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Israel carries out two airstrikes near Damascus international airport

Roy Siemens
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Israel carries out two airstrikes near Damascus international airport

Syria has accused Israel of carrying out two airstrikes near Damascus.

Israeli planes bombed the area near Damascus international airport and the town of Dimas, the Syrian army said in a statement carried on state television.

No casualties were reported. There has been no confirmation of the air strikes from Israel.

Israel has conducted several air strikes on Syria since 2011.

“This afternoon, the Israeli enemy targeted two safe areas in Damascus province, namely the Dimas area and the Damascus International Airport,” the military statement said.

It described the air strikes as “direct aggression” carried out to help the Syrian government’s opponents.Israel airstrikes Syria

Some installations had been damaged, it added, without elaborating on what had been hit.

Responding to the Syrian accusation, Israel’s military said it did not comment on “foreign reports”.

The Israeli air force has conducted several air strikes on Syria since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.

Israel generally does not comment when it carries out attacks outside its borders.

However, Israeli jets were seen constantly flying over parts of Lebanon on December 7, about 20 miles from where the alleged attacks are said to have taken place.

The Israeli military has also bombed Syrian military sites in the past in retaliation for attacks on the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel seized Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Middle East War, and thwarted a Syrian attempt to retake it in 1973.

It unilaterally annexed the area in 1981, in a move not recognized internationally.

Israel and Syria remain technically in a state of war, and UN observers are deployed to monitor a 44-mile demilitarized zone.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to ban diesel cars to reduce pollution

James J. Williams
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Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to ban diesel cars to reduce pollution

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has called for diesel cars to be banned from the French capital by 2020 as part of plans to reduce pollution.

Anne Hidalgo told France’s Journal du Dimanche newspaper she wanted only ultra low-emission vehicles on the capitals’ main thoroughfares.

She also suggested more pedestrian areas and a doubling of cycle lanes.

A partial car ban was imposed in March after the capital’s air quality was found to be one of the worst on record.

“I want diesel cars out of Paris by 2020,” Anne Hidalgo said.

“Today 60% of Parisians already do not have cars, compared with 40% in 2001. Things are changing quickly.”Paris to ban diesel cars

Anne Hidalgo’s plans also include limits on the tourist buses that clog Paris streets, banning trucks from cutting through the city, and adding electric vans to the city’s car-sharing scheme.

She said there was a serious public health risk in the capital, with Parisians living on average six or seven months less than people not exposed to the same levels of pollution.

The plans will be discussed by the city council on December 9.

Some 84% of Paris residents see fighting pollution as a priority and 54% supported a diesel ban in the city by 2020, according a poll carried out for the Journal du Dimanche.

Research by the World Health Organization has shown that diesel engines, although more fuel efficient than petrol engines, produce more pollutants.

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Akai Gurley funeral held at Brown Baptist Church in Brooklyn

Nancy Clayson
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Akai Gurley funeral held at Brown Baptist Church in Brooklyn

The funeral of Akai Gurley who was fatally shot by police in November has taken place in Brooklyn.

Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old black man, was shot in the chest after he entered the stairwell of his apartment building.

A grand jury will be asked whether to prosecute the officer responsible.

The move comes days after a grand jury decided not to charge another New York policeman over the chokehold death of another unarmed black man, Eric Garner, sparking protests across the country.

The US was already facing race-related unrest over the decision not to indict a white police officer who had shot dead a young black man, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri.

The funeral took place at Brown Baptist Church in Brooklyn on December 6.

Akai Gurley’s mother, stepfather and two-year-old daughter were among those who attended the service.Akai Gurley funeral Brooklyn

Activist Kevin Powell delivered the eulogy for Akai Gurley.

“Akai was innocent, innocent, innocent,” he said.

“This is modern-day lynchings, over and over again. Akai Gurley was simply the latest victim of this,” he added.

The funeral featured music from gospel singers and a poem read by Akai Gurley’s younger brother.

Protests against police violence towards minorities continued on December 6 for a fourth day.

The latest spate of protests was sparked by the decision by a grand jury not to charge a New York policeman over the death of Eric Garner, who died after police put him in a chokehold.

Hundreds streamed along Fifth Avenue and other parts of Manhattan on Friday evening , with banners and chants of “Black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe” – a reference to Eric Garner’s last words.

In announcing the grand jury – a body that determines whether to bring criminal charges – Brooklyn’s District Attorney Ken Thompson said it was important to conduct a full and fair investigation.

Police say Akai Gurley and his girlfriend had opened a door into the unlit stairway and an inexperienced officer on a routine patrol fired his gun.

New York Police Commissioner William Bratton called the shooting an accident. However, the medical examiner has ruled that the death is a homicide.

Civil rights leader the Reverend Al Sharpton had initially planned to speak at Akai Gurley’s memorial service but later said he would pay his respects without making an address.

Activists have called for another march in Washington on December 13, followed by a summit on civil rights.

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Typhoon Hagupit hits eastern Philippines

Diane A. Wade
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Typhoon Hagupit hits eastern Philippines

Typhoon Hagupit has hit the eastern Philippines, toppling trees and power lines and threatening coastal areas with a powerful sea-surge.

More than half a million people have fled coastal villages in the area, which was still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan last year.

In Tacloban, where thousands were killed by Haiyan, roofs have been blown away and streets are flooded.

However, thyphoon Hagupit does not appear to have been as severe as many had feared.

So far there have been no reports of casualties.

Typhoon Hagupit, known locally as Ruby, was packing maximum sustained winds of 109mph and gusts of 130 mph when it made landfall in Dolores in Eastern Samar province on Saturday evening local time.Typhoon Hagupit Philippines

Dolores police spokesman Alex Robin told AP news agency late on Saturday that many trees had already come down.

“We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights.”

Maulid Warfa, the head of UNICEF’s field office in Tacloban, said their five-storey concrete building was shaking under the force of the storm.

Speaking early on Sunday he said: “We’re in this dark building and it’s raining heavily and there’s no electricity and we are using candles.

“We have a generator… but because of the rain and the flood and power problems we have switched it off. It’s too dangerous.”

Maulid Warfa added: “Our concern now is not us sitting in this building. Our concern is for the little children who have had to go through this experience for the second time in 13 months.”

About 19,000 people from coastal villages are in 26 evacuation centers, Tacloban’s disaster office spokesman Ilderando Bernadas told Reuters.

Typhoon Hagupit’s huge diameter of 370 miles meant that about 50 million people, or half the nation’s population, were living in vulnerable areas, officials have said.

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Mexico missing students: At least one body identified from charred remains

Diane A. Wade
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Mexico missing students: At least one body identified from charred remains

Mexican forensic experts have identified from charred remains at least one of 43 students who went missing in Guerrero state.

A family member of one of the students, Alexander Mora, confirmed that the remains identified were his.

The students were allegedly seized by local police in the town of Iguala in September and given to a criminal gang.

Prosecutors say the gang killed them and burned their bodies at a rubbish dump near the town of Cocula before scattered their ashes in a river.

The students’ disappearance has triggered widespread protests across Mexico against corruption and violence.

Another demonstration was held on December 6 in Mexico City at which parents of students spoke about the identification.

Photo EPA
Photo EPA

“If [the government] thinks that, because one of our boys’ DNA was identified, we will sit and cry, we want to tell them that they’re wrong,” Felipe de la Cruz, father of a missing student, told the crowd.

“We will keep fighting until we find the other 42.”

The unrest has seen President Enrique Pena Nieto’s popularity rating drop to its lowest point since he took office two years ago.

In response, Enrique Pena Nieto has submitted a package of reforms to Congress that include replacing all 1,800 municipal police forces with state-level units.

The students had travelled from a teacher training college in Ayotzinapa to Iguala to protest against what they said were discriminatory employment practices for teachers which favor urban students over rural ones.

Police opened fire on the students, who were in buses travelling back from Iguala to their college. Three of them were killed and three more people in nearby vehicles also died.

A busload of the students tried to flee but was chased by municipal officers who then took them to the local police station.

Some of the officers, who have since been arrested, told investigators they then handed the students over to a drug gang called Guerreros Unidos (United Warriors).

Iguala Mayor Jose Luis Abarca and his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda were arrested in the beginning of November in Mexico City.

Mexican officials accused Jose Luis Abarca of ordering police to confront the students to prevent them from disrupting a public speech given by his wife.

More than 70 other people have been arrested in connection with the disappearances.

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Barack Obama tested at Walter Reed military hospital after sore throat

Nancy Clayson
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Barack Obama tested at Walter Reed military hospital after sore throat

President Barack Obama has briefly visited a hospital for tests as he has a persistent sore throat, the White House says.

Barack Obama had experienced a sore throat over “the past couple weeks”, which appeared to be caused by acid reflux, his doctor said.

The president had a fiber optic exam, followed by a CT scan, on December 6.

Acid reflux, where stomach acid leaks up the throat, is a common condition and is not considered serious.Barack Obama acid reflux

The initial fiber optic exam “revealed soft tissue swelling in the posterior throat”, Barack Obama’s doctor, Ronny L. Jackson, said in a statement.

Dr. Ronny L. Jackson said that he decided “further evaluation with a routine CT scan was prudent”.

Barack Obama was given a CT scan at the Walter Reed military hospital. The results of the scan were normal, and the president would be treated for acid reflux, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that the quick scheduling of the scan was “a matter of convenience for the president, not a matter of urgency”.

North Korea denies hacking Sony Pictures computers

Sonia Pantiss
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North Korea denies hacking Sony Pictures computers

North Korea has denied Sony Pictures hack attack in retaliation for The Interview movie depicting Kim Jong-un.

However, the attack itself has been praised as a “righteous deed”.

The attack crippled computers at Sony and led to upcoming films and workers’ personal data being leaked online.

North Korea said its “supporters and sympathizers” may have carried out the hack – but said it was not involved.

It has described The Interview as an “act of terrorism”.

The comedy, made by Sony Pictures, features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two reporters who are granted an audience with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate the North Korean leader. The film is due to be released over Christmas.North Korea Sony Pictures hack attack

An article on North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency, quoting the country’s top military body, said suggestions that Pyongyang was behind the attack were “wild rumor”.

However, it warned the US that “there are a great number of supporters and sympathizers” of North Korea “all over the world” who may have carried out the attack.

In the article, Sony Pictures was accused of “abetting a terrorist act” and “hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership” of North Korea by producing the movie.

Last week a North Korean diplomat had responded to questions over whether his country had conducted the attack by saying, “wait and see”.

Sony Pictures’ computer system went down last week and hackers then published a number of as-yet unreleased films on online download sites.

They also released salary and Social Security numbers for thousands of Sony employees – including celebrities. The film about North Korea does not appear to have been leaked.

On Monday, Sony Pictures said it had restored a number of important services that had to be shut down after the attack.

It said it was working closely with law enforcement officials to investigate the matter but made no mention of North Korea.

The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating. It has also warned other US businesses that unknown hackers have launched a cyber-attack with destructive malware.

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Grammys Nominations 2015: Full List

Sonia Pantiss
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Grammys Nominations 2015: Full List

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 8 at 8PM.

2015 Grammy Awards Nominations:

Record of the Year

Fancy – Iggy Azalea Ft. Charli XCX

Chandelier – Sia

Stay With Me (Darkchild Version) – Sam Smith

Shake It Off – Taylor Swift

All About That Bass – Meghan Trainor

Best Country Album

Riser – Dierks Bentley

The Outsiders – Eric Chruch

12 Stories – Brandy Clark

Platinum – Miranda Lambert

The Way I’m Livin’ – Lee Ann Womack

Best Pop Vocal Album

Ghost Stories – Coldplay

Bangerz – Miley Cyrus

My Everything – Ariana Grande

Prism – Katy Perry

X – Ed Sheeran

In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Sail Out – Jhene Aiko

Beyonce – Beyonce

X – Chris Brown

Mali Is … – Mali Music

Girl – Pharrell Williams

Best Pop Solo Performance

All of Me – John Legend

Chandelier – Sia

Stay With Me – Sam Smith

Shake It Off – Taylor Swift

Happy – Pharrell Williams

Best Rock Song

Ain’t It Fun – Paramore

Blue Moon – Beck

Fever – The Black Keys

Gimme Something Good – Ryan Adams

Lazaretto – Jack White

Best Country Song

American Kids – Kenny Chesney

Automatic – Miranda Lambert

Give Me Back My Hometown – Eric Church

I’m Not Gonna Miss You – Glen Campbell

Meanwhile, Back at Mamas – Tim McGraw feat. Faith Hill

Best New Artist

Iggy Azalea

Bastille

Brandy Clarke

Haim

Sam Smith

Song of the Year

All About That Bass – Meghan Trainor

Chandelier – Sia

Shake It Off – Taylor Swift

Stay With Me (Darkchild Version) – Sam Smith

Take Me to Church – Hozier

Best Alternative Music Album

This Is All Yours – Alt J

Reflector – Arcade Fire

Melophobia – Cage the Elephant

St. Vincent – St. Vincent

Lazaretto – Jack White

Best Rap Performance

3005 – Childish Gambino

0 to 100 – Drake

Rap God – Eminem

i -Kendrick Lamar

All I Need Is You – LeCrae

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

American Hustle – Various Artists

Frozen – Various Artists

Get On Up: The James Brown Story – James Brown

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Volume 1 – Various Artists

The Wolf of Wall Street – Various Artists

Best Americana Album

The River and The Thread – Rosanne Cash

Terms of My Surrender – John Hiatt

BluesAmericana – Keb’ Mo’

A Dotted Line – Nickel Creek

Metamodern Sounds in Country Music – Sturgill SimpsonGrammys nominations 2015

Best Rap Album

Because the Internet – Childish Gambino

The New Classic – Iggy Azalea

Nobody’s Smiling – Common

Marshall Mathers LP 2 – Eminem

Oxymoron – ScHoolboy Q

Blacc Hollywood – Wiz Khalifa

Best Country Solo Performance

Give Me Back My Hometown – Eric Church

Invisible – Hunter Hayes

Automatic – Miranda Lambert

Something in The Water – Carrie Underwood

Cop Car – Keith Urban

Best Pop Duo/Performance

Fancy – Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX

A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay

Say Something – A Great Big World with Christina Aguilera

Bang Bang – Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj

Dark Horse – Katy Perry ft. Juicy J

Best Music Video

We Exist – Arcade Fire

Turn Down for What – DJ Snake & Lil’ Jon

Chandelier – Sia

Happy – Pharrell Williams

The Golden Age – Woodkid ft. Max Richter

Best Latin Pop Album

Tangos – Ruben Blades

Elypse – Camila

Raiz – Lila Downs, Niña Pastori Soledad

Loco de Amor – Juanes

Marco Antonio Solis – Gracias por Estar Aqui

Best Spoken Word Album

Actors Anonymous – James Franco

A Call to Action – Jimmy Carter

Car Sick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America – John Waters

Diary of a Mad Diva – Joan Rivers

A Fighting Chance – Elizabeth Warren

We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration, and The Power of Song – Gloria Gaynor

Best Dance Recording

Never Say Never – Basement Jaxx

Rather Be – Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne

F for You – Disclosure ft. Mary J. Blige

I Got U – Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones

Faded – Zhu

Best Gospel Album

Help – Erica Campbell

Amazing – Ricky Dillard & New G

Withholding Nothing (Live) – William McDowell

Forever Yours – Smokie Norfolk

Vintage Worship – Anita Wilson

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Gentle on My Mind – The Band Perry

Meanwhile Back at Mama’s – Tim McGraw ft. Faith Hill

Raise ‘Em Up – Keith Urban ft. Eric Church

Day Drinking – Little Big Town

Something Bad – Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Blak Majik – Common ft. Jhene Aiko

The Monster – Eminem ft. Rihanna

Tuesday – I Love Makonnen ft. Drake

Studio – ScHoolboy Q ft. BJ the Chicago Kid

Bound 2 – Kanye West & Charlie Wilson

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Nativity scene banned in France

Nancy Clayson
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Nativity scene banned in France

La Roche-Sur-Yon officials have banned a nativity scene, in the latest row over France’s secular traditions.

A judge in Nantes ruled that it was a “religious emblem” and incompatible with the French principle of “religious neutrality in public spaces”.

Town officials have reluctantly removed a figure of baby Jesus, plaster animals and a desk-sized stable they had erected in the local council building.

A local senator denounced the ruling.

France’s strict secularism laws mean that religious symbols are banned from public spaces such as schools, hospitals and local councils.

Secularism was a founding principle of the French Republic and was enshrined in a 1905 law separating Church and State.Nativity scene banned in France

“This decision is grotesque,” said Senator Bruno Retailleau in a statement.

“Next we’ll be banning epiphany cakes at the Elysee Palace.”

Bruno Retailleau also argued that it was unfair as in Paris the mayor hosted a dinner celebrating the Muslim month of Ramadan every year.

Jean Regourd, a member of the secular Free Thinking Society, lodged the complaint against the nativity scene but denied attacking a tradition that is now part of secular French culture.

“It’s a child in a stable with a cow and a donkey,” he said.

“It is clearly a religious symbol, there’s no doubt about it. And these local council buildings were built in the 1980s so there is no local nativity tradition to speak of.”

Bruno Retailleau has said he will appeal against the ruling but admits that keeping the nativity on display would be an “illegal act of civil disobedience”.

Mario Balotelli charged with racist conduct after Instagram post

Clyde K. Valle
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Mario Balotelli charged with racist conduct after Instagram post

Italian soccer player Mario Balotelli has been charged by the Football Association for an Instagram post which appeared to contain anti-Semitic and racist references.

The Liverpool striker reposted an image of computer game character Super Mario on Instagram, which included the words “jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew.”

Mario Balotelli, 24, tweeted to deny the post was offensive, before apologizing.

He has until 18:00 GMT on December 15 to respond to the charge.

A Liverpool spokesman said: “We acknowledge the FA’s decision and the player will work through the process to answer the charge.

“While that process is on-going the club will make no further comment.”

An FA statement read: “It is alleged the Liverpool player breached FA Rule E3[1] in that his posting was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper.

“It is further alleged that this is an <<Aggravated Breach>> as defined by FA Rule E3[2] as it included a reference to ethnic origin and/or color and/or race and/or nationality and/or religion or belief.” Mario Balotelli racist post

Mario Balotelli had until 18:00 on December 5 to submit an explanation for his comments to the FA and he reportedly provided evidence of the discrimination he has faced during his career.

The picture posted by the player had an image of Super Mario with the heading: “Don’t be a racist!”

The text read: “Be like Mario, he’s an Italian plumber, created by Japanese people, who speaks English and looks like a Mexican.”

“He jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew.”

After receiving criticism on Twitter for the image, Mario Balotelli tweeted: “My mom [sic] is Jewish so all of you shut up please.”

The player also described reposting the image as “my unlucky moment”.

Mario Balotelli later wrote: “I apologize if I’ve offended anyone.

“The post was meant to be anti-racist with humor. I now understand that out of context it may have the opposite effect.

“Not all Mexicans have a moustache, not all black people jump high and not all Jewish people love money.

“I used a cartoon done by somebody else because it has Super Mario and I thought it was funny and not offensive. Again, I’m sorry.”

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Prince William to meet Barack Obama at White House

Lisa.Felice
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Prince William to meet Barack Obama at White House

Prince William will meet President Barack Obama at the Oval Office on December 8, the White House has announced.

The meeting is part of a three-day trip to the US east coast with Kate Middleton, including Prince William’s first visit to Washington.

The Duke of Cambridge is expected to give a speech at the World Bank on combating illegal wildlife trafficking.

Barack Obama has welcomed the prince’s work against what he called “a devastating environmental problem”.

The White House press secretary said the issue was also a “national security threat”.Prince William and Kate Middleton to visit US

Speaking about Prince William’s trip to America, he added that it “underscores the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom”.

In February, Prince Charles and Prince William attended an international conference held in London where a declaration was signed on fighting the illegal trade in wildlife.

While Prince William attends events in Washington, Kate Middleton will join Chirlane McCray – writer and wife of New York mayor Bill De Blasio – on a visit to a local child development centre.

Prince William previously met President Barack Obama when he travelled to London for a state visit in 2011.

The royals will also attend events in support of organizations including their Royal Foundation, which supports the welfare of service personnel and young people.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s engagements include promoting sustainable conservation, young people’s mental health and supporting disadvantaged young people.

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US economy creates 321,000 jobs in November

Clyde K. Valle
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US economy creates 321,000 jobs in November

According to Labor Department latest figures, the US economy added 321,000 jobs in November, while the unemployment rate stayed at 5.8%.

The number of jobs created was well above analysts’ forecasts of about 225,000 new jobs in the month.

US employers have added at least 200,000 jobs for 10 months in a row, the longest period of jobs growth since 1995.

The number of jobs created has averaged 241,000 a month this year.

The Labor Department added that 44,000 more jobs were created in September and October combined than the government had previously estimated.

Stronger job creation has yet to lead to a significant increase in salaries.

Analysts said the US economy would continue to improve, despite lower global growth expectations.US jobs November 2014

They added that companies hiring temporary workers for the winter holidays could be providing a boost to the overall jobs figure.

The US economy is less dependent on exports than Germany, China and Japan, but is more reliant on domestic consumer spending.

Delivery firms have announced ambitious recruitment plans. UPS has said it expects to add up to 95,000 seasonal workers, up from 85,000 last year. FedEx plans to hire 50,000, up from 40,000.

The National Retail Federation estimates that seasonal retail hiring could grow by about 4% to as much as 800,000.

Most recent figures suggest Americans are buying more cars, which is likely to keep factories busy in coming months. Auto sales last month rose to their second-fastest pace this year. Car sales are on track to rise 6% this year from 2013.

The economy is expected to slow in the final three months of the year to an annualized growth rate of 2.5%, down from 4.3% from April to September.

Meanwhile, the US trade deficit fell slightly in October, as exports rebounded, while oil imports dipped to the lowest level in five years.

The deficit edged down 0.4% to $43.4 billion, as against a revised $43.6 billion in September, the Commerce Department reported.

Exports climbed 1.2% to $197.5 billion, recovering after a September dip.

Imports also rose by 0.9% to $241 billion, but that increase was tempered by a 0.6% fall in imports of petroleum, which dropped to the lowest level since November 2009.

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Luke Somers and Pierre Korkie killed during Yemen rescue bid

Roy Siemens
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Luke Somers and Pierre Korkie killed during Yemen rescue bid

Luke Somers and South African teacher Pierre Korkie have been killed by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen during a failed rescue bid.

The military operation on December 6 was carried out by joint US and Yemeni special forces in the southern, Shabwa region.

President Barack Obama condemned Luke Somers’s death as a “barbaric murder”

They were being held by militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), regarded by the US as one of the deadliest offshoots of al-Qaeda.

The group is based in eastern Yemen and has built up support amid the unrest which has beset the impoverished country since the overthrow of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011.

President Barack Obama said he authorized the raid to rescue the UK-born American photojournalist and other hostages held in the same location.

He said information had “indicated that Luke’s life was in imminent danger.”Luke Somers killed in Yemen

A number of militants were also killed in the operation.

“Terrorists who seek to harm our citizens will feel the long arm of American justice,” Barack Obama said.

A US official told the New York Times that Luke Somers was apparently shot by his captors as the raid unfolded and was badly wounded when the US forces reached him.

By the time he was flown to a US naval ship in the region, he had died from his injuries, the official was quoted as saying.

Luke Somers’ sister, Lucy Somers, told the Associated Press earlier that she had been notified by the FBI of his death.

“We ask that all of Luke’s family members be allowed to mourn in peace,” Lucy Somers told AP, speaking from London.

Meanwhile there are reports that Pierre Korkie was expected to be released on December 7.

Pierre Korkie was abducted with his wife Yolande in May 2013 in Yemen’s second city, Taiz.

Yolande Korkie was freed on January 2014 without ransom and returned to South Africa.

Luke Somers, 33, was kidnapped in Yemen in September 2013.

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Typhoon Hagupit: Half a million people evacuated in Philippines

Diane A. Wade
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Typhoon Hagupit: Half a million people evacuated in Philippines

More than 500,000 people have evacuated their homes as typhoon Hagupit approaches the Philippines.

Typhoon Hagupit, which weakened slightly on Friday night, is due to make landfall on Saturday evening.

It is on course for the Eastern and Northern Samar provinces and the city of Tacloban, where thousands were killed by Typhoon Haiyan a year ago.

It has weakened slightly but gusts are still peaking at 120mph.

Thousands of passengers were left stranded after Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific cancelled more than 150 flights to the central and southern Philippines on December 5 and December 6, and sea travel services were suspended.

President Benigno Aquino, who met disaster agency chiefs on Friday afternoon, has ordered food supplies to be sent to affected areas as well as troops and police to be deployed to prevent looting in the aftermath.Typhoon Hagupit Philippines evacuations

Local media reported Benigno Aquino as saying there was “no indication” for now that Hagupit, would be as strong as Haiyan.

Haiyan – known as Yolanda in the Philippines – was the most powerful typhoon ever recorded over land. It tore through the central Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,000 dead or missing.

Typhoon Hagupit’s huge diameter of 370 miles meant that about 50 million people, or half the nation’s population, were living in vulnerable areas, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman told AFP news agency.

The latest update from Philippine weather authorities said that Hagupit, which means “smash” in Filipino, had weakened slightly, though it still had powerful gusts.

On Saturday it was churning towards eastern coasts with its eye 145 miles north-east of Borongan, in Eastern Samar province.

Residents of Eastern Samar reported rain was falling and power was fluctuating.

It could bring storm surges up to one storey high, as well as heavy rain and the risk of landslides, officials have warned.

Schools and government offices are closed in some areas and there were long queues at shops and petrol stations as people stocked up on supplies.

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Adnan el Shukrijumah: Al-Qaeda senior leader killed in Pakistan

Roy Siemens
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Adnan el Shukrijumah: Al-Qaeda senior leader killed in Pakistan

Top al-Qaeda commander Adnan el Shukrijumah, who was accused of planning to bomb trains in New York and London, has been killed in Pakistan, the country’s military says.

Adnan el Shukrijumah was killed in a raid in north-western Pakistan, near the Afghan border, the military said.

The FBI describes him as al-Qaeda’s global operations chief, a post once held by the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Adnan el Shukrijumah was born in Saudi Arabia and lived for several years in the US.

He was named in a US federal indictment as a conspirator in the case against three men accused of plotting suicide bomb attacks on New York’s subway system in 2009.

Adnan el Shukrijumah is also suspected of having played a role in plotting al-Qaeda attacks in Panama, Norway and the UK.

Photo FBI
Photo FBI

Pakistan’s military said two other militants were killed in the raid on December 6. One soldier was also reportedly killed, and another was hurt.

A military statement said the “intelligence-borne operation” took place in the Shinwarsak region of South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.

The region is a base for the Pakistani Taliban and its allies.

Pakistan’s military launched an offensive in June against militants in neighboring North Waziristan.

Adnan el Shukrijumah is alleged to have been in charge of planning al-Qaeda attacks outside Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A Saudi national, he spent more than 15 years in the US, moving there when his father took up a post at a Brooklyn mosque. The family later moved to Florida.

In the late 1990s, Adnan el Shukrijumah is thought to have left for militant training camps in Afghanistan.

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Luke Somers: US and Yemen in new bid to rescue American hostage

Roy Siemens
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Luke Somers: US and Yemen in new bid to rescue American hostage

US and Yemeni forces have launched a new military operation to rescue American hostage Luke Somers held by al-Qaeda militants, reports say.

Details of the bid to free UK-born journalist Luke Somers are unclear.

It comes as nine alleged al-Qaeda militants were reported to have died in a drone strike believed to have been carried out by the US in Yemen’s southern Shabwa province.

Yemen’s defense ministry confirmed a “major operation” was taking place in the region.

Luke Somers, who was abducted in Yemen in 2013, has appeared in a video appealing for help.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon confirmed that an attempt to rescue Luke Somers last month had failed.Luke Somers hostage in Yemen

There are conflicting reports about the outcome of the operation to free him on December 6.

Luke Somers, 33, worked as a journalist and photographer for local news organizations. His material appeared on international news outlets.

The video of Luke Somers released this week also shows a member of al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) threatening to kill him unless unspecified demands are met.

AQAP is regarded by the US as one of the deadliest offshoots of al-Qaeda.

The group is based in eastern Yemen and has built up support amid the unrest which has beset the impoverished country since the overthrow of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011.

James Watson’s Nobel Prize medal sells for $4.8 million at Christie’s

James J. Williams
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James Watson’s Nobel Prize medal sells for $4.8 million at Christie’s

James Watson’s Nobel Prize gold medal has sold for $4.8 million at a Christie’s auction.

The 1962 prize was awarded to James Watson, Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for discovering the structure of DNA, with each receiving a gold medal.

The medal is the first Nobel Prize to be put on sale by a living recipient.

James Watson, 86, recently said he was selling the medal because he had been ostracized by the scientific community after remarks he made about race in a 2007 interview.James Watson Nobel Prize medal

The discovery of the structure of DNA – which encodes the instruction booklet for building a living organism – was made by James Watson and Francis Crick, using experimental data that had been gathered by Maurice Wilkins, Raymond Gosling and Rosalind Franklin.

James Watson said he planned to donate part of the proceeds to charities and to support scientific research.

Christie’s auction house had said the gold medal could fetch between $2.5 million and $3.5 million.

In an interview with the Financial Times recently, James Watson said he had been made to feel like an “unperson” since a Sunday Times interview seven years ago in which he linked race to intelligence.

Francis Crick’s Nobel medal sold for $2.2 million in 2013. He died in 2004.

Akai Gurley case: Grand jury to decide whether to prosecute NYPD officer

Diane A. Wade
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Akai Gurley case: Grand jury to decide whether to prosecute NYPD officer

A new US grand jury will decide whether to prosecute a NYPD officer over the fatal shooting of unarmed black man Akai Gurley in Brooklyn.

Akai Gurley was shot in the chest after he entered the stairwell of his apartment building last month.

The decision comes days after a grand jury opted against charging a New York policeman in the chokehold death of another unarmed black man, Eric Garner.

The decision has sparked protests across the country.

The US was already facing race-related unrest over the decision not to indict a white police officer who had shot dead a young black man, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri.

In New York City on December, protesters briefly laid down in Macy’s flagship store, at Grand Central Terminal and at an Apple store.Akai Gurley Brooklyn fatal shooting

Hundreds streamed along Fifth Avenue and other parts of Manhattan, with banners and chants of “Black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe” – a reference to the words of Eric Garner as he was being restrained by a white police officer.

Protests were also held in other US cities including Chicago, Washington, Denver, and Boston.

Meanwhile, a memorial service was held for 28-year-old Akai Gurley in New York ahead of his funeral on December 6.

At an earlier news conference, his mother tearfully demanded justice for her son.

Speaking alongside her, Kevin Powell, president of the advocacy group BK Nation, called the shooting part of a “series of modern-day lynchings”.

In announcing the grand jury – a body that determines whether to bring criminal charges – Brooklyn’s District Attorney Ken Thompson said it was important to conduct a full and fair investigation.

Police say Akai Gurley and his girlfriend had opened a door into the unlit stairway and an inexperienced officer on a routine patrol fired his gun.

New York Police Commissioner William Bratton called the shooting an accident. However, the medical examiner has ruled that the death is a homicide.

Civil rights leader the Reverend Al Sharpton had initially planned to speak at Akai Gurley’s memorial service but later said he would pay his respects without making an address.

UN human rights experts earlier expressed “legitimate concerns” about grand juries failing to charge the two policemen involved in the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

In a statement, UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsak, said it was part of a broader “pattern of impunity” concerning minority victims.

Following the outcry over the Garner case, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered the city’s 22,000-strong police force to be retrained in how to better communicate and remain calm when making arrests. They will also be fitted with body cameras.

Activists have called for another march in Washington on December 13, followed by a summit on civil rights.

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Former Queen Fabiola of Belgium dies aged 86

Lisa.Felice
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Former Queen Fabiola of Belgium dies aged 86

Former Queen Fabiola, the widow of King Baudouin of Belgium, has died aged 86, the royal palace has said.

Born Fabiola de Mora y Aragon in Madrid, she reigned as queen consort from 1960 until King Baudouin’s death in 1993.

A royal statement said she died at the Stuyvenberg Castle in Brussels.Queen Fabiola of Belgium

The Spanish-born dowager queen was recently at the centre of a row over her annual allowance, after she was accused of avoiding a national inheritance tax.

Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said all Belgians would mourn her passing.

“A page in our country’s history has turned,” Didier Reynders told Belgium’s RTL television.

Following the sudden death of King Baudouin in 1993 on holiday in Spain, the throne passed to his brother Albert, who abdicated in 2013 in favor of his son Crown Prince Philippe.

Orion splashdown: NASA spacecraft ends maiden flight in Pacific Ocean

James J. Williams
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Orion splashdown: NASA spacecraft ends maiden flight in Pacific Ocean

NASA’s Orion spaceship has completed its maiden, unmanned voyage with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico.

Drone video sighted the ship descending gently on its parachutes, shortly before it hit the water.

US Navy support vessels, with the help of divers, moved in swiftly to recover the floating spacecraft.

Orion is designed eventually to take humans beyond the space station, to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.

Its brief 4.5-hour flight was intended to test its critical technologies, like the heat shield and those parachutes.

Commentators on NASA’s television channel said the craft had made a “bulls-eye” splashdown.Orion splashdown December 2014

“There’s your new spacecraft, America,” mission control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water.

Mark Geyer, NASA’s Orion program manager commended a near-flawless outing, telling reporters later: “It’s hard to have a better day than today.”

Orion was launched on a Delta IV-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 07:05 local time.

The orange-colored triple booster was quickly lost in cloud after clearing the pad but headed effortlessly east out over the Atlantic for a two-lap circuit of the Earth.

It was on the second of those two orbits that the Delta’s upper-stage took Orion up to an altitude of 6,000km, to set up a fast fall back to the planet.

The capsule was expected to attain speeds close to 30,000km/h as it entered the atmosphere, with the pressing air likely to have generated temperatures on the ship’s underside of up to 2,000C.

This was one of the key aims of the mission – to see how Orion’s thermal protection systems would perform.

Engineers will know more when the capsule is recovered and returned to land for inspection.

Orion is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 60s and 70s, only bigger and with cutting-edge systems.

It is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in 2017 or 2018.

Together, they will form the core capabilities needed to send humans beyond the International Space Station (ISS).

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Ashton Carter nominated as new defense secretary

Diane A. Wade
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Ashton Carter nominated as new defense secretary

Former Pentagon official Ashton Carter has been nominated by President Barack Obama as new defense secretary replacing Chuck Hagel who resigned last month.

Ashton Carter was previously the Pentagon’s chief arms buyer and an assistant secretary of defense under former President Bill Clinton.

His appointment to the post now requires approval from the Republican-led US Senate.

Ashton Carter received a doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford.

“We face no shortage of challenges to our national security,” Barack Obama said on December 5, praising Ashton Carter’s more than 30 years of service.Ashton Carter defense secretary

“[He] is going to be critical to all these efforts.”

Ashton Carter called the nomination an “honor and a privilege”, and pledged to Barack Obama his “most candid” strategic and military advice.

Chuck Hagel quit after two years in the job, reportedly under pressure to go.

Following word of his resignation in November, Chuck Hagel called manning the post his life’s “greatest privilege”.

Absent from the nomination announcement at the White House, Chuck Hagel released a statement calling Ashton Carter a “patriot and a leader”, adding he “strongly” supports the nomination.

Vietnam war veteran and former Republican senator Chuck Hagel, 68, will stay on as secretary until Ashton Carter is confirmed.

Chuck Hagel was reportedly sharply critical of the US strategy against Islamic State (ISIS) and in relation to the Syria regime.

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Zhou Yongkang: China’s ex-security chief arrested for corruption

Diane A. Wade
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Zhou Yongkang: China’s ex-security chief arrested for corruption

China’s ex-security chief Zhou Yongkang has been arrested and expelled from the Communist Party, state media reported.

Zhou Yongkang is the most senior Chinese official to be investigated for corruption.

The Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s top prosecuting body, said it had opened a formal probe against him.

Before he retired two years ago, Zhou Yongkang was the head of China’s vast internal security apparatus.Zhou Yongkang arrested

Many of his former associates and relatives also face corruption probes.

Since coming to power, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a high-profile campaign to weed out corruption among party and government officials.

Zhou Yongkang was accused of several crimes, including “serious violations of party discipline”, “accepting large sums of bribes”, “disclosing party and state secrets” and “committing adultery with several women” as part of corrupt transactions, Xinhua news agency reported.

His arrest was announced in a statement by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, released late on Friday night.

ICC drops charges against Uhuru Kenyatta

Diane A. Wade
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ICC drops charges against Uhuru Kenyatta

Charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta have been withdrawn by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Uhuru Kenyatta had been indicted in connection with post-election ethnic violence in 2007-2008, in which 1,200 people died.

The president, who had denied the charges, said he felt “vindicated”.

The prosecutor’s office said the Kenyan government had refused to hand over evidence vital to the case.

Uhuru Kenyatta said he was “excited” and “relieved” at the dropping of charges.

“My conscience is absolutely clear,” he said, adding that his case had been “rushed there without proper investigation”.

Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said her government would try to have two other similar cases thrown out including one involving Deputy President William Ruto.

“As they say, one case down, two more to go,” Uhuru Kenyatta said on Twitter.

Photo AP
Photo AP

On December 3, the ICC had given prosecutors a week to decide whether to pursue their case against Uhuru Kenyatta or withdraw charges.

Further delays in the case would be “contrary to the interests of justice”, it had said.

On December 5, prosecutors said the evidence had “not improved to such an extent that Uhuru Kenyatta’s alleged criminal responsibility can be proven beyond reasonable doubt”.

Many observers had seen the case against Uhuru Kenyatta as the biggest test in the court’s history.

He was the first head of state to appear before the court, after he was charged in 2012.

The prosecution repeatedly asked for more time to build its case, saying witnesses had been bribed and intimidated, and the Kenyan government had refused to hand over documents vital to the case.

Human Rights Watch had accused the Kenyan government of acting as a roadblock and “impairing the search for truth”.

Uhuru Kenyatta denied inciting ethnic violence following the disputed 2007 elections in order to secure victory for then-President Mwai Kibaki.

He has repeatedly accused the ICC of pursuing a political prosecution.

On December 5, Uhuru Kenyatta again criticized the legal process, saying: “The prosecutor opted to selectively pursue cases in a blatantly biased manner that served vested interests and undermined justice.

“As a result, the court has had to pay a steep reputational price, which it will continue to face unless a serious and systemic rethinking of the international justice framework is undertaken.”

Uhuru Kenyatta won Kenya’s presidential elections in 2013, with the backing of Mwai Kibaki.

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Bulgaria’s green cat: Mystery solved

Nancy Clayson
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Bulgaria’s green cat: Mystery solved

A mysterious green cat was spotted few days ago on the streets of the Bulgarian city of Varna.

Now the mystery of the feline’s emerald coat may finally be explained.

Locals believed that the green cat, who was first spotted in the Bulgarian seaside town of Varna, had been attacked and painted the unusual shade by vandals, even setting up a Facebook group to catch the perpetrators.Bulgaria green cat

It has now emerged that the unnamed cat has been sleeping on the top of an abandoned pile of synthetic green paint in a garage.

Gradually, it is believed that the paint slowly covered the entire cat.

The color also appears to show no sign of wearing off as each nap the cat takes just makes the color stronger.

Although widely reported by local and international media, it remains unclear whether the green cat has an owner or is another stray on the Varna streets.

Varna is Bulgaria’s third largest and a well-known holiday resort on the Black Sea coast.

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Serbian Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic hit in the head by heavy block of ice

Nancy Clayson
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Serbian Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic hit in the head by heavy block of ice

Serbian Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic was hit in the head by a large chunk of ice during a TV interview on December 4.

The minister was lucky to wear a life saving helmet. The helmet fell from Aleksandar Antic’s head and appeared to crack while he addressed reporters. Nearby, rescue teams were trying to restore electricity that has been out in the area for several days.Aleksandar Antic ice falling

The minister said: “As you could have seen now, this is the best possible way to illustrate under which conditions people are working here.”

Aleksandar Antic was touring an eastern area hit by a cold snap last week, where thousands of people were left without electricity for several days.

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