leave office in two years time.
The US Navy has christened USS Gerald R. Ford – the first of its new Ford-class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
The new super-carrier, which is only 70% complete, is named after late President Gerald Ford.
It is the first of 10 carriers designed to get more fighter planes into the sky more quickly, but with 1,000 fewer crew members.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is reportedly about 22% over budget, at a cost of almost $13 billion
It comes at a time of growing budget pressures for the US.
The carrier, which will weigh 100,000 tonnes, is reportedly due to be finished in 2016 when sea trials are likely to begin.
The ship is said to be the most technologically advanced aircraft carrier the US has built.
“She is truly a technological marvel,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm Jonathan Greenert said.
Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan Ford Bales, smashed the traditional bottle of champagne into the ship at a ceremony in Virginia on Saturday.
Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan Ford Bales, smashed the traditional bottle of champagne into the ship at a ceremony in Virginia
Former Vice-President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were among those leading tributes to the 38th US president.
“He was a man of courage and solid values… and I know the men and women who sail this ship will bring those same qualities in their service to our nation,” Donald Rumsfeld told the audience.
Delays with the ship’s completion mean the US Navy will be reduced to a 10-carrier fleet, following the USS Enterprise’s deactivation last year.
Fewer crew members mean the Ford-class carrier is expected to save $4 billion over the ship’s 50-year life span, according to the ship’s website.
It is designed to increase its ability to launch fighter jets and helicopters by 25%, generate more electrical power and allow the use of unmanned drones
Gerald Ford, who took office after Richard Nixon quit over the Watergate scandal in 1974, died in December 2006 at the age of 93.
Talks between Iran and world powers in Geneva have failed to reach an agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told a press conference that there had been a lot of “concrete progress but some differences remain”.
Baroness Catherine Ashton said talks would resume on November 20.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he was not disappointed with the outcome, and that the talks were “something we can build on”.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said all parties were “on the same wavelength” and “there was the impetus to reach an agreement”.
Meanwhile US Secretary of State John Kerry said: “There is no question in my mind that we are closer now than we were before.”
Talks between Iran and world powers in Geneva have failed to reach an agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme
The international powers are concerned that Tehran is trying to build a nuclear weapon – but Iran says its programme is peaceful.
A proposal that was floated would require Iran to freeze expansion of nuclear activity in return for limited relief from economic sanctions.
Delegates had earlier suggested there was “good progress”.
But diplomatic sources said France had wanted tougher terms for Iran.
Before the late-night press conference, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the three days of negotiations had ended without a deal.
“The meetings in Geneva have made it possible to move forward,” he said.
“But we have not yet managed to conclude, because there are still some questions remaining to be dealt with.”
Meanwhile, John Kerry told reporters: “We have not only narrowed differences and clarified those that remain but we made significant progress in working through the approaches to this question of how one reins in a programme and guarantees its peaceful nature.”
He added that the window for diplomacy would not stay open indefinitely.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had urged the world powers not to miss an “exceptional opportunity” to seal an agreement.
The Geneva talks involve Iran and the P5+1 (the US, Russia, Britain, France and China as permanent UN Security Council members, plus Germany).
Jessica Simpson has showed off her post-baby body once again in a new picture while working with Weight Watchers on November 8.
“Couldn’t stop smiling on set for my new @weightwatchers campaign today! #happy,” she wrote.
Jessica Simpson has showed off her post-baby body once again in a new picture while working with Weight Watchers
Jessica Simpson, 33, is seen wearing dark jeans, boots and a tight-fitting white button down top while standing in a field. The singer and designer smiled with her mouth wide open, and with her beautiful blonde locks down in waves.
Eric Johnson’s fiancée is so thrilled with her new slimmed down figure.
Jessica Simpson previously dropped 70 pounds after giving birth to Maxwell, 19 months, and has been dropping the weight once again since giving birth to son Ace in June.
The Maldivian Supreme Court has suspended the presidential election run-off, after protests from a candidate.
On Saturday, ex-President Mohamed Nasheed polled nearly 47%, just short of the 50% needed for outright victory.
The second round was to have taken place on Sunday, but the runner-up Abdulla Yameen sought a delay, saying he needed time to campaign afresh.
Mohamed Nasheed has been seeking to regain power after he was forced to resign in 2012, sparking a political crisis.
This is the third time the presidential elections have been derailed.
A vote on September 7 was annulled by the Supreme Court after one candidate, Gasim Ibrahim, alleged irregularities, despite observer groups deeming the vote free and fair. The court also introduced new guidelines for elections.
Police then halted a planned re-run on October 19 saying the guidelines had not been met, after both Gasim Ibrahim and Abdulla Yameen failed to approve the voter register.
Maldives’ ex-President Mohamed Nasheed polled nearly 47 percent, just short of the 50 percent needed for outright victory
This time, the run-off was planned for only one day after the first round, because the constitution stipulates there must be a new president by Monday.
Despite that legal deadline, the Supreme Court sitting late at night has now ruled that the run-off “cannot take place” and ought to be delayed by six days.
The court said the Sunday run-off might have “undermined the constitutional rights of many people”, agreeing with Abdulla Yameen’s assertion that he needs more time to campaign.
Mohamed Nasheed won Maldives’ first-ever democratic vote in 2008, replacing Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ran the country autocratically for three decades.
On Saturday, Mohamed Nasheed polled 46.93% of vote, while Abdulla Yameen, the half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, polled 29.73%.
Third-placed Gasim Ibrahim, a wealthy resort owner and a former minister under Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was out of the running with 23.34%.
The suspension of Sunday’s voting means there cannot be a new president by the constitutional deadline of November 11, when the term of current president President Mohamed Waheed Hassan ends.
The Supreme Court had already announced that the current president could stay on but Mohamed Waheed Hassan has said he doesn’t want to.
Besides, some army officers have been circulating an appeal calling on soldiers not to obey the current president beyond the legal expiry of his term at midnight on Sunday.
The Maldivian Democratic Party – to which Mohamed Nasheed belongs – has accused Abdulla Yameen of trying to “subvert democracy”.
The ex-president resigned last year after large sections of the security forces objected to his arrest of a controversial judge.
