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Innocent Ricky Jackson released from prison after 39 years

Nancy Clayson
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Innocent Ricky Jackson released from prison after 39 years

Ricky Jackson has been freed after 39 years in prison after a witness said he lied as a boy.

The 57-year-old man, who was imprisoned at the age of 18, came to Cincinnati on November 25 to thank the law project that worked to win his freedom.

Ricky Jackson told members of the Ohio Innocence Project and others at the University of Cincinnati that he would have walked to Cincinnati from Cleveland if necessary to thank the people he says “saved my life.”

The Ohio Innocence Project usually works to free people using DNA evidence but took Ricky Jackson’s case despite the lack of DNA.

Project staff attorney Brian Howe said before Ricky Jackson’s remarks that they had seen many weaknesses in the case against Jackson, and they were skeptical of the witness’ testimony before he told his pastor and then authorities that he had lied.

Ricky Jackson was released from prison on November 21 after a judge in Cleveland dismissed the cases against him and Wiley Bridgeman, 60.

Witness Eddie Vernon, who was 12 years old at the time of the slaying, recanted last year and said Cleveland police coerced him into testifying that the two men and another man killed Cleveland businessman Harry Franks in 1975.

Ricky Jackson was imprisoned for 39 years, serving a life sentence for aggravated murder and other charges.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty has said the case fell apart after witness Eddie Vernon recanted his testimony.

Eddie Vernon said he kept quiet because investigators threatened to imprison his parents.

Ricky Jackson said that he did hate Eddie Vernon at first, but later realized he was just a child. He says he would like to meet with Vernon in private to tell him he forgives him and to thank him.

A fund set up by the Ohio Innocence Project to help Ricky Jackson as he tries to readjust to life outside prison has already raised almost $43,000, project Director Mark Godsey said.

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Tugce Albayrak: Germany pays tribute to student killed for helping harassed teenage girls

Nancy Clayson
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Tugce Albayrak: Germany pays tribute to student killed for helping harassed teenage girls

Germany is paying tribute to student Tugce Albayrak who was killed after defending two teenage girls reportedly being harassed by a group of men.

Around 150 people attended a vigil in Berlin in Tugce Albayrak’s memory on November 30.

President Joachim Gauck has described the student as a “role model”.

A18-year-old man is in custody over the November 15 attack, which left Tugce Albayrak in a coma. Her life support was switched off on Friday.

Tugce Albayrak had intervened when she heard cries for help from the toilet of a fast food restaurant in the town of Offenbach, near Frankfurt, where the two girls were being harassed, German media report.

Later, one of the men returned and attacked her in the car park, striking her head with a stone or a bat.Tugce Albayrak killed in Germany

Tugce Albayrak’s parents made the decision to turn off life support on her 23rd birthday when doctors told them she would never regain consciousness and was brain-dead.

A petition calling for Tugce Albayrak to be awarded the national order for merit posthumously has gathered over 100,000 signatures.

Confirming he would consider the award, President Joachim Gauck wrote to her family to say: “Like countless citizens, I am shocked and appalled by this terrible act. Tugce has earned gratitude and respect from us all.

“She will always remain a role model to us, our entire country mourns with you.

“Where other people looked the other way, Tugce showed exemplary courage and moral fortitude.”

Before today’s “civil courage” vigil on Oranienplatz in Berlin, tributes were paid in Offenbach, with people holding signs which read “Thank you, Tugce”.

Oranienplatz is in the heart of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, which has a large Turkish community.

Tugce Albayrak, who was from the town of Gelnhausen, also near Frankfurt, was Turkish by origin.

Her attacker, named only as Senal M from the Sandzak region of Serbia, has confessed to striking Tugce Albayrak, German public radio station Deutsche Welle reports.

Glastonbury 2015: Lionel Richie to play Sunday teatime slot

Sonia Pantiss
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Glastonbury 2015: Lionel Richie to play Sunday teatime slot

Lionel Richie has confirmed he will play the Sunday teatime slot at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, organizers have announced.

He is the first artist confirmed for the next year event.

“We are over the moon,” said festival co-organizer Emily Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis.

“We felt very lucky to get the call from a true Motown legend asking to play next year,” she continued.

Lionel Richie will play Glastonbury 2015
Lionel Richie will play Glastonbury 2015 (photo Getty Images)

“He’s got so many amazing songs, to see him perform here on the farm is just going to be wonderful.”

Lionel Richie, 65, said he was “really excited to play Glastonbury next year as it’s one of the most iconic festivals in the world”.

“It has a phenomenal history and the alumni of artists who have previously played is incredible so I’m honored to be joining that club.

“It will be a really special moment for me and I can’t wait to share it with everyone

“I can now say <<Yes, I’m playing Glastonbury>>.”

Dolly Parton played the Sunday teatime slot at the 2014 festival, following in the footsteps of such acts as Neil Diamond, Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones.

Tickets for the 2015 Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset sold out in less than 30 minutes, before any acts on the line-up had been announced.

Moldova elections 2014: Contest between pro-EU parties and pro-Moscow forces

Diane A. Wade
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Moldova elections 2014: Contest between pro-EU parties and pro-Moscow forces

People in Moldova are heading to polls to vote in parliamentary elections which are widely seen as a contest between pro-EU parties and those backing closer ties with Russia.

Recent opinion polls gave a lead to the pro-Westerners, but tough post-election bargaining is predicted.

On the eve of the vote, one pro-Russian party was banned from the poll – a move criticized by Moscow.

The elections have taken on a wider significance in the shadow of the bloody crisis in neighboring Ukraine.

The crisis began last November after Ukraine’s former leadership made a last-minute U-turn, refusing to sign a landmark association and free trade deal with the EU – under huge pressure from Russia.

This triggered mass protests in Ukraine that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, and Kiev later signed the EU deal. But the protests, in turn, led to Russia annexing southern Crimea peninsula in March and throwing support behind separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Moldova – which also signed the EU agreement – has been under growing Russian pressure to change course.

About 2.7 million people are eligible to cast their ballots, electing a single-chamber 101-seat parliament by a system of proportional representation.

However, residents of the Russian-backed breakaway region of Trans-Dniester are not taking part in the election.

Moldovan PM Iurie Leanca’s Liberal Democratic Party wants the country to achieve EU candidate status by 2017 and full membership by 2020.

Its coalition partner, the Democratic Party, is more moderately pro-European.

The most strongly pro-EU and pro-NATO party, the Liberals, left the ruling coalition and went into opposition last year.

The opinion polls predict that the three pro-Western parties may get up to 43% of the vote.

The main opposition party is the Communist Party – a Soviet-era survivor that still uses the hammer and sickle as its symbol.

Poll ratings of another pro-Russian party – the Socialists – have been recently boosted by its populist campaigning, including concerts by Russian pop stars.

Pro-Moscow forces are also expected to pick additional votes after the ban of the Fatherland party. It was barred from the elections on the grounds that it illegally received foreign funding.

The party – whose leader has fled to Russia – denies the claim.

The opposition also hopes to capitalize on the growing economic problems under the pro-Western government in Moldova – one of Europe’s poorest countries.

The situation worsened after a Russian ban on Moldova’s import of agricultural products – including wine, meat, fruit and vegetables.

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Swiss Gold Referendum 2014: Switzerland votes on Swiss Gold Initiative

Clyde K. Valle
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Swiss Gold Referendum 2014: Switzerland votes on Swiss Gold Initiative

Voters in Switzerland are heading to polls to vote on “The Swiss Gold Initiative” in a national referendum.

On the ballot is a measure to prohibit the Swiss National Bank (SNB) from further gold sales, to repatriate Swiss-owned gold to Switzerland, and to mandate that gold make up at least 20% of the SNB’s assets.

According to analysts, the Swiss referendum is driven by an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the conduct not only of Swiss monetary policy, but also of Swiss banking policy.

Gold prices took a dive on November 28 as the market geared up for what could be the metal’s own OPEC moment – when Switzerland will vote on whether its central bank should hold more gold and bring back its other gold reserves held in places like Canada and the U.K.

The result of the Swiss vote is expected at 1PM local time on November 30 (7AM Eastern Time). Latest polls show support is fading for that “Save our Swiss Gold” campaign. If the “Yes” camp wins, gold will see an initial jump in prices.

Under such a vote, the SNB would need to accumulate 1,500 tons of gold over five years.

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Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand strips Princess Srirasmi’s family of royal name

Lisa.Felice
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Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand strips Princess Srirasmi’s family of royal name

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand has asked the government to strip his wife Princess Srirasmi Akrapongpreecha’s family of their royally bestowed name.

The prince’s decision comes after seven of Princess Srirasmi Akrapongpreecha’s close relatives were arrested in a purge of officials allegedly involved in corruption.

Princess Srirasmi Akrapongpreecha is Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn’s third wife, and the pair married in 2001.

The move is widely expected to be a first step to divorce.

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn was already known to be estranged from the princess, although they continued to attend official functions together.

The purge of Princess Srirasmi’s family over the past 10 days has been widely reported in Thailand.

However, until now the severity of the lese majeste law criminalizing any critical comment about the monarchy meant that no Thai media had pointed out the family connection.

Princess Srirasmi’s uncle, a senior police general, was arrested over accusations of amassing vast wealth through smuggling and gambling rackets.

Four of her siblings and two other relatives have also been held.

The office of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn has now sent a letter to the interior ministry ordering her family to be stripped of the royal name he bestowed on them when he married her.

The dramatic downfall of Princess Srirasmi comes at a very sensitive time, analysts say, with the 86 year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej in poor health.

As the Crown Prince’s wife, Princess Srirasmi would have been expected to become Queen when he succeeds his father, a potentially very powerful position given the exalted status of the monarchy in Thailand.

The pivotal position of the monarchy in Thailand’s political order makes the succession an extremely sensitive issue, many aspects of which still cannot be reported from inside the country.

The world’s longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol has been on the throne in Thailand since 1946.

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Malia and Sasha Obama criticized by Elizabeth Lauten for Thanksgiving outfits and attitude

Nancy Clayson
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Malia and Sasha Obama criticized by Elizabeth Lauten for Thanksgiving outfits and attitude

First daughters Malia and Sasha Obama have been called disrespectful and classless by Republican Elizabeth Lauten for their attitude and clothes at this year’s Thanksgiving turkey pardoning ceremony.

Elizabeth Lauten, communications director for Republican congressman Stephen Fincher, made her comments in a Facebook post.

Her comments were heavily criticized and subsequently deleted.

Elizabeth Lauten has apologized for her “hurtful words”.

She attacked President Barack Obama’s girls over their choice of short skirts for the annual turkey pardoning event at the White House, and also for looking bored.

Malia, 16, and Sasha, 13, stood next to President Barack Obama during the ceremony.

Elizabeth Lauten said that the girls should “try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play”.

“Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar,” she added.

Elizabeth Lauten’s comment caused outrage on social media, amid accusations that she was “shaming” teenage girls.

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Swiss referendum on immigration quotas

Diane A. Wade
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Swiss referendum on immigration quotas

Swiss people are voting in a referendum on measures aimed at severely restricting immigration.

The ballot marks the second time this year that the non-EU country has held a referendum on immigration.

Last February voters narrowly backed the reintroduction of quotas, effectively opting out of a free movement agreement with Brussels.

The new proposal, known as Ecopop, goes much further, limiting net immigration to just 0.2% of the overall population.

Switzerland’s population is just 8.2 million – but that is still more than a million more than it was 20 years ago.

While unemployment is low and living standards are high, many Swiss worry about overcrowding and environmental degradation.

Supporters of the Ecopop initiative say restricting immigration will safeguard Switzerland’s environment by reducing the need for new transport links and new housing.

Ecopop also aims to limit overpopulation abroad, by devoting 10% of Switzerland’s overseas aid to family planning in developing countries.

Opponents, among them all the major political parties, say the proposals will be bad for the economy – 25% of the Swiss workforce is foreign, and business leaders want to be able to recruit skilled labor from across Europe.

Meanwhile, many environmental groups argue that if the Swiss really want to protect their environment, they should start by adjusting their own lifestyles.

Opinion polls show a close vote, with latest indications suggesting that while many Swiss are worried about immigration, the Ecopop measures may be a step too far.

Darren Wilson resigns from Ferguson police

Nancy Clayson
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Darren Wilson resigns from Ferguson police

Officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 9, has resigned from police force, his lawyer Neil Bruntrager says.

Neil Bruntrager told media the resignation was effective immediately.

Darren Wilson himself has been quoted by as saying he had taken the step because of threats of violence if he stayed.

Ferguson and other US towns and cities saw rioting after a jury decided Darren Wilson, 28, should not be charged.

The August 9 shooting in the St Louis suburb and last week’s state grand jury decision triggered a nationwide debate over relations between black communities and law enforcement.

The St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper said Darren Wilson had decided to step down after his police department received threats that violence would follow if he stayed on as an employee.

The newspaper published what it said was his resignation letter, which read: “I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow.

“For obvious reasons, I wanted to wait until the grand jury made their decision before I officially made my decision to resign.

“It was my hope to continue in police work, but the safety of other police officers and the community are of paramount importance to me. It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal.”

In a subsequent telephone interview on Saturday evening, the paper quoted Darren Wilson as saying: “I’m resigning of my own free will. I’m not willing to let someone else get hurt because of me.”

He added that resigning was “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do”.

Earlier this week, Darren Wilson told media that before the shooting, Michael Brown had pushed him back into his car, hit him and grabbed at his drawn gun, and said that he felt “like a five-year-old holding on to Hulk Hogan”.

The policeman said he had feared for his life.

Michael Brown’s supporters said he was attempting to surrender to the policeman when he was shot. Some witnesses said the teenager, who was unarmed, had his hands up.

However, the state prosecutor said physical evidence had contradicted some of the witness statements.

Michael Brown was killed after being shot six or seven times.

Many in the African-American community had called for Darren Wilson to be charged with murder, but after three months of deliberation a Missouri grand jury – of nine white and three black members – made no recommendation of charges.

The decision means Darren Wilson will not face state criminal charges over the shooting.

The US justice department has also launched a federal investigation into whether Darren Wilson violated Michael Brown’s civil rights.

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Malaysia Airlines removes offensive year-end promotion tweet

Clyde K. Valle
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Malaysia Airlines removes offensive year-end promotion tweet

Malaysia Airlines apologized for a year-end promotion tweet that draw anger after it inadvertently drew parallels with the still-missing MH370 flight.

“Want to go somewhere but don’t know where?” read the post on Twitter that was meant to promote special deals by Malaysia Airlines, prompting scorn from online users.

Malaysia Airlines said the tweet “was intended to inspire travelers during this holiday period to explore destinations and deals” it was offering.

“Unfortunately, it unintentionally caused offence to some, and we have since removed the tweet,” it said in a brief statement.

It is the second time Malaysia Airlines, which has been devastated by the loss of 537 people in two air tragedies this year, has run into criticism over its advertising recently.

In September, the airlines said it had changed the name of a ticket-sale promotion that invoked an “inappropriate” death reference by asking travelers which places were on their “Bucket List”.

Bookings have plummeted due to the two disasters.

MH370 vanished in March with 239 passengers and crew aboard when it inexplicably diverting from its Kuala Lumpur-Beijing course. It is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean, but no trace has been found.

MH17 went down in July – believed hit by a surface-to-air missile – in rebellion-torn eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 aboard.

Malaysia Airlines said on November 28 its Q3 loss widened 54% year-on-year in the wake of the disasters that have sent its business into a tailspin and prompted a government rescue.

Bladder cancer breakthrough: New immunotherapy drug for terminal patients

Kathryn R. Bown
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Bladder cancer breakthrough: New immunotherapy drug for terminal patients

According to a recent study, an antibody drug which makes a wide range of cancers more vulnerable to the body’s immune system is “exciting” and may mark a new era.

The new drug strips cancer cells of the “camouflage” they use to evade attack by the immune system.

In the most detailed study, published in Nature, some patients completely recovered from terminal bladder cancer.

The immune system is in delicate balance with some chemicals in the body encouraging a strong vigorous response, while others try to dampen it down.

Tumors can hijack this system to hide from the immune system.

One trick which tumors use is a protein called PD-L1 which is normally used to prevent autoimmune diseases.

An international team of scientists has been trialing a drug to block PD-L1, produced by the company Roche, on 68 people with advanced bladder cancer.

All the patients had tried chemotherapy and had been given six-to-eight months to live.

More than half the patients, whose tumors were using PD-L1 to hide from the immune system, showed signs of recovery.

In two patients there were no signs of cancer after the treatment.

One in ten patients responded to the experimental therapy even if PD-L1 was not present in the tumor.

Dr. Tom Powles, an oncologist at the Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London and part of the research team, said: “There have been no new drugs for bladder cancer for 30 years.

“The tumors have developed a camouflage layer, PD-L1, and by removing the camouflage the tumor becomes identifiable.

“A subgroup of patients seems to do exceptionally well.”

Dr. Tom Powles is funded by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and receives no money from Roche.

The drug has been given “breakthrough therapy” status in the US and could be used widely by patients there at the end of 2015, if a larger trial shows the same results.

Much larger randomized clinical trials would be needed in order for the experimental therapy to be used in Europe.

A similar set of trials to boost the immune attack revealed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago in June, showed similar therapies could improve survival in advanced skin cancer.

In a trial of 411 patients evaluating a drug, pembrolizumab – 69% of patients survived at least a year.

Those results were described as having the “potential to be a paradigm shift for cancer therapy”.

A separate study of 175 patients, led by Yale University in the US, showed responses to the drug in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and other cancers.

Taiwan elections 2014: PM PM Jiang Yi-huah resigns after ruling pro-China party loses poll

Diane A. Wade
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Taiwan elections 2014: PM PM Jiang Yi-huah resigns after ruling pro-China party loses poll

Taiwan PM Jiang Yi-huah has resigned after his ruling pro-China party suffered stiff defeats in local elections.

The Kuomintang party (KMT) appears to have lost control of districts across Taiwan, including the mayor’s office in the capital, Taipei.

Saturday’s polls were widely seen as a referendum on relations with China.

KMT supporters had argued for good relations with China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province.

China and Taiwan, a close US ally, have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Jiang Yi-huah told reporters he was stepping down in order to take responsibility for the defeat.

Moments later, President Ma Ying-jeou, who is also KMT chairman, apologized to supporters “for making everyone disappointed”.

“I’ve received the message people have sent via these elections,” President Ma Ying-jeou told a news conference.

“It’s my responsibility and I will quickly offer a party reform plan to address everyone’s demands. I won’t avoid responsibility.”

The race in Taipei was watched with particular attention as a test of Ma Ying-jeou’s pro-China policy.

In the event, an independent opposition-backed candidate, Ko Wen-je, claimed victory over the KMT’s Sean Lien.

Sean Lien publicly bowed in defeat along with his solemn-faced supporters.

“We congratulate Mr. Ko,” he said in his concession speech.

“I’m sorry I didn’t win this election.”

More than 18 million eligible voters were registered to vote, choosing from among 20,000 candidates who were running for more than 11,000 positions.

Some voters fear that if the KMT is allowed to continue building strong ties with China, Taiwan may become too economically dependent on the mainland and vulnerable to its pressures to reunify one day.

They distrust the KMT, regardless of whether the deals signed with Beijing are good for Taiwan.

KMT supporters, on the other hand, feel that Taiwan needs good relations with its biggest trade partner to breathe new life into the island’s ailing economy.

They feared a victory by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) could cause relations with China and Taiwan’s economy to regress.

The DPP supports Taiwan’s formal independence from China, something Beijing strongly opposes.

In 2016, Taiwan will hold the more important presidential and legislative polls.

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Frida Kahlo’s garden and studio to be recreated at New York Botanical Garden

Sonia Pantiss
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Frida Kahlo’s garden and studio to be recreated at New York Botanical Garden

Frida Kahlo’s garden and studio will be recreated at the New York Botanical Garden in 2015.

Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life will be the late artist’s first solo show in New York for more than 25 years.

The exhibition will include original paintings by the Mexican artist which reflect the use of botanical imagery in her work.

Frida Kahlo, who died 60 years ago, remains best known for her searing self-portraits and her use of intense, vibrant colors.

The exhibition follows a similar project at the New York Botanical Garden in 2012 which re-imagined Claude Monet’s flower and water gardens at Giverny.

The Kahlo show, which opens on May 16 and runs to November, will see the Botanical Garden’s Enid A Haupt Conservatory transformed into Frida Kahlo’s family home Casa Azul (The Blue House).

It will recreate the blue courtyard walls, a scale version of a pyramid created to display pre-Columbian art collected by her husband, muralist Diego Rivera, and frida Kahlo’s studio. There will also be a lava rock path lined with native flowers from Mexico.

Frida Kahlo lived her entire life, from 1907 to 1954, in the cobalt-blue house in Coyoacan, outside Mexico City.

She began to paint in 1925 while recovering from a bus accident that left her in constant pain and permanently disabled, leading to more than 30 operations.

Frida Kahlo’s inclusion of plants and nature in her work spans her entire career, but was most intensive during the 1940s and ’50s when her health declined and she was increasingly confined to her home.

The exhibition, curated by Mexican art specialist Adriana Zavala, “will celebrate the energy and sophistication of Mexican culture” and provide and “in-depth look at Kahlo’s work”, said Gregory Long of the Botanical Gardens

Chespirito dead: Comic icon Roberto Gomez Bolanos dies in Cancun at 85

Sonia Pantiss
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Chespirito dead: Comic icon Roberto Gomez Bolanos dies in Cancun at 85

Mexican comic icon Roberto Gomez Bolanos, known as Chespirito (Little Shakespeare), has died at the age of 85.

The actor’s work delighted children over four decades.

His characters included El Chapulin Colorado, the inspiration behind The Simpsons‘ Bumblebee Man.

Roberto Gomez Bolanos, who died at home in the resort of Cancun, appeared in several movies and plays. His live shows played to packed out stadiums.

His television work was exported to 90 countries, translated into dozens of languages, and still shows today.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted that the country had lost an “icon whose work transcended generations and borders”.

Chespirito himself had some 6.6 million Twitter followers.

His nickname stemmed from his short stature.

In 2011 Roberto Gomez Bolanos said: “Nicknames are the most essential in life, more valuable than names.”

One of his biggest hits was the show El Chavo del Ocho, about a naive child who hides in a barrel.

The Chapulin Colorado, or Red Grasshopper, character was a comic superhero whose red and yellow outfit and hood which bore antennae inspired The Simpsons‘ Bumblebee Man.

Roberto Gomez Bolanos is survived by his second wife, Florinda Meza, six children from his first marriage and 12 grandchildren.

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Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet photos shake Elysee Palace

Lisa.Felice
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Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet photos shake Elysee Palace

Five members of French President Francois Hollande’s staff have been reassigned as police investigate photos taken of the president with actress Julie Gayet inside the Elysee Palace.

The photos in Voici magazine show Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet sitting on a terrace in the grounds of the presidential palace.

Their alleged love affair made worldwide headlines in January.

Police believe the photos may have been taken by a member of Francois Hollande’s staff last month on a mobile phone.

Voici magazine described the photos of Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet – published earlier this month – as a “tender moment… behind the walls of the Elysee”, where she spends “several nights a week”.

Newspaper reports say some of the staff who have been transferred as police investigate the security breach were appointed by Francois Hollande’s predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Photos in January of Francois Hollande in a scooter helmet visiting Julie Gayet in a Paris apartment set off a media frenzy as the president was at the time in a relationship with Valerie Trierweiler.

In March, a French court ordered Closer magazine to pay Julie Gayet 15,000 euros ($19,000) over a breach of privacy for revealing the affair.

Valerie Trierweiler, a journalist, published a bestselling memoir soon afterwards detailing their relationship, in which she depicted Francois Hollande as a self-centered champagne socialist with no time for the poor.

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Hosni Mubarak murder trial: Egypt court dismisses charges due to lack of jurisdiction

Roy Siemens
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Hosni Mubarak murder trial: Egypt court dismisses charges due to lack of jurisdiction

An Egyptian court has dismissed charges against former President Hosni Mubarak for conspiring in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising due to a technicality and lack of jurisdiction.

Hosni Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal were also cleared by Chief Judge Mahmoud Kamel al-Rashidi of corruption charges related to exporting gas to Israel.

In 2013, an appeals court overturned an initial life sentence given to Hosni Mubarak in 2012 on technical grounds.

Hosni Mubarak, 86, will not be released as he is serving a three-year sentence for embezzling public funds.

He denies all the charges against him.

Hosni Mubarak had been accused along with the former police commanders of involvement in the killing of 846 demonstrators during the 2011 revolt that ended his three-decade rule. Only 239 of the deaths were considered by the court, the presiding judge said.

In 2012, Hosni Mubarak – along with former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly – was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for complicity in the deaths of demonstrators during the 2011 revolt that eventually forced him to resign.

In January 2013, the Court of Cassation upheld an appeal by the two men against their convictions on technical grounds and ordered a retrial.

In August, a court ordered Hosni Mubarak’s release from prison and transfer to a military hospital in Cairo, where he is being held under house arrest.

Hosni Mubarak’s Islamist successor Mohamed Morsi lasted only a year in power following elections before being ousted by the military in July 2013.

The move followed four days of mass anti-government protests and Mohamed Morsi’s rejection of an ultimatum from the generals to resolve Egypt’s worst political crisis since the 2011 upheaval.

The former army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was later elected as the country’s new president.

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Taiwan elections 2014: Pro-China test for ruling party KMT

Diane A. Wade
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Taiwan elections 2014: Pro-China test for ruling party KMT

Taiwan is holding the island’s biggest local election, which is widely seen as a referendum on the China policy of the ruling party.

Almost 20,000 candidates are running for more than 11,000 posts on nine levels of government.

Critics say the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party is too close to China, while its supporters say Taiwan needs good relations with its powerful neighbor.

China sees Taiwan as renegade province with which it should be re-united.

Taiwan and China have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Taiwan only began allowing truly democratic elections – with opposition party candidates and universal suffrage – in the late 1980s.

Polling stations across the island opened at 08:00 local time, with more than 18 million eligible voters registered.

The KMT currently holds the presidency, a legislative majority, and most of Taiwan’s cities and counties, although recent opinion polls have suggested that it risks losing its traditional strongholds such as Taipei and Taichung.

Some voters fear that if the KMT is allowed to continue building strong ties with China, Taiwan may become too economically dependent on the mainland and vulnerable to its pressures to reunify one day.

They distrust the KMT, regardless of whether the deals signed with Beijing are good for Taiwan, our correspondent says.

KMT supporters, on the other hand, feel that Taiwan needs good relations with its biggest trade partner to breath new life into the island’s ailing economy.

They fear a victory by the opposition DPP party could cause relations with China and Taiwan’s economy to regress.

The DPP supports Taiwan’s formal independence from China, something Beijing strongly opposes.

In 2016, Taiwan will hold the more important presidential and legislative polls.

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Pope Francis meets Muslim and Christian leaders in Istanbul

Diane A. Wade
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Pope Francis meets Muslim and Christian leaders in Istanbul

Pope Francis is due to arrive in Istanbul meet Muslim and Christian leaders of the city on the second day of his three-day visit to Turkey.

Istanbul, previously known Constantinople, was Byzantine’s capital until the Ottoman conquest in 1453.

Pope Francis will also visit a mosque and hold mass at a Catholic cathedral.

Yesterday the pontiff called for an interfaith dialogue to counter fanaticism and fundamentalism during a visit to the Turkish capital Ankara.

He also called for a renewed Middle East peace push, saying the region had “for too long been a theatre of fratricidal wars”.

Pope Francis’ trip is only the fourth visit by a pontiff to Turkey. Most of the country’s 80 million citizens are Muslims, and there are about 120,000 Christians.

The Pope will begin his visit to Istanbul with a visit to Hagia Sofia – for almost 1,000 years the most important Orthodox cathedral, then for nearly five centuries a mosque under the Ottomans, currently a museum.

He will then hold meetings with Muslim leaders at the Blue Mosque, one of the greatest masterpieces of Ottoman architecture.

Later in the day, Pope Francis will celebrate mass at the Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit and then will meet Bartholomew I – the “first among equals” of the Orthodox Church.

Correspondents say Pope Francis and Bartholomew I have a strong personal relationship, and discussions are expected to focus on healing the schism in the Christian Church that divided it between Rome and Constantinople.

In Ankara, Pope Francis stressed the need for reconciliation and dialogue between the religions.

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Ray Rice wins appeal against NFL suspension in domestic abuse case

Clyde K. Valle
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Ray Rice wins appeal against NFL suspension in domestic abuse case

Ray Rice has won his appeal against an indefinite suspension from the NFL games, and is now eligible to play again immediately.

The 27-year-old NFL running-back was handed an indefinite ban in September when a video emerged of him punching his then-fiancée (now wife) Janay Palmer in the face.

Raymell Mourice Rice was released by the Baltimore Ravens, but he is now allowed to play should he sign for a new team.

The appeal, heard on November 5 but announced on November 28, had to decide if the NFL overstepped its authority.

American football’s governing body had modified Ray Rice’s two-game suspension, making it indefinite after the video of the incident went public.

Ray Rice has been eligible to sign for a new team since his ban was put in place, but he had not yet accepted a contract.

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Mickey Rourke defeats Elliot Seymour in Moscow exhibition boxing match

Clyde K. Valle
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Mickey Rourke defeats Elliot Seymour in Moscow exhibition boxing match

Mickey Rourke has won an exhibition boxing match in Moscow after returning to the ring for the first time in 20 years at the age of 62.

Mickey Rourke defeated Elliot Seymour – a former California Golden Gloves champion 33 years his junior.

The former Hollywood star sent 29-year-old Elliot Seymour to the canvas twice in the second round before the referee stopped the fight.

Mickey Rourke was an amateur boxer before finding fame in Hollywood movies such as 9 1/2 Weeks.

The organizers of the match said the boxers were receiving “large amounts of money” in fees but declined to give details.

“I’m very happy to be back to the boxing ring. Thank God for letting me do this,” Mickey Rourke said ahead of his fight with Elliot Seymour.

The actor refused to go into detail about his motivations for returning to the ring, but told Russian TV boxing had “sort of saved me from myself”.

Mickey Rourke is reported to have lost more than 33lbs for the fight, weighing in at 179.2lbs, the same as his rival.

Elliot Seymour is ranked 256th in the US and before the fight with Mickey Rourke had one knockout and nine losses in 10 bouts.

Mickey Rourke returned to boxing as a professional in the 1990s and was undefeated in eight fights, with six wins and two draws.

However, he suffered a number of facial injuries, which required surgery and changed his appearance.

In 2008, Mickey Rourke won a BAFTA and Golden Globe for his role in the film The Wrestler, which told the tale of a former wrestling professional who decided to return to the sport.

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Austin gun attack at Mexican Consulate and government buildings

Nancy Clayson
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Austin gun attack at Mexican Consulate and government buildings

Downtown buildings and the Mexican Consulate in Austin, Texas, have been attacked by a gunman on Friday morning.

The white, middle-aged man, who fired at the consulate, the police headquarters and a courthouse may have had political reasons, police say.

The gunman was shot by police but it is not clear whether he was fatally wounded or took his own life.

Police said it looked like an “anti-government” attack and pointed to the “heated” immigration debate.

When asked if it was a political attack on the government, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said: “If you look at the targets that were hit, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that that’s a potential.”

The political discourse around immigration, Art Acevedo added: “Becomes very heated and very angry and sometimes the rhetoric is not healthy.”

No-one was injured in the attack and a fire the man started at the consulate caused very little damage.

The man was unidentified but described as white and about 50 years old.

After being shot, officers noticed cylinders in his vehicle nearby and discovered he was wearing a vest they thought might be rigged to blow up.

A bomb squad was called but they determined that the items were not explosive.

The man’s home is now being searched.

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Black Friday 2014: Lower sales expected as many stores opened on Thanksgiving Day

Clyde K. Valle
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Black Friday 2014: Lower sales expected as many stores opened on Thanksgiving Day

This year’s Black Friday was notably less intense as bargains spread over two days.

The crowds, gathering at the biggest shopping centers, appeared to have exhausted some of their shopping enthusiasm on Thursday.

As last year, many retailers had opened their doors early to try to pull shoppers in ahead of rivals.

“The consumer clearly enjoys shopping on Thanksgiving,” said Target’s chief executive, Brian Cornell.

When opening the New York Stock Exchange for Friday’s shortened day of trading, Brian Cornell welcomed the way the holiday season “has moved from an event on Black Friday morning to a multi-day event”.

Many shoppers headed straight to the shops whilst still digesting their Thanksgiving turkey on Thursday, forming queues outside Macy’s by 6PM on what is becoming known as “grey Thursday”.

But if footfall was subdued, online sales came to the fore.

Wal-Mart said Thursday was its second-highest online sales day ever after last year’s Cyber Monday, the first Monday in December when many people order items they’d like to arrive in time for Christmas.

BestBuy’s website went offline after what the company said was “a concentrated spike in mobile traffic.”

The hope for many retailers is that the slowly improving US economy, combined with lower petrol prices, could push consumers to buy more than they have in recent memory.

Black Friday has been the top sales day of the year since 2005, according to ShopperTrak which tracks data on stores globally, beating into second place the Saturday before Christmas when last-minute shoppers stock up on Christmas gifts.

However, that could change this year as Thanksgiving shopping and online sales eat into Black Friday’s peak performance.

The earlier start to holiday shopping has placed even more focus on the plight of workers who must often leave their families in order to help shops open on Thanksgiving.

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2014 White House Christmas Tree welcomed by Michelle Obama

Nancy Clayson
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2014 White House Christmas Tree welcomed by Michelle Obama

The 2014 official Christmas Tree has arrived at the White House.

A horse-drawn wagon hauled the 20-foot white fir up the driveway to the North Portico for inspection on Friday morning.

Receiving the tree were first lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia and Sasha and family dogs Bo and Sunny.

The family circled the tree, smelled it and conferred before the first lady said: “Thumbs-up. It’s a go. We’re taking the tree.”

Malia Obama, holding Bo’s leash, said of the tree: “It’s great. It’s big.”

It’s tradition for the first lady to preside over the tree delivery on the morning after Thanksgiving. The odds are slim to none that it would ever be rejected.

The tree is chosen weeks in advance at the farm that wins the National Christmas Tree Association contest. The winner has presented the official White House tree since 1966.

In late September, a group of White House staffers including the chief usher, groundskeeper and chief horticulturist traveled to the Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, to search for a tree they agreed is perfect enough to stand in the Blue Room, albeit tethered to its ceiling, as the main attraction throughout the White House holiday season. The Blue Room tree cannot be taller than 18 ½ feet, so this tree will be trimmed to fit.

The farm, run by Christ Botek, a second-generation Christmas tree farmer, also provided the official White House tree in 2010 and 2006.

The delivery marked the start of an intense few days of round-the-clock tree trimming, wreath laying and other decorating by an army of volunteer decorators who help turn the White House into a winter wonderland. Many of the decorations honor military families, a group that Michelle Obama is trying to support through a nationwide initiative.

Michelle Obama has invited military families to the White House for a first look at the decorations on Wednesday, November 27.

The National Park Service and the National Park Foundation announced December 4 as the date for the 92nd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting on the White House Ellipse at President’s Park.

The 2014 National Christmas Tree Lighting is Thursday, December 4, at 5 PM.

Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Fifty Harmony, Patti LaBelle, NE-YO, Chely Wright, Nico & Vinz and The Tenors will perform at this year’s ceremony.

Free tickets for the lighting ceremony have been awarded through an online lottery.

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Russian plans to introduce quota on foreign films abandoned

Sonia Pantiss
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Russian plans to introduce quota on foreign films abandoned

The Russian proposed plans to cut the number of foreign films shown in local cinemas by 50% have been shelved by the country’s parliament.

The State Duma canceled a debate on the idea, saying that introducing a quota would be “superfluous”.

The decision comes just days after President Vladimir Putin spoke out against the draft bill.

The bill was submitted earlier this year when relations between Russia and the West began to sour.

“Today, regulating film exhibition by introducing quotas on Russian or foreign films would be superfluous,” Leonid Levin, head of the Duma’s committee, said.

He added: “If a good Russian film is released, people will come and watch it anyway.”

The Motion Picture Association of America, the US body which represents Hollywood studios and gives US movies their ratings, has welcomed the decision.

Speaking to Variety, Chris Marcich, the association’s president, said: “We welcome the remarks by President Putin. We have long enjoyed close relations with Russian film-makers and have a shared interest in a healthy local market.”

The draft bill was submitted to the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, in March by Robert Schlegel, a member of the United Russia party.

Robert Schlegel said that a quota would attract more investors to the Russian film industry and allow the Russian government to make back money from their investment in the Russian film world.

Speaking last week, President Vladimir Putin said he did not think it would be right to impose such a ban.

“It wouldn’t be correct to limit our consumer when it comes to products people generally want to have. And films belong to those major products,” he said.

Vladimir putin added: “The Americans are talented and successful people and there is a lot we can learn from them.”

The move could have cost Hollywood studios dearly.

Out of the top 20 grossing films at Russia’s box office this year, only two films were made in locally, with Transformers: Age of Extinction the most popular, having taken $45.2 million.

Foreign films are currently limited in China, where in 2012 the government introduced a strict quota of allowing just 34 foreign films to be screened there each year.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens first official trailer unveiled

Sonia Pantiss
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens first official trailer unveiled

Star Wars: The Force Awakens first official trailer has been unveiled online and in US cinemas.

The 7th installment of the Si-Fi saga trailer gives fans an 88-second glimpse of the new film, the first new addition to the series since 2005.

Featuring shots of the Millennium Falcon and a new T-shaped lightsaber, it is enough to whet fans’ appetite.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which reunites original stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher is scheduled to be released in cinemas on December 18, 2015.

The trailer opens with a sweeping desert landscape, with a voice saying: “There has been an awakening, have you felt it?” before John Boyega appears wearing a Stormtrooper uniform.

It goes on to feature a football-like droid, a Stormtrooper army and Daisy Ridley on a type of speeder bike.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set about 30 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

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