Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin stopped by the Today show on Monday, where she promptly got into with host Matt Lauer about healthcare.
Matt Lauer asked if President Barack Obama’s apology for the Affordable Care Act’s rollout woes was sufficient. Sarah Palin scoffed, asking “what apology?” and saying that the Healthcare.gov’s serious flaws were the least of America’s worries.
“This broken website, I think, is symbolic of a broken administration,” Sarah Palin said.
“Take over one-sixth of our economy and the socialized medicine that’s being crammed down our throat – that’s what’s broken.”
Matt Lauer then asked Sarah Palin what the Tea Party proposed as a solution to America’s health care problems, if ObamaCare was not a workable one, and that’s where things got a little dicey.
Sarah Palin attempted to repeat her talking points instead.
Sarah Palin stopped by the Today show on Monday, where she promptly got into with host Matt Lauer about healthcare
“It’s not just the independent grassroots Tea Party movement saying this, it’s many in the Republican party and many Democrats, too…”
“But where’s the plan from the Tea Party?” Matt Lauer asked again.
”… especially Democrats in red states that are running for re-election who are… ” Sarah Palin continued.
“Where’s the plan?” Matt Lauer repeated.
”…running for political cover,” Sarah Palin concluded.
Sarah Palin then said the Tea Party’s plan was to allow for healthcare reform to sort itself out in the free market and encourage more competition and “less tort reforms threats,” before going back to “what thwarts those plans is the far left. It’s President Obama and his supporters who will not allow the Republicans to usher in free market, patient-centered, doctor-patient relationship uh links to reform healthcare.”
Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson announced that Duck Commander Wines will hit stores this month.
According to People magazine, the Robertsons have partnered with the winemakers of the Trinchero Family Estates in Napa. They offer the Triple Threat Red Blend, Miss Priss Pink Moscato, and Wood Duck Chardonnay with bottles decked out in camo-inspired labels.
Willie Robertson announced that Duck Commander Wines will hit stores this month
Willie Robertson said he wants to prove that wine can be delicious and affordable at a price under $10 a bottle.
Willie Robertson said of the collection: “Yuppie folks ain’t the only ones who can enjoy good wine. This is good wine for good people, and it’s made by good people.”
Negotiators in Brussels have clinched a deal on the 2014 EU budget after a night of hard talks, cutting spending by about 6% compared to 2013.
Spending will total 135.5 billion euros (181.3 billion), or 0.5bn less than the Commission sought and 0.9bn short of the European Parliament’s target.
However, the budget is 0.5 billion euros bigger than what austerity-conscious government leaders were demanding.
It reflects stricter new terms agreed by EU leaders in February.
About two-thirds of the budget will go on subsidies for farmers and on development projects in the EU’s poorer regions, as in previous years. But the spending on such projects – called the “cohesion” budget – is being cut by about 7 billion euros.
Negotiators in Brussels have clinched a deal on the 2014 EU budget after a night of hard talks
Four governments voted against the compromise deal – the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, German ARD television reported. They wanted the EU to make deeper cuts.
The deal was reached after 16 hours of negotiation, and still requires final approval from the parliament and EU ministers next week.
There remains some opposition to the deal in the European Parliament, however.
The deal, once signed off, should pave the way for the European Parliament to adopt the EU’s long-term trillion-euro budget for 2014-2020.
At the same time, the negotiators in Brussels agreed to allocate an extra 3.9 billion euros to pay outstanding bills for 2013 incurred in cohesion projects.
An additional 400.5 million euros will also be spent from the EU “solidarity” fund to help areas of Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Romania which were hit by flooding this year.
According to a poll of gender experts, Egypt is now the worst country for women’s rights in the Arab world.
The study found s**ual harassment, high rates of female genital mutilation and a growth in conservative Islamist groups contributed to the low ranking.
The Comoros islands came top in the survey, which was conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The poll surveyed more than 330 gender experts in 21 Arab League states as well as Syria.
It is the foundation’s third annual study focusing on women’s rights since the Arab Uprisings in 2011.
Iraq ranked second-worst after Egypt, followed by Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.
Egypt is now the worst country for women’s rights in the Arab world, according to a poll of gender experts
The Comoros, where women hold 20% of ministerial positions, is followed at the top of the rankings by Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar.
The poll asked experts to assess factors such as violence against women, reproductive rights, treatment of women within the family and women’s role in politics and the economy.
Discriminatory laws and a spike in trafficking contributed to Egypt’s place at the bottom of the ranking of 22 Arab states, the survey said.
“There are whole villages on the outskirts of Cairo and elsewhere where the bulk of economic activity is based on trafficking in women and forced marriages,” said Zahra Radwan of US-based rights group Global Fund for Women.
However, s**ual harassment was cited as the main factor.
A UN report in April said 99.3% of women and girls in Egypt had been subjected to s**ual harassment.
“The social acceptability of everyday s**ual harassment affects every woman in Egypt regardless of age, professional or socio-economic background, marriage status, dress or behavior,” said Noora Flinkman of Egyptian campaign group HarassMap.
Meanwhile, the survey said Iraq was now more dangerous for women than under Saddam Hussein, with women disproportionately affected by the violence of the past decade.
Saudi Arabia ranked poorly on women’s involvement in politics, workplace discrimination, freedom of movement and property rights.
However, the conservative country scored better than many other Arab states when it came to access to education and healthcare, reproductive rights and gender violence.
UK and US ships were heading to the Philippines as the UN appealed for aid amid the large-scale devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan.
The US has deployed an aircraft carrier and navy ships to the Philippines, while the UK is sending a naval destroyer.
At least 10,000 people are feared to have been killed, and thousands of survivors desperately require aid.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity.
In a statement, Benigno Aquino said the two worst affected provinces, Leyte and Samar, had suffered massive destruction and loss of life.
A huge international relief effort is under way, but rescue workers have struggled to reach areas cut off since the storm.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described images of the impact of the storm as “heartbreaking”.
The UN would launch a large-scale humanitarian plan, and allocate $25 million “to fund critical relief efforts”, Ban Ki-moon said.
“Many thousands of people are reported to have died and almost 10 million people have been affected… Let us all show our solidarity with the people of the Philippines at this time of need,” he added.
One of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall, Typhoon Haiyan – named “Yolanda” by Philippine authorities – struck the coastal provinces of Leyte and Samar on Friday.
Typhoon Haiyan then headed west, sweeping through six central Philippine islands.
Humanitarian aid needed at large scale after Typhoon Haiyan barreled through the Philippines over the weekend and killed an estimated 10,000 people
Air Force Capt Antonio Tamayo told AP news agency the scene in Tacloban, one of the worst-hit areas, was “overwhelming”.
“We need more medicine. We cannot give anti-tetanus vaccine shots because we have none.”
Officials said looting was widespread and order was proving difficult to enforce. Correspondents say many ordinary people are simply scavenging for the food and water needed to survive.
The government says it has deployed armored vehicles to Tacloban to deter looters.
“We are circulating [the vehicles] in the city to show the people, especially those with bad intentions, that the authorities have returned,” Interior Secretary Mar Roxas told DZMM radio.
In a statement, the US said that aircraft carrier USS George Washington and other navy ships should arrive in the Philippines “within 48-72 hours”.
“As needed, these ships and aircraft will be able to provide humanitarian assistance, supplies, and medical care in support of the ongoing efforts led by the government and military of the Republic of the Philippines,” the statement said.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Darling would soon head to the disaster zone from Singapore.
It would take five days to arrive but once in the Philippines would bring engineering and first aid expertise, as well as the use of a Lynx helicopter.
Other countries have also pledged millions of dollars in assistance. Japan is providing $10 million and Australia $9 million in humanitarian aid, while New Zealand has pledged over $1.5 million.
Reports from Tacloban say soldiers have been distributing food and water to some residents and the US military has sent marines to the city.
A Philippine military spokesman was quoted as saying on Monday that 942 people had died in the typhoon’s aftermath, though it is clear the official death toll will rise significantly.
UN humanitarian official John Ging said: “Many places are strewn with dead bodies.”
“The first priority of response teams, once they were able to navigate their way into these areas, is to mobilize the burial of dead bodies because of the public health issues,” he said.
“As we get more and more access we find the tragedy of more and more people killed in this typhoon,” he added.
International aid:
Australia: Aus$10 million ($9.4 million), including medical personnel
China: $100,000
European Commission: 3 million euros ($4 million)
Indonesia: Aircraft, personnel, drinking water, food, generators, medicine
Japan: $10 million, 25 emergency medical personnel
New Zealand: NZ$2.15 million ($1.7 million)
Taiwan: $200,000
UK: £10 million ($15 million) non-food aid package
UN: central emergency relief fund: $25 million
US: At least 180 marines and sailors, transporter planes, emergency food, water, shelter and hygiene materials
Wal-Mart announced that it will begin its in-store Black Friday sales at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, two hours earlier than last year.
In addition, Walmart.com will begin offering Black Friday sales on a limited number of items Thursday morning.
The announcement comes as a growing list of retailers – from Best Buy to Toys R Us, and most recently Target – said they will push their Black Friday initiatives to Thursday.
Wal-Mart announced that it will begin its in-store Black Friday sales at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, two hours earlier than last year
“We’re always looking at what’s going on in the competitive environment,” said Duncan Mac Naughton, executive vice president, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart U.S.
Wal-Mart will bring back its one-hour guarantee during events at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, followed by an 8 a.m. event on Black Friday. If customers are in a designated line within an hour of one of these sales’ kickoffs, they are guaranteed to receive an item at a certain price either that night or before Christmas.
The program is expanding to 21 products this season from three last year, ranging from a Vizio 60-inch LED HDTV for $688, to a one-carat diamond and sterling silver pendant and earring set for $98. The stores will integrate wristbands so shoppers can browse the store while waiting for the events to begin.
Wal-Mart is also ramping up its social media and online components, advertising “manager’s specials” – when managers will lower prices for an entire category – on its local Facebook pages, and curating deal maps on its website to be viewed while in-store.
Police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up violent clashes during Poland Independence Day march in capital Warsaw.
A number of people were injured during the annual rally organized by far-right and nationalist movements.
The violence started when groups of youths broke off from the main march to attack a squat and set fires to cars.
They also set ablaze a rainbow-colored arch symbolizing tolerance, and tried to attack the Russian embassy.
Police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up violent clashes during Poland Independence Day march in capital Warsaw
The protesters – many of them wearing masks – threw firecrackers at the diplomatic mission. Several youths also tried to scale the building’s fence but were stopped by the police.
“There is no justification for hooliganism,” Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski said.
The authorities also said that at least four police officers were among those injured during the violence.
Thousands of people took part in the main march, which began noisily but peacefully. They carried white-and-red Polish flags and chanted: “God, honor, fatherland!”
For the third year in a row violence broke out during the march.
The rally commemorates the day Poland regained its independence at the end of World War One in 1918.
Before that, Poland had been carved up between Russia, Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Duck Dynasty ’s Christmas album debuted as No 1 in Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart this week.
Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas debuted this week in the Billboard chart knocking Luke Bryan’s album from first to fourth.
The album took over the top spot ahead of Thomas Rhett’s It Goes Like This and Toby Keith’s Drinks After Work, which are also in their first week on the chart.
Duck Dynasty ’s Christmas album debuted as No 1 in Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart this week
Duck the Halls is also ranked second on the publication’s list of Top Holiday Albums behind Kelly Clarkson’s Wrapped in Red.
Duck Dynasty’s album is currently listed as fourth on the Billboard 200, which ranks top-selling albums for the week across all genres. The Christmas record is situated behind new albums from Arcade Fire, Katy Perry and Clarkson.
The Robertsons are joined on their album by country music stars like Luke Bryan, Alison Krauss, Josh Turner and George Strait, who won the Country Music Association award for Entertainer of the Year on Wednesday.
Duck the Halls features a blend of original songs, such as Ragin’ Cajun Redneck Christmas, and more traditional Christmas tunes, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and I’ll Be Home for Christmas.
President Barack Obama spends Veterans Day on Monday honoring those who sacrificed for the nation.
In the early morning, Barack Obama hosts a White House breakfast for invited veterans and their families.
Later, the president travels to Arlington National Cemetery for the traditional wreath laying ceremony.
President Barack Obama traveled to Arlington National Cemetery for the traditional Veterans Day wreath laying ceremony
In his weekend radio address, President Barack Obama said Veterans Day is a chance for all Americans “to say two simple words: <<Thank you>>.”
President Barack Obama said: “Thank you to that greatest generation who fought island by island across the Pacific, and freed millions from fascism in Europe. Thank you to the heroes who risked everything through the bitter cold of Korea and the stifling heat of Vietnam. And thank you to all the heroes who have served since, most recently our 9/11 Generation of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.”
President Nicolas Maduro announced the Christmas season would come early in Venezuela and holiday bonuses would be issued in November.
Nicolas Maduro said state workers will receive the first two-thirds of their Christmas bonuses and pensions on November 10-11 instead of December this year in what the president said was an effort to lift people’s spirits, NPR reported last week.
“We made Christmas earlier because happiness and The Nativity and waiting for the arrival of the baby Jesus, it is the best medicine,” Nicolas Maduro said at the Socialist Christmas Fair in Caracas.
During his visit to the so-called Socialist Christmas Fair 2013, organized by the government in a central area of Caracas, Nicolas Maduro exchanged a few words with actors posing as the Three Kings, sang traditional Venezuelan Christmas songs and witnessed the sale of typical holiday food and items.
President Nicolas Maduro announced the Christmas season would come early in Venezuela and holiday bonuses would be issued in November
Last weekend Nicolas Maduro lit the Nativity lights at the Presidential Palace of Miraflores and said that the last two months of the year should be premonitory of what 2014 will be.
“Merry Christmas 2013, Christmas early, early victory, early happiness for the whole family,” Nicolas Maduro said.
“We wanted to declare the arrival of Christmas because we want happiness for everyone,” he added.
Political experts, though, said the move may be an effort by Nicolas Maduro to get votes for municipal elections on December 8, NPR reported.
Nicolas Maduro won by a slim margin in the spring, and Venezuela’s economy has been suffering, with 45% inflation and a shortage of toys in retail stores for the holiday season.
Bulgarian students have chained the doors of Sofia University as anti-government unrest continues.
After occupying a lecture hall for nearly three weeks, they declared “total and effective occupation” to demand the government’s resignation.
Thousands joined a student march through the city on Sunday.
Unrest over poverty and corruption in the EU’s poorest state has continued despite early elections in May.
A Socialist-backed technocratic government was formed under Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, but has lost support amid allegations of corrupt ties with business groups.
Similar popular unrest had plagued its predecessor in power, a centre-right minority government led by Boyko Borisov.
Academic business at the university was “brought to a complete halt” as protesters were not allowing either teachers or administrative staff to enter the university, according to the Novinite news agency.
Bulgarian students have chained the doors of Sofia University as anti-government unrest continues
Sit-ins, the agency added, were under way at 15 universities across the country.
“We are protesting against poverty and unemployment,” a student declaration said, quoted by AFP news agency.
“We are protesting before we become beggars with a higher education.”
On Sunday, university professors and teachers issued a statement condemning the “lies and <<tycoonisation>>” of the political and social environment”.
One banner, seen by Reuters news agency, read “Your time is up! 24 years of false transition is enough”, referring to administrations since the end of communist rule in 1989. Other banners read “Down with the mafia” and “We stay, you emigrate”.
President Rosen Plevneliev, who is from Boyko Borisov’s GERB party, told a French magazine he supported citizens calling for a “moral revolution”
Asked by Le Nouvel Observateur about the allegation that the current government was backed by a “Red Mafia”, Rosen Plevneliev added: “The mafia does not have a definite colour. What is certain is that what we call ‘mafia’ is a pathology of our democracy that we must eradicate.”
The desperation of many Bulgarians has been brought home by a series of self-immolations since the start of the year. At least nine people have burnt themselves to death, according to Novinite’s figures.
Wal-Mart erroneously priced a handful of computer monitors at a heavy discount online last week.
Monitors ranging from a high-definition, 24-inch product by Viewsonic to a 20-inch version made by Hewlett-Packard were made available at the bargain price of $8.85.
The suggested retail price of those two monitors are $199.99 and $185, respectively, although retailers often offer them at discounts.
Wal-Mart erroneously priced a handful of computer monitors at a heavy discount online
Many of the monitors were sold out by 8 a.m. ET, although the prices persisted on Walmart.com.
Wal-Mart says that a technical error caused a number of products to be priced absurdly low or high on its website earlier Wednesday. The company says it is working to resolve the issue and that the site may have intermittent problems with availability until then.
A spokesperson declined to specify whether an error was made, but said the tech goodies were unavailable in the retailer’s brick-and-mortar stores and are “no longer available” online. She also couldn’t immediately comment on whether people who swooped in on the pre-holiday snafu would be able to buy the monitors at the specified prices.
Black Friday 2013 is just days away and the Iowa Attorney General’s office warns consumers to be savvy shoppers and read the fine print when using ads to map out shopping strategies.
Officials there and at the National Retail Federation offer these tips:
• Read store ads carefully. Is the store offering sale items at a limited quantity? Can you get a rain check if it’s an out-of-stock sale item?
• Use the Internet to compare prices, not just the Black Friday ads but also retailers’ regular websites.
Black Friday 2013 is just days away and the Iowa Attorney General’s office warns consumers to be savvy shoppers and read the fine print when using ads to map out shopping strategies
• Take the ad with you when you go shopping to make sure you find the precise item at the price advertised. It’s often a good idea to go to the store now to see if the items you want have the quality and features you desire.
• Check to see if your favorite retailer offers an option to buy online and pick up in store. That will allow you to skip the frenzy and head to the customer service counter.
• Focus on bottom-line prices, not discounts. Discount claims may not reflect real savings if the seller inflated the original price of an item.
• Know retailers’ return and exchange policies. Some have a specified number of days in which to return items. Others will give the recipient credit for their after-holiday clearance price without a gift receipt, and some won’t let you return an item bought online to a physical store.
Black Friday is just days away, and shoppers already have started to refine their shopping lists, searching for ads online that reveal gotta-have gifts and rock-bottom prices at major retailers.
The holiday shopping season represents the bulk of many merchants’ yearly sales, so luring shoppers early is important, retail analysts say. Dozens of Black Friday websites entice shoppers with early releases of ads.
Retailers count on shoppers poring over their newspaper inserts. Papers’ Thanksgiving Day editions often are the largest of the year.
“This is the one time of year when consumers have the opportunity to see all this sales stuff in advance,” said Brad Wilson, who has a website called BradsDeals.com.
“It gives people three or four weeks to strategize about what they are going to buy.”
Online sneak-peak ads for Black Friday come out earlier every year, he said.
Black Friday 2013
“Consumers love the game of it all,” Brad Wilson said.
“They want to find the best deals. And they want to be able to get to the right stores at the right time.”
Shoppers caught up in the adrenaline rush of getting the best Black Friday deals – like last year’s $97 flat screen television – will be in for even better deals this year, Brad Wilson is predicting.
“The bargains have gotten better every year for a while,” he said.
Some of the websites that already have started posting Black Friday ads:
President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity in Philippines in order to speed relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
In a statement, Benigno Aquino said the two worst affected provinces, Leyte and Samar, had suffered massive destruction and loss of life.
Thousands of survivors are still desperately waiting for the aid effort to reach them.
Up to 10,000 people are feared to have been killed.
Tacloban is one of the worst affected cities.
Hundreds of thousands more people have been displaced after the high winds and floodwaters destroyed their homes. Damage to roads and airports has delayed the delivery of aid.
One of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall, Typhoon Haiyan – named “Yolanda” by Filipino authorities – struck the coastal provinces of Leyte and Samar on Friday.
President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity in Philippines in order to speed relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan
It then headed west, sweeping through six central Philippine islands.
More than nine million people have been affected in the Philippines. Many are now struggling to survive without food, shelter or clean drinking water.
A huge international relief effort is under way, but rescue workers have struggled to reach some towns and villages cut off since the storm.
However, reports from Tacloban say that soldiers have been on the streets distributing food and water to some residents and the US military has sent marines to the city.
The head of the Philippine Red Cross, Richard Gordon, described the situation as “absolute bedlam”.
Jane Cocking, the humanitarian director for Oxfam, said her colleagues witnessed “complete devastation… entire parts of the coastline just disappeared”.
A Philippine military spokesman was quoted as saying on Monday that 942 people had died in the typhoon’s aftermath, though it is clear the official death toll will rise significantly.
Almost 630,000 people have been reported displaced.
Typhoon Haiyan’s aftermath in Philippines:
The exposed easterly town of Guiuan, Samar province – population 40,000 – is said to be largely destroyed
Tacloban, Leyte province, was largely flattened by a massive storm surge and scores of corpses are piled by the roadside, leaving a stench in the air as they rot, say correspondents. Hundreds of people have gathered at the airport desperate for food and water, others trying to get a flight out
In the far north of Cebu province had shown some towns had suffered “80-90% damage”
Baco, a city of 35,000 in Oriental Mindoro province, was 80% under water, the UN said.[youtube mAERAlp5bTk 650]
John Lennon’s school detention documents are being put up for sale.
Teachers from Liverpool’s Quarry Bank High School for Boys wrote that 15-year-old John Lennon was punished for “fighting in class” and “sabotage”.
The two documents from 1955 were rescued by a teacher in the 1970s who had been told to burn all of the books in a storage room at the school.
The sheets are expected to be sold for up to £3,000 ($5,000) each at auction.
The documents reveal that on two occasions John Lennon received three detentions in one day.
Other reasons given by his teachers for punishment include “nuisance”, “shoving” and “just no interest whatsoever”.
John Lennon’s school detention documents are being put up for sale
The documents cover the periods when he was in Class 3B between May 19 and June 23, 1955, and in Class 4C from November 25, 1955, to February 13, 1956.
John Lennon went on to meet Paul McCartney in 1957 and together they formed the Beatles, who had their first hit in late 1962 with the song Love Me Do.
The details of the young John Lennon’s detentions were discovered by an enterprising teacher in the late 1970s.
He had been asked to clear out a storage room to make space for a newly-appointed teacher and had been instructed to burn all the books stored in the room.
But spotting the name “Lennon” in the top of some of the pages he realized they related to the famous former student and tore the sheets from the book to retain as a keepsake.
A number of the pages he had taken out of the book and kept were destroyed at a later date in an accident involving chemicals.
Other sheets he gave away but these pages are some of the few that have survived.
The sheets have been authenticated by John Lennon’s close school friend, Pete Shotton, who wrote a book John Lennon: In My Life.
Peter Beech, who was John Lennon’s general science teacher at the time, said: “The sheet is typical of John Lennon, he was an extremely cheeky boy.
“He did, however, know his limits. In the classroom, if you settled John down, you generally settled the class down.
“His chemistry teacher Eric Oldman said that John could actually go far.”
John Lennon died aged 40 after he was shot outside his New York apartment on December 8, 1980, by Mark Chapman.
Online bidding for the detention sheets and other items of Beatles memorabilia starts at TrackAuction.com on November 22.
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.”
