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Joe Biden arrives in China amid Air Defense Identification Zone tensions

Diane A. Wade
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Joe Biden arrives in China amid Air Defense Identification Zone tensions

US Vice-President Joe Biden has arrived in Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

His visit to Asia has been dominated by a row over China’s newly-declared air zone, which covers East China Sea disputed islands controlled by Japan.

Joe Biden arrived from Tokyo, where he reaffirmed the US alliance with Japan.

The vice-president attended an official welcome ceremony in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People where he met China’s Vice-President Li Yuanchao, and said China and the US should expand practical co-operation and deliver results.

On Thursday he will visit China’s leadership compound, known as Zhongnanhai.

While in Tokyo, Joe Biden said he would raise concerns over China’s new air zone “in great specificity” during meetings with China’s leaders.

Jo Biden and Xi Jinping are said to enjoy a relatively close relationship.

Joe Biden has arrived in Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang
Joe Biden has arrived in Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang

China announced a new Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) last month, and said aircraft flying through the zone must follow its rules, including filing flight plans.

The ADIZ covers islands claimed and controlled by Japan, and a submerged rock claimed by South Korea.

The US, Japan and South Korea have rejected China’s zone, and flown undeclared military aircraft through the ADIZ.

On Friday, China scrambled fighter jets to monitor US and Japanese planes flying in the area.

Tokyo has told its national carriers not to file flight plans with the Chinese side when transiting the zone, but on Friday the US said it expected its carriers to “operate consistent with Notams [Notices to Airmen] issued by foreign countries”.

This did not indicate “US government acceptance of China’s requirements for operating in the newly-declared ADIZ”, the state department said.

Speaking in Tokyo on Tuesday, Joe Biden said the US was “deeply concerned by the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea.”

On Wednesday, Chinese state media criticized Joe Biden’s comments.

“Washington has obviously taken Japan’s side,” state-run newspaper China Daily said in an editorial.

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Hassan Lakkis: Senior Hezbollah militant killed in Beirut

Roy Siemens
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Hassan Lakkis: Senior Hezbollah militant killed in Beirut

Hassan Lakkis, a senior commander of the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, has been killed near Beirut, the group says.

Hassan Lakkis was “assassinated” near his home in Hadath – 4.3 miles south-east of the Lebanese capital, Hezbollah TV channel Al-Manar said.

Hezbollah blamed Israel for his death but Israel denies the accusation.

Little is known publicly about Hassan Lakkis, but he was reputedly close to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The news comes a day after Hassan Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia was behind last month’s bombings outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut.

Iran is a major backer of Hezbollah, which has sent fighters to Syria to back the government of Bashar al-Assad.

Hassan Lakkis was reputedly close to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
Hassan Lakkis was reputedly close to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

The conflict in Syria has increased sectarian tensions in its smaller neighbor.

A statement issued by Hezbollah on Wednesday said Hassan Lakkis was killed as he returned home from work around midnight.

The group said Israel had tried to kill him several times previously, but had failed.

Lebanese security officials said assailants lying in wait opened fire on Hassan Lakkis with an assault rifle while he was in his car, according to the Associated Press news agency.

He was attacked in the car park of the building where he lived and was taken to a nearby hospital but died early Wednesday, the unnamed officials were quoted as saying.

Israel denied any involvement in the death.

“These automatic accusations are an innate reflex with Hezbollah,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.

“They don’t need evidence, they don’t need facts. They just blame anything on Israel.”

Hezbollah – or the Party of God – is a powerful political and military organization in Lebanon made up mainly of Shia Muslims.

The organization emerged with financial backing from Iran in the early 1980s and began a struggle to drive Israeli troops from Lebanon.

Hezbollah fought a destructive 34-day war with Israel following the capture of two Israeli soldiers in 2006.

The group said that one of Hassan Lakkis’s sons had been killed fighting Israel in the 2006 conflict.

Pentagon halts cargo shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan

Roy Siemens
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Pentagon halts cargo shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan

Pentagon has decided to halt its ground cargo shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan because of the risk to drivers after protests over US drone strikes.

Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said this would affect outgoing shipments of military equipment and other goods from US units on Afghan soil.

Mark Wright said deliveries could be resumed “in the near future”.

Pakistanis have blocked the US main supply route to Afghanistan, blaming the drones for causing civilian deaths.

Pentagon has decided to halt its ground cargo shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan because of the risk to drivers after protests over US drone strikes
Pentagon has decided to halt its ground cargo shipments from Afghanistan via Pakistan because of the risk to drivers after protests over US drone strikes

Protesters have been harassing truck drivers, turning back vehicles carrying NATO provisions.

The blockade is centered on a road in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,

Islamabad says it is committed to allowing supplies through, but as yet has done nothing to stop the vigilante action, which has caused huge disruption, correspondents say.

There are two crossings in Pakistan used to take NATO troop supplies to and from Afghanistan – the other crossing in south-west Balochistan province has not been affected by a blockade.

Washington has already redirected many supplies coming into Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan.

The US military is sending equipment home as it reduces the number of its troops in Afghanistan.

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2013 Cyber Monday sales hit new record

Clyde K. Valle
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2013 Cyber Monday sales hit new record

On Cyber Monday, the biggest day of the year for e-commerce in the US, online sales rose 18.4% to $1.735 billion, a record for a single day, according to comScore.

Online sales grew at a torrid pace, rising 22% between Thursday and Cyber Monday, according to data firm comScore.

That does not include sales made using a mobile device such as a smart phone or a tablet.

Cyber Monday fell on December 2 in 2013.

The long Thanksgiving weekend sets the tone for the holiday season, when retailers get about 30% of their annual sales.

Total in-store sales between Thanksgiving Day on Thursday and Sunday rose 1% compared to the same period last year, while the number of visits to stores fell 4%, ShopperTrak said. ShopperTrak has forecast sales at stores will rise 2.4% for November and December together.

During “Black Weekend” 2013, shoppers spent an estimated $22.2 billion, compared to last year’s $22 billion, said ShopperTrak.

Cyber Monday fell on December 2 in 2013
Cyber Monday fell on December 2 in 2013

On Sunday, the National Retail Federation estimated Americans had spent 2.9% less over the weekend.

Shoppers appeared to be waiting a bit longer to do their Christmas shopping, perhaps holding out for deals. An Ipsos poll of almost 1,400 Americans over the weekend found 77% had done at least some of their holiday shopping by Black Friday, compared to 81% on the same day last year.

According to IBM data, sales through mobile devices rose 55%.

The biggest beneficiaries of the surge in online sales were marketplaces run by e-commerce leaders Amazon.com and eBay, according to data released by ChannelAdvisor, a provider of e-commerce software to retailers that tracks online sales.

Sales on Amazon‘s and eBay‘s marketplaces rose 30% on Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

They did well in part because of how well suited their sites are to use on mobile devices, said ChannelAdvisor CEO Scot Wingo.

Wal-Mart Stores said Monday was the all-time highest online sales day but declined to give a figure or a growth rate compared with last year.

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Willie Robertson and Luke Bryan performing at CMA Country Christmas special

Sonia Pantiss
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Willie Robertson and Luke Bryan performing at CMA Country Christmas special

Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson hit the stage with Luke Bryan for a funny performance during the CMA Country Christmas special.

Willie Robertson and Luke Bryan performed Hairy Christmas and they were making jokes about Willie’s beard.

Willie Robertson hit the stage with Luke Bryan for a funny performance during the CMA Country Christmas special
Willie Robertson hit the stage with Luke Bryan for a funny performance during the CMA Country Christmas special

The Duck Dynasty star recently spoke about performing with Luke Bryan and said: “It’s quite an honor to be invited here with our Christmas album out now, Duck the Halls, we really wanted to show up when we could actually contribute something.”

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Duck Dynasty among TV shows influencing hottest trends in baby names in 2013

Sonia Pantiss
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Duck Dynasty among TV shows influencing hottest trends in baby names in 2013

Duck Dynasty is among the TV shows influencing the hottest trends in baby names in 2013.

Silas “Si” Robertson finds himself with unlikely namesakes this year.

According to BabyCenter, Silas jumped to No. 112 among boys’ names on its annual list of popular baby names. Phil, the name of the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family, the Robertsons of West Monroe, Louisiana, rose 32%, or 860 spots, on the list.

Korie, the name of Willie Robertson’s wife, jumped an amazing 89%, or 13,262 spots, on the list.

Si Robertson finds himself with unlikely namesakes this year
Si Robertson finds himself with unlikely namesakes this year

No one’s rushing to name their sons, or daughters, after Breaking Bad‘s Walter White – the name Walter fell 12%, or 55 spots – and most other character names on the show also dropped on the list. Two character names, however, saw significant jumps: the name Mike is up 20% and Marie is up 21%.

Kate Middleton’s son, Prince George, also had a big impact for such a little guy. BabyCenter found that the name George climbed 10% for boys – and 37% for girls.

And don’t forget the ever-popular Kanye West-Kim Kardashian family.

While the name of their daughter North did not show a great increase, the name Kanye jumped 38%, or 2,228 spots. Little North West’s nickname, Nori, also saw an increase of five spots on the list.

The HBO series Girls had an impact on two fronts: the name of character Marnie jumped 62%, or 3,286 spots, and the name of series creator and star Lena Dunham rose 26%.

Elsewhere, the names Jackson, Aiden and Liam topped BabyCenter’s list of the top 100 baby names for boys. Sophia, Emma and Olivia topped the list of the most popular girls names.

Ukraine protests: NATO foreign ministers condemn use of force in Kiev

Diane A. Wade
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Ukraine protests: NATO foreign ministers condemn use of force in Kiev

NATO foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels have condemned the use of “excessive force” during protests in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Ukraine to “listen to the voices of its people”.

Earlier, Ukraine’s PM Mykola Azarov apologized in parliament for the use of police force against protesters.

Mass protests were sparked by the government’s decision not to sign an association deal with the EU last week.

Thousands demonstrated outside the parliament building in Kiev on Tuesday, with protests in the city once again continuing into the evening.

“We urge all sides to conduct themselves peacefully. Violence has no place in a modern European state,” John Kerry told reporters.

The ministers said in a statement that they urged “Ukraine… to fully abide by its international commitments and to uphold the freedom of expression and assembly”.

“We urge the government and the opposition to engage in dialogue and launch a reform process,” they added.

Mass protests in Kiev were sparked by the government's decision not to sign an association deal with the EU
Mass protests in Kiev were sparked by the government’s decision not to sign an association deal with the EU

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ukrainian parliament rejected an attempt to force the resignation of the government.

The opposition tabled the motion of no-confidence, which was defeated.

Before parliament voted on the motion, Mykola Azarov addressed an emergency session:

“On behalf of our government, I would like to apologize for the actions of our law enforcement authorities on Maidan [Independence Square],” he said, referring to violence at the weekend.

“The president and the government deeply regret that this happened.”

Speaking above boos by opposition deputies in parliament, the prime minister called for protests outside the government buildings in Kiev to end, and appealed for Ukrainians not to return to the unrest of the Orange Revolution of 2004.

“We reach out our hand to you. Push away the plotters, the plotters seeking power and who are trying to repeat the scenario of 2004,” Mykola Azarov said.

Later he said the government was ready for dialogue with protesters but that they must “stop occupying government buildings and interfering with the work of the government administration”.

The newspaper Ukrainska Pravda published a series of videos and photographs which it says backs up the claims.

The images appear to show a group of young men wearing masks and helmets pushing against police lines in front of the presidential building. Soon afterwards several are seen beckoning to others in the crowd and then passing through the blockade, without resistance from officers.

At least one of the men is also pictured standing uninterrupted behind the riot police.

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Barack Obama launches campaign to resell health care law to the public

Diane A. Wade
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Barack Obama launches campaign to resell health care law to the public

President Barack Obama is planning to rally support for ObamaCare and stem a wave of bad publicity over his flagship domestic achievement.

The president was joined at the White House by Americans who said they had benefited from the Affordable Care Act.

The new healthcare.gov website, which sells medical insurance, is now working at acceptable levels after its disastrous launch, says the administration.

The act aims to provide health coverage to some 15% of US citizens who lack it.

Barack Obama sought to remind Americans that under his health programme, insurers can no longer deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions, and young people can now stay on their parents’ coverage until age 26.

He discussed the intensive efforts to repair the healthcare.gov website, which has been a flop since it went online on October 1st.

“Today the website is working well for the vast majority of users,” Barack Obama said.

President Barack Obama is planning to rally support for ObamaCare
President Barack Obama is planning to rally support for ObamaCare

“More problems may pop up, as they always do when you’re launching something new. And when they do we’ll fix those, too.”

The White House is also due to hold a youth summit on Wednesday, in the latest attempt to promote the law among the young and healthy, a demographic crucial to the strategy of reducing overall healthcare costs.

It is part of a multi-pronged effort by the administration to counter the Republican argument that the act known on both sides of the political divide as ObamaCare is “a train wreck”.

The law’s problems have sent Barack Obama’s job approval ratings plunging and threaten to damage fellow Democrats in next year’s congressional elections.

Elsewhere in Washington DC on Tuesday, the White House’s chief of staff told a public policy forum that more than one million new visitors had logged on to healthcare.gov a day earlier.

Denis McDonough said the website’s new queuing system, used in times of high traffic, worked “pretty well”.

“No matter what, we’re going to see this thing through,” he said.

He did not provide updated figures for how many people had signed up for insurance plans.

The administration aims to enroll 7 million people in insurance plans before the end of March, when all Americans are required to have coverage or pay a fine.

But problems reportedly persist. Insurers say they are receiving enrolment forms that have errors or are duplicated, while others go missing altogether.

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Facebook unveils Unfollow button

Nancy Clayson
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Facebook unveils Unfollow button

Facebook unveils the “Unfollow” button which work in the same way that users were able to “Hide All” from friends in the past, simply with new phrasing, TechCrunch reported.

The idea is that users can block content they don’t want to see from their friends without going so far as defriending them.

In the past, the “Hide All” option pretty much did the same thing, keeping all updates from a user hidden, a discreet way to make someone disappear from your virtual life without the awkwardness of unfriending them.

Facebook unveils the "Unfollow" button
Facebook unveils the “Unfollow” button

On Facebook, you can already unfollow news organizations and people you are following but are not friends with. The ability to unfollow all users will simply standardize the language across the site, not to mention add an element of schadenfreude when banishing exes from your News Feed.

Find an update from someone you don’t want to follow anymore, click on the drop-down menu on the top-right corner of the post, and select “Unfollow”.

The unfollow option is the much the less confrontational way of making someone disappear, since they won’t be notified of your secret vote of disinterest and will still see you in their friends list.

Only 1% of files leaked by Edward Snowden published

Diane A. Wade
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Only 1% of files leaked by Edward Snowden published

Guardian’s editor Alan Rusbridger revealed only 1% of files leaked by Edward Snowden have been published.

Alan Rusbridger told the Home Affairs Select Committee in UK parliament that the Guardian was not a “rogue newspaper”.

He insisted the paper’s journalists were “patriots” and patriotic about democracy and a free press.

Alan Rusbridger said senior officials in Whitehall and the US administration had told the paper “no damage” had been caused.

Last month intelligence chiefs used their appearance before a different committee to criticize the Guardian, suggesting it had endangered national security.

However, Alan Rusbridger said their accusations were “very vague and not rooted in specific stories”.

“There are different views about this,” he said.

Alan Rusbridger revealed only 1 percent of files leaked by Edward Snowden have been published
Alan Rusbridger revealed only 1 percent of files leaked by Edward Snowden have been published

“It’s impossible to assess because no one has given me specific evidence.”

He added: “There are countries – and they are not generally democracies – where the press are not free to write about this and where the security services do tell editors what to write.

“That’s not the country we live in, in Britain, and it’s one of the things we love about the country.”

The Guardian editor said the paper had “made very selective judgments”‘ about what to publish and had not revealed the names of any officials.

He said the files taken by Edward Snowden, a former contractor with the National Security Agency (NSA) were in four locations – with The Guardian and the Washington Post newspapers, as well as in Rio de Janeiro and Germany.

Alan Rusbridger said editors of “leading” newspapers had also decided to publish details in the NSA files.

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Male and female brain connections are completely different

Kathryn R. Bown
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Male and female brain connections are completely different

A research team from University of Pennsylvania has found that men and women’s brains are wired in completely different ways which may explain why they excel at certain tasks.

The researchers scanned the brains of nearly 1,000 men, women, boys and girls and found striking differences.

Male brains are wired front to back, with few connections bridging the two hemispheres.

In females, the connections criss-cross between left and right.

These differences might explain why men, in general, tend to be better at learning and performing a single task, like cycling or navigating, whereas women are more equipped for multitasking, say the researchers in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Men and women's brains are wired in completely different ways which may explain why they excel at certain tasks
Men and women’s brains are wired in completely different ways which may explain why they excel at certain tasks

The same volunteers were asked to perform a series of cognitive tests, and the results appeared to support this notion.

Experts have questioned whether it can be that simple, arguing it is a huge leap to extrapolate from anatomical differences to try to explain behavioral variation between genders.

In the study, women scored well on attention, word and face memory, and social cognition, while men performed better on spatial processing and sensori-motor speed.

Study author Dr. Ruben Gur said: “It’s quite striking how complementary the brains of women and men really are.

“Detailed connectome maps of the brain will not only help us better understand the differences between how men and women think, but it will also give us more insight into the roots of neurological disorders, which are often s** related.”

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Yasser Arafat was not poisoned, French report

Roy Siemens
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Yasser Arafat was not poisoned, French report

Yasser Arafat was not poisoned when he died in 2004, French scientists concluded.

According to French media leaks, the scientists probing the death of the Palestinian leader have reportedly concluded he died after a “generalized infection”.

A previous report by Swiss scientists said tests on Yasser Arafat’s body showed “unexpected high activity” of polonium.

This “moderately” supported the theory, long believed by many Palestinians, that he was poisoned, the report said.

Yasser Arafat, who led the Palestine Liberation Organization for 35 years and became the first president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996, fell violently ill in October 2004 at his compound.

Two weeks later Yasser Arafat was flown to a French military hospital in Paris, where he died on November 11, 2004, at the age of 75.

Yasser Arafat’s official medical records say he died from a stroke resulting from a blood disorder. French doctors were not able at the time to determine what had caused the disorder.

His body was exhumed for testing last year amid continuing claims he was murdered. Many Palestinians have accused Israel of being behind his death, something which Israel has always denied.

The latest reported findings were “not a surprise”, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP.

Yasser Arafat fell violently ill in October 2004 at his compound
Yasser Arafat fell violently ill in October 2004 at his compound

In July 2012, an al-Jazeera documentary reported that scientists at the Swiss Institute of Radiation Physics had found “significant” traces of a highly radioactive and toxic material on personal effects given to Yasser Arafat’s widow Suha after his death, including his trademark keffiyeh.

Suha Arafat asked the Palestinian Authority to authorize the exhumation of his remains in order “to reveal the truth”.

The Palestinian Authority granted French investigators and a team of Swiss scientists permission to exhume Arafat’s body and take samples for testing. Russia also sent experts, and samples were sent to its Federal Medico-Biological Agency.

Suha Arafat also filed a civil suit at a court in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, alleging that her husband was murdered by an unnamed “perpetrator X”. French prosecutors began a murder inquiry in August 2012.

Last month, a forensic expert said that the levels of polonium found in Yasser Arafat’s remains by the Swiss scientists were 18 to 36 times higher than normal.

However, they said their findings could not categorically prove the theory that he was poisoned.

The Swiss scientists had stressed that they had been unable to reach a more definitive conclusion because of the time that had lapsed since Yasser Arafat’s death, the limited samples available and the confused “chain of custody” of some of the specimens.

Also on Tuesday, a Palestinian investigator said he would soon name the people he believed were responsible for Yasser Arafat’s death.

Star Wars Instagram account launched with Darth Vader selfie

Sonia Pantiss
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Star Wars Instagram account launched with Darth Vader selfie

Star Wars launched its official Instagram account by posting a selfie of Darth Vader.

A tweet told followers to subscribe to the Instagram page, saying: “It is useless to resist.”

Two behind the scenes pictures from previous films have also been posted.

Star Wars: Episode VII will begin shooting at Pinewood Studios early next year ahead of an expected 2015 release.

Star Wars launched its official Instagram account by posting a selfie of Darth Vader
Star Wars launched its official Instagram account by posting a selfie of Darth Vader

The Star Wars Instagram account had gained around 60,000 followers within 12 hours after posting the first image.

Disney is holding open auditions for the new film, which have been taking place around Britain.

The most recent feature-length Star Wars, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, was released in 2005.

Paul Walker death: Fast & Furious 7 to go ahead

Lisa.Felice
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Paul Walker death: Fast & Furious 7 to go ahead

Fast & Furious 7 will still go ahead following the death of Paul Walker, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The magazine quotes a source who said the production is facing a delay but the film will still be released.

Paul Walker, 40, died on Saturday when a Porsche being driven by his friend Roger Rodas, who also died, crashed near Los Angeles.

Fast & Furious 7 will still go ahead following the death of Paul Walker
Fast & Furious 7 will still go ahead following the death of Paul Walker

The cast and crew of Fast & Furious 7 were taking a break from filming during the Thanksgiving holiday but were scheduled to reconvene in Atlanta on Sunday.

Another film starring Paul Walker, Hurricane Katrina drama Hours, will still be released in the US on December 13, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The film’s producer, Peter Safran, told the magazine: “He would have very much wanted us to move forward.”

Paul Walker was reprising his role as Brian O’Conner in Fast & Furious 7. He starred in five of the six movies in the popular franchise.

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Annie Awards 2014: Frozen and Monsters University lead nominations

Sonia Pantiss
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Annie Awards 2014: Frozen and Monsters University lead nominations

Frozen and Monsters University lead the nominations for the 41st Annie Awards, which honor the year’s best achievements in animation.

Both films landed 10 nominations each, including best animated feature.

Despicable Me 2 and The Croods also compete for the event’s top prize, as do Japanese titles The Wind Rises and A Letter to Momo and the French animation Ernest and Celestine.

The awards will be handed out at a Los Angeles ceremony on February 1st, 2014.

The evening will see director Steven Spielberg recognized for his career contribution to the art of animation.

Frozen‘s other nominations include nods for character animation and design, writing and music in an animated feature.

The film is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen.

Frozen leads the nominations for the 41st Annie Awards
Frozen leads the nominations for the 41st Annie Awards

Monsters University, a prequel to 2001’s Monsters, Inc, is also up for best animated effects, production design and storyboarding.

Despicable Me 2 scored nine nominations in the main feature film categories, with three of its stars – Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Pierre Coffin – recognized for voice acting.

Billy Crystal was also nominated for Monsters University, as were Paul Giamatti for Turbo, Terry Crews for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and Josh Gad for Frozen.

The Croods, about a family of cavemen fighting for survival, also received nine nominations.

Frozen and Ernest and Celestine were the only films to be nominated in the best feature, directing and writing categories.

Disney picked up 31 nominations across the 30 categories, which encompass film, TV games and commercials.

DreamWorks followed with 19 nominations, one more than the number Pixar recorded.

The Annie Awards usually indicate which titles will be nominated for the Academy’s best animated feature award.

This year the five nominees for the best animated feature Oscar also received Annie nominations, though eventual Oscar recipient Brave lost the top Annie prize to Wreck-It Ralph.

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Beyoncé named world’s most searched person on Bing in 2013

Nancy Clayson
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Beyoncé named world’s most searched person on Bing in 2013

Beyoncé has been named the world’s highest ranking human being of 2013 beating Kim Kardashian, according to Bing.

Women ruled 2013, the top five most searched people of the year were all women, and only two men made it into the top ten- Justin Bieber (6th) and Barack Obama (10th).

What is surprising, however, is just how far Beyoncé’s behind Miley Cyrus appears. Miley Cyrus trails at No 9 in the Top 10 List.

Beyoncé has been named the world’s highest ranking human being of 2013 beating Kim Kardashian
Beyoncé has been named the world’s highest ranking human being of 2013 beating Kim Kardashian

However, Justin Bieber wins out as the most searched for celebrity on Bing in the UK alone. Justin Bieber outranks Beyoncé Knowles and Kate Middleton to top the chart in Britain.

2013 Most Searched Person of the Year

1.    Beyoncé Knowles

2.    Kim Kardashian

3.    Rihanna

4.    Taylor Swift

5.    Madonna

6.    Justin Bieber

7.    Nicki Minaj

8.    Amanda Bynes

9.    Miley Cyrus

10.  Barack Obama

Paul Walker and Roger Rodas car crash not caused by street race

Lisa.Felice
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Paul Walker and Roger Rodas car crash not caused by street race

Paul Walker and Roger Rodas car crash was not the result of a street race, investigators have said.

While the neighborhood where Fast & Furious star Paul Walker died in a car crash on Saturday is known to attract street racers, law enforcement officials do not believe the Porsche he and his friend Roger Rodas were riding in had been racing another car.

Accident investigators “have received eyewitness statements that the car involved was traveling alone at a high rate of speed,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a written statement Monday.

“No eyewitness has contacted the (department) to say there was a second vehicle.”

Paul Walker, 40, and his friend and fellow fast-car enthusiast Roger Rodas, 38, died Saturday when Rodas’ 2005 Porsche Carrera GT smashed into a light pole and tree, then exploded in flames. The posted limit was 45 mph.

The two had taken what was expected to be a brief drive away from a charity fundraiser and toy drive at Roger Rodas’ custom car shop in the Southern California community of Valencia, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Paul Walker’s publicist said the action star was the passenger.

Paul Walker and Roger Rodas car crash was not the result of a street race
Paul Walker and Roger Rodas car crash was not the result of a street race

The crash happened on a street that forms an approximately 1-mile loop amid industrial office parks. It is rimmed by hills and relatively isolated from traffic, especially on weekends when the businesses are closed.

“It’s well-known out here that that’s a hot spot for street racers,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Rick Miler said.

The sheriff’s department, which polices the neighborhood, said Saturday’s wreck was not the first speed-related crash there, but would not reveal specifics.

Meanwhile, investigators are consulting video from security cameras, talking to eyewitnesses and analyzing physical evidence such as on-board computer data from the Porsche.

A steady stream of fans has flocked to the crash site to leave flowers, candles and memorabilia from the action films.

On Monday night, a private memorial for survivors and the cast and crew of the Fast & Furious movies was held there inside a white tent erected around the crash site. When it was over, Paul Walker’s co-star Vin Diesel emerged to thank fans for paying their respect to the actor.

Officials have not named either person found in the car. The bodies were so badly burned by the fire that engulfed the wreck that dental records will be needed to confirm their identities.

Paul Walker and Roger Rodas had bonded over their shared love of fast cars.

Roger Rodas was a financial adviser as well as a professional driver who competed in 10 Pirelli World Challenge GTS races in 2013.

Paul Walker starred in all but one of the six Fast & Furious blockbusters. He had been on break from shooting the latest installment; Universal Pictures has not said what it plans to do with Fast & Furious 7, currently slated for July 2014 release.

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Bob Dylan under judicial investigation in France over Croat remarks

Sonia Pantiss
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Bob Dylan under judicial investigation in France over Croat remarks

Bob Dylan has been placed under judicial investigation in France for allegedly provoking ethnic hatred of Croats.

The move follows a legal complaint lodged by a Croat association in France over a 2012 interview Bob Dylan gave to Rolling Stone magazine.

In the interview Bob Dylan allegedly compared the relationship between Jews and Nazis to that of Serbs and Croats.

Bob Dylan, 72, was served notice of the investigation last month.

At the time the singer was in Paris to receive the Legion of Honor, a prestigious French award.

In the Rolling Stone interview, Bob Dylan was sharing his thoughts about US history and the country’s racial divide.

Bob Dylan has been placed under judicial investigation in France for provoking ethnic hatred of Croats
Bob Dylan has been placed under judicial investigation in France for provoking ethnic hatred of Croats

The singer is reported to have said: “Blacks know that some whites didn’t want to give up slavery – that if they had their way, they would still be under the yoke, and they can’t pretend they don’t know that.

“If you got a slave master or [Ku Klux] Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood.”

During WWII, the Croat Ustashe fascist movement killed hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and others in their death camps.

Croats and Serbs also fought each other during the break-up of Yugoslavia, in a 1991-1995 war that left around 20,000 people dead.

After the interview was published, the Council of Croats in France (CRICCF) filed a complaint.

Being placed under judicial investigation means that authorities are taking the complaint seriously, but that it won’t necessarily go further.

Bob Dylan, who played concerts in Serbia and Croatia in 2010, rose to fame in the 1960s partly for his support of the US civil rights movement.

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Pavel Dmitrichenko jailed for acid attack on Sergei Filin

Sonia Pantiss
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Pavel Dmitrichenko jailed for acid attack on Sergei Filin

Bolshoi Ballet soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko has been jailed for six years for organizing an acid attack on company’s artistic director Sergei Filin.

Two fellow defendants were jailed for 10 and four years.

Sulphuric acid was thrown at Sergei Filin outside his Moscow flat in January, badly damaging his eyesight.

Pavel Dmitrichenko had admitted he wanted Sergei Filin “roughed up” but had denied wanting acid thrown into his face.

Investigators said Pavel Dmitrichenko had organized the attack because of a conflict with Sergei Filin.

The case has revealed bitter rivalries and infighting at the Bolshoi, one of Russia’s most famous ballet and opera companies.

Pavel Dmitrichenko’s fellow defendant Yuri Zarutsky, a former convict, admitted actually throwing the acid. He was sentenced to ten years.

The third man accused, Andrei Lipatov, drove Yuri Zarutsky to and from the scene of the attack. He was given four years’ prison.

Pavel Dmitrichenko has been jailed for six years for organizing an acid attack on Bolshoi's artistic director Sergei Filin
Pavel Dmitrichenko has been jailed for six years for organizing an acid attack on Bolshoi’s artistic director Sergei Filin

“Their guilt in committing the crime has been established in full,” judge Yelena Maximova at Moscow court said.

Yuri Zarutsky had argued that throwing acid in Sergei Filin’s face was his own idea. Andrei Lipatov said he had not known where he was taking the other man.

Since the attack near his home in Moscow on 17 January, Sergei Filin has had more than 20 operations to try to save his eyesight.

Following treatment in Germany, Sergei Filin returned to Moscow. Wearing dark glasses he gave evidence at the trial.

“The pain was immense and instant,” he said of the attack.

“It had been a beautiful winter night: silent, white, great drifts of snow falling upon snow. I began scooping up handfuls of it and pressing them into my eyes and cheeks to relieve the agony.”

Sergei Filin denied he had had any conflict with Pavel Dmitrichenko, whom he accused of seeking to damage his reputation before the attack through false allegations of affairs with ballerinas and favoritism.

Defense witnesses sought to portray Sergei Filin as authoritarian while Pavel Dmitrichenko was portrayed as a champion of other performers who feared to speak out against the artistic director.

The Bolshoi has undergone a number of changes, appointing a new director, Vladimir Urin.

On Monday, the sudden resignation of the Bolshoi’s music director and chief conductor, Vasily Sinaisky, was announced without explanation.

Vasily Sinaisky made no comment on his departure, according to Russian media. He had been due to conduct Verdi’s opera Don Carlos, which is premiering at the theatre in two weeks.

In another development, the Bolshoi said it was not renewing the contract of an aide to Sergei Filin, Dilyara Timergazina. Her contract expires at the end of this year.

A source told Russian daily Izvestia that Sergei Filin himself would no longer work for the company after his own contract expired in 2016.

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Jang Sung-taek: Kim Jong-un’s uncle dismissed from top military post

Diane A. Wade
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Jang Sung-taek: Kim Jong-un’s uncle dismissed from top military post

Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Jang Sung-taek, lost his position as vice-chairman of North Korea’s top military body, South Korean media reports say.

Citing South Korea’s intelligence agency, they say Jang Sung-taek, 67, has been removed from his post.

Two close aides were also executed for corruption, according to the reports.

If confirmed, Jang Sung-taek’s removal would be the biggest upheaval in North Korea’s leadership since Kim Jong-un succeeded his father, analysts say.

Kim Jong-un took over after his father Kim Jong-il died in 2011.

The latest reports emerged from an intelligence briefing given to South Korean lawmakers.

Jang Sung-taek lost his position as vice-chairman of North Korea's top military body
Jang Sung-taek lost his position as vice-chairman of North Korea’s top military body

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment based on information provided by multiple sources, the South’s Yonhap news agency said.

It also quoted the intelligence service as saying two of Jang Sung-taek’s closest associates had been executed in public in late November.

However, the reports are difficult to verify, and South Korea’s spy agency has been proven wrong before. But if true, the development would mark a significant shift.

Jang Sung-taek, who is married to Kim Jong-il’s sister, was seen by some observers as the power behind the throne.

He climbed through the ranks of the secretive leadership of North Korea’s Korean Workers Party (KWP) in the 1970s. In 1992, he was elected to its Central Committee.

However,  Jang Sung-taek has been targeted by purges in the past. In 2004, despite his place in the Kim family, he disappeared from public view.

One report at the time, citing South Korean intelligence, said Jang Sung-taek had been placed under house arrest. Others suggested he had been sent for “re-education”.

However, two years later Jang Sung-taek appears to have been reinstated. He was regarded as an economic reformer and a major influence on Kim Jong-un.

Jang Sung-taek held key positions in both the Communist Party and the National Defense Commission.

Thai protesters enter Yingluck Shinawatra’s office

Diane A. Wade
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Thai protesters enter Yingluck Shinawatra’s office

Thai police removed barricades from outside both Government House and the police office in Bangkok announcing that protesters are welcomed in the government’s headquarters.

The mood in the capital Bangkok appeared considerably calmer after the move, which followed clashes over the weekend and on Monday.

But as tensions fell, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban vowed to fight on and remove the government.

PM Yingluck Shinawatra has rejected protesters’ demands that she step down.

Yingluck Shinawatra said she was open to negotiations but that calls for the government to be replaced by an appointed council were illegal and unconstitutional.

The protests, which began on November 24, had been largely peaceful until Saturday, when they became violent.

Over the weekend and on Monday demonstrators tried to break apart police barricades and storm the prime minister’s office, Government House, with police using tear gas and water cannon to repel them.

Protest leader and former opposition politician Suthep Thaugsuban said on Monday that the protesters would “take over the Metropolitan Police Bureau and make it the people’s”.

Thai police took down barriers and razor wire outside their building and it was announced that the protesters were welcome inside
Thai police took down barriers and razor wire outside their building and it was announced that the protesters were welcome inside

On Tuesday morning – in a surprise and possibly shrewd move – the police took down barriers and razor wire outside their building and it was announced that the protesters were welcome inside.

Protesters were allowed through the barricades outside Government House.

Demonstrators gathered on the lawn of the headquarters, blowing whistles and waving flags. AFP news agency reported a “carnival” atmosphere at the site.

Protesters shook hands with police officers, hugged them, and offered them roses.

Deputy Prime Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana said the government was still functioning, but had asked the police to back off.

“We see the protesters just want to seize these places as a symbolic action, so we want to compromise,” he told Reuters.

The police move is seen as an attempt to prevent further clashes.

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Joe Biden: US concerned about China’s new air defense identification zone

Diane A. Wade
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Joe Biden: US concerned about China’s new air defense identification zone

Vice-President Joe Biden said at the beginning of a tour of East Asia that the US remains “deeply concerned” about China’s new air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

In written responses to Japan’s Asahi newspaper, Joe Biden said China and Japan had to establish measures to lower tensions.

Joe Biden arrived in Tokyo late on Monday and will then head to Beijing and Seoul during his six-day visit.

The air zone row is likely to dominate the week of talks.

Joe Biden’s most important task this week will be persuading Beijing and Tokyo to stop baiting each other, and to start talking about how to avoid an unintended clash.

Both the US and Japan have voiced strong criticism of China’s establishment of an ADIZ that includes islands claimed and controlled by Japan. It also includes a submerged rock claimed by South Korea.

China says aircraft operating within its ADIZ must follow certain rules such as filing flight plans, or face “defensive emergency measures”.

US, Japanese and South Korean military aircraft have all defied these rules and Japanese commercial carriers have agreed to a government request not to comply.

On Friday, China scrambled fighter jets to monitor US and Japanese planes flying in the area.

Joe Biden told the newspaper that the establishment of the ADIZ underscored “the need for agreement between China and Japan to establish crisis management and confidence building measures to lower tensions”.

Joe Biden arrived in Tokyo late on Monday and will then head to Beijing and Seoul during his six-day visit
Joe Biden arrived in Tokyo late on Monday and will then head to Beijing and Seoul during his six-day visit

As well as “the strength of our alliance commitments” with Japan, he planned to “emphasize the importance of avoiding actions that could undermine peace, security and prosperity in the region”, he said.

Joe Biden was met at the airport late on Monday by the new US envoy to Japan, Caroline Kennedy. Later on Tuesday, he meets Japanese PM Shinzo Abe.

Shinzo Abe said on Sunday that he expected to discuss the ADIZ issue with Joe Biden.

Tokyo has told its national carriers JAL and ANA not to file flight plans with the Chinese side when transiting the zone, but on Friday the US said it expected its carriers to “operate consistent with Notams (Notices to Airmen) issued by foreign countries”.

This did not indicate “US government acceptance of China’s requirements for operating in the newly-declared ADIZ”, the state department said.

Shinzo Abe said on Sunday he expected to have “in-depth” talks with Joe Biden about the ADIZ row.

Japan, he said, would “resolutely but calmly deal with Beijing’s attempt to change the status quo” in the region.

Tensions between Japan and China have been high for months because of a territorial row over islands in the East China Sea.

Japan controls the islands, which are called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. They are also claimed by Taiwan and lie in a strategically important area south of Japan and north of Taiwan.

The US has described China’s move as destabilizing.

After Tokyo, VP Joe Biden heads to Beijing for talks with President Xi Jinping and then travels on to South Korea.

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Metro-North train was speeding before crash

Nancy Clayson
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Metro-North train was speeding before crash

Metro-North train that crashed on Sunday in New York City was going 82 mph in a 30 mph zone when it ran off the rails, investigators have said.

Four people were killed and more than 60 injured in New York’s Bronx borough.

The Metro-North train from Poughkeepsie to New York City crashed about 07:20 local time on a curve.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating whether a mechanical failure or human error caused the train’s high speed.

The train appeared to have been travelling over the speed limit even before it thundered into the curve where it crashed – the speed limit on the track approaching the curve is 70 mph, NTSB board member Earl Weener said on Monday.

He said the train had made nine stops prior to the derailment, and officials had not yet uncovered any brake problems.

Metro-North train that crashed in New York City was going 82 mph in a 30 mph zone when it ran off the rails
Metro-North train that crashed in New York City was going 82 mph in a 30 mph zone when it ran off the rails

Earl Weener said preliminary data from the train’s event recorders indicated the train’s brakes became fully engaged just five seconds before the locomotive came to a complete stop after the crash.

In addition, he said the locomotive’s throttle went to idle six seconds before the train came to a stop.

Authorities continue to question the train’s engineer and three other crew members, and planned to transport the locomotive to a secure facility for further examination.

Officials were examining the engineer’s mobile phone – a standard procedure, Earl Weener said.

The engineer and assistant conductor were both injured in the crash.

Authorities also obtained surveillance video of the derailment from a nearby bridge, but the picture was of low quality, he added.

Officials have identified the deceased as Donna Smith, 54, James Lovell, 58, James Ferrari, 59, and Ahn Kisook, 35. Three of the dead were found outside the train, and one was found inside.

Of the 150 or so who were on board, 11 remain critically injured.

One man suffered a spinal cord injury that could leave him paralyzed from the neck down, a doctor told CNN.

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Junior Murvin dies in Jamaica hospital at 67

Sonia Pantiss
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Junior Murvin dies in Jamaica hospital at 67

Junior Murvin, best known for the 1976 hit song Police and Thieves, has died in Jamaica at the age of 67.

His son, Keith Smith, said the reggae singer died in hospital in Port Antonio on Monday.

The cause of Junior Murvin’s death has not been established although the singer was being treated for diabetes and high blood pressure.

Police and Thieves, produced by the celebrated Lee “Scratch” Perry, became a 1970s anthem and was later covered by The Clash.

Junior Murvin was best known for the 1976 hit song Police and Thieves
Junior Murvin was best known for the 1976 hit song Police and Thieves

Junior Murvin – born Murvin Junior Smith – began his career as a hotel entertainer in Jamaica, eventually becoming a recording artist in the capital, Kingston, the Jamaica Observer reported.

Police and Thieves was a hit in Jamaica and also took off in the UK where it found an audience with punk rock aficionados.

The song became closely associated with the Notting Hill Carnival in London which ended in rioting the year it was released.

Junior Murvin continued to record through the 1980s although his later singles had less success.

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Kate Moss on Playboy cover at 40

Lisa.Felice
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Kate Moss on Playboy cover at 40

Kate Moss channels a Playboy bunny on the magazine’s much-anticipated January cover in honor of her 40th birthday year.

Inside the magazine, Kate Moss opens up about why she cherishes her privacy, explaining: “I don’t want to hang my dirty laundry out for Hello! and for people to know all the ins and outs of my life … I don’t get why it would be interesting. I’m not that different.”

Kate Moss channels a Playboy bunny on the magazine's much-anticipated January cover in honor of her 40th birthday year
Kate Moss channels a Playboy bunny on the magazine’s much-anticipated January cover in honor of her 40th birthday year

Kate Moss, who turns 40 on January 16, also divulges that she never even considered pursuing a different path.

“I was, like, a child when I started. I was 14,” the supermodel says.

“If it hadn’t happened, I don’t know what would have happened to me. I would be in Croyden [the neighborhood south of London where she grew up], working in a bar, probably. I wanted to be at the center of things. I love working with creative people, and there was none of that where I came from. As soon as I was given a chance I took it,” Kate Moss added.

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