US citizen Merrill Newman, who is detained for more than a month in North Korea, has confessed to committing “indelible crimes” against the state, say North Korean state media.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Merrill Newman had ordered the deaths of North Korean soldiers and civilians in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The agency published what it described as a “statement of apology” by Merrill Newman.
Merrill Newman, now 85, did serve during the Korean War but his family says he is the victim of mistaken identity.
Pyongyang’s state media has routinely publicized alleged apologies from previous American detainees, which cannot be independently verified.
Authorities have previously been accused of coercing confessions from detainees.
Merrill Newman, who is detained for more than a month in North Korea, has confessed to committing “indelible crimes” against the state
Some observers say Merrill Newman’s alleged confession could allow North Korea to release him without formal legal proceedings.
Merrill Newman – a retiree from Palo Alto, California – has been held in North Korea since being taken off a plane as he prepared to leave the country on October 26, following a 10-day tourist visit.
In video released by North Korean authorities, Merril Newman is shown reading his alleged apology, dated November 9.
“During the Korean War, I have been guilty of a long list of indelible crimes against DPRK government and Korean people,” the 4-page statement reads, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The statement also claims Merrill Newman was an “adviser of the Kuwol Unit of the UN Korea 6th Partisan Regiment part of the Intelligence Bureau of the Far East Command” – an apparent reference to one of the special operations units acting against the North.
Merrill Newman apparently confesses to trying to contact surviving soldiers during his trip as a tourist.
The statement adds: “Please forgive me.”
However, Merrill Newman’s family has said there must have been “some dreadful misunderstanding” and have appealed for his release, saying he may need medication.
Another veteran, also named Merrill Newman, was awarded a Silver Star medal for his efforts during the Korean War.
He has previously told Reuters news agency he thought it was possible there had been “a case of mistaken identity”.
A police helicopter crashed into a busy pub in Glasgow city centre killing at least eight people.
Three people inside the helicopter and five people inside The Clutha pub were killed after the Police Scotland aircraft came down at 22:30 on Friday.
Other 14 people are being treated for “very serious injuries” in hospitals across the city.
A major investigation is under way and the Air Accidents Investigations Branch will conduct an inquiry into the crash.
Dr. Jennifer Armstrong, medical director at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said that of the 32 people taken to local hospitals after the crash, 18 had now been treated and discharged.
She confirmed that 14 people were still being treated for serious injuries.
“The main injuries we have seen include chest injuries, head injuries, long-bone fractures and lacerations,” she said.
It is thought that about 120 people were in the pub at the time of the crash.
Many were rescued or escaped but others were trapped by a collapse on the left-hand side of the building.
Three people inside the helicopter and five people inside The Clutha pub were killed after the Police Scotland aircraft came down
The three occupants of the helicopter who died were two police officers and a civilian pilot.
A significant number of personnel from Police Scotland, The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Ambulance Service are still at the scene.
Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House told a news conference on Saturday afternoon that they would remain there for some time.
Chief Constable House said the operation would go on “for many days yet”.
He paid tribute to the emergency service personnel who were working at the scene and the people of Glasgow who disregarded their own personal safety to help survivors in the aftermath of the crash.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the same news conference that the increased death toll from the crash was “news that everybody today has been both dreading and expecting”.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond earlier described it as a “black day for Scotland.”
UK’s PM David Cameron paid tribute to the bravery of the “ordinary Glaswegians” who rushed to help.
Queen Elizabeth II has said her thoughts and prayers are with the victims of crash.
The Police Scotland helicopter which crashed was a twin-engine Eurocopter EC135 T2.
In a statement, Eurocopter said its experts were “on standby to support the investigation in every way possible”.
“An accident investigation team from Eurocopter is on its way to Scotland to assist the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch and the BFU (German AAIB) in its efforts to investigate the cause of the accident,” the statement said.
Helicopter operator Bond Air Services said it was working with the police and emergency services.
Duck Dynasty reality show has inspired Reverend Chris Terbush in northwestern Pennsylvania to encourage his congregation to come to church in camouflage clothing on Sunday.
Reverend Chris Terbush told the Bradford Era he’s hoping to attract new members to The First Wesleyan Church of Bradford, and to celebrate the state’s outdoors heritage before deer-hunting season opens Monday.
“Ultimately, the major goal is to draw new parishioners,” Chris Terbush said.
“I thought it’d be neat if nothing else to show the community who we are.”
Duck Dynasty has inspired Reverend Chris Terbush in northwestern Pennsylvania to encourage his congregation to come to church in camouflage clothing on Sunday
The 30-year-old pastor and outdoor enthusiast is a native of Indiana and a life-long hunter. He plans to dress in his hunting clothes, as the evangelical Protestant denomination doesn’t require that he wear a clerical collar or other garb to preside at church services.
“There are a lot of hunters in our congregation,” Chris Terbush said.
“I know we live in a hunting community and we’re open to all people including hunters.”
The church is located about 120 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, not far from the border of New York.
Chris Terbush said he’s still working on a sermon that “could very well deal with the subject of camouflage itself.”
“Camo Sunday” might even become a regular event if it proves popular.
Duck Dynasty’s Si, Willie and Jase Robertson went to New York City on Thursday where they took part in the prestigious Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Uncle Si, Willie and Jase Robertson were sporting their favorite hats, bandannas and warm coats as they stand on their float.
At times, the Duck Dynasty stars looked a little bemused as their boat-like float Marion Carole made its way along the route lined by a reported 3.5 million spectators.
Duck Dynasty stars looked a little bemused as their boat-like float Marion Carole made its way along the route lined by 3.5 million spectators
Jase Robertson, sporting his trademark beanie hat, sunglasses and sheepskin fleece, was joined by his wife Missy who looked a lot more seasonal in red coat and black hat.
Duck Dynasty has just completed the fourth season with the premiere attracting a whopping 11.8 million, making it the most-watched nonfiction cable telecast in history.
Cindy Crawford channels late screen siren Maria Felix on the cover of the upcoming issue of Marie Claire Mexico.
Maria Felix rose to fame during Mexico’s golden age in film during the 1940s.
Cindy Crawford channels late screen siren Maria Felix on the cover of the upcoming issue of Marie Claire Mexico
The 47-year-old supermodel is wearing a crisp white button-down shirt, stacks of baubles around her neck and wrists, and a blue hat casually draped across the right side of her face on the John Russo-shot cover.
Cindy Crawford gives the camera a sultry-but-challenging gaze, one that reflects the late Maria Felix’s attitude as a strong woman.
Saudi campaigner Aziza al Yousef has been stopped by police as she was driving through Riyadh.
Aziza al Yousef is a leading campaigner for giving women the right to drive.
Photos of Aziza al Yousef were posted on Friday morning as she was seen at the wheel.
Her fellow activist, Eman al Nafjan, took the pictures.
On her Twitter page, Eman al Nafjan provided a running account of their drive, saying they bought a bunch of bananas without anyone batting an eyelid.
Eman al Nafjan posted a photo of them filling up at a petrol station and expressed her satisfaction that this all seemed to be treated as an everyday occurrence.
But then they were spotted and reported to the police, who stopped them.
Both were asked to sign a pledge that they would not drive again. Eman al Nafjan refused to.
Saudi campaigner Aziza al Yousef has been stopped by police as she was driving through Riyadh
On Twitter, while still with the police, she said that if she was asked to call her male guardian, she would simply say that she was her own guardian. But her guardian – known as a mahram – was called against her wishes.
The two women were then released. Eman al Nafjan described her companion as the bravest and most courageous of drivers. It was only two days ago that Aziza al Yousef – with another activist, Hala al-Dosari – had a meeting with the Interior Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
The prince has long been one of the most powerful men in the country and is seen as a possible future king – representing a younger generation than the current leaders. Activists said the meeting was positive and the minister sympathetic.
No-one expected this to herald any big change in the immediate future. Reform is a gradual process in Saudi Arabia and there remain powerful factions opposed to lifting the driving ban on women.
But the meeting came after activists re-launched a campaign several months ago with the aim of making the idea of women driving in Saudi Arabia a normal part of life.
They originally set October 26 as a day for women – with the support of Saudi men – to take to the wheel. Dozens did, but the authorities made clear they would not accept a mass flouting of the ban.
Since then, activists have recast the campaign around the non-existent day of November 31 – a sign that it would continue indefinitely. Several women have been driving and posting videos of themselves since.
The meeting with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef had been seen as possibly offering fresh hope that the authorities might be taking a softer stance.
The brief detention of Aziza al Yousef and Eman al Nafjan is an abrupt reminder that nothing can be taken for granted in Saudi Arabia – and that a shift one way often only signals a shift in the exact opposite direction a few days later.
Scanned copies of three short stories by JD Salinger, which the reclusive author did not want published, have been leaked online.
The Ocean Full Of Bowling Balls, Paula and Birthday had previously only been available to read at two American university libraries.
The Ocean Full Of Bowling Balls is of particular importance, as it inspired elements of The Catcher In The Rye.
The stories were uploaded to a file-sharing website this week, and rapidly spread online.
The collection, titled Three Stories, features a plain black cover, and also contains a letter from JD Salinger to his publisher Little, Brown and Company, discussing proof copies of his works.
David Ulin, a book critic with the Los Angeles Times, said that at least two of the stories in the collection were “the real deal”.
“I’ve never read The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls,” he wrote.
“It’s part of a collection of Salinger material at the Princeton University Library and available only to scholars who are supervised as they read.
“I have read the other two stories, however, at the University of Texas’ Ransom Center, and the versions of them in Three Stories are the real deal.”
“The Ransom Center is relatively free with its manuscripts; visitors can even have photocopies made, although they are prohibited from circulating the work.
Scanned copies of three short stories by JD Salinger, which the reclusive author did not want published, have been leaked online
“It’s more difficult to imagine how a manuscript was copied from the Princeton Library, but in this digital age, I have little doubt that it could be done.”
JD Salinger’s only published novel, The Catcher In The Rye is a tale of teenage angst which has gone on to become one of the most influential American novels of the modern era, selling more than 65 million copies.
The Ocean Full Of Bowling Balls is a prequel to the story of its idealistic outcast, Holden Caulfield, and recounts the death of his younger brother Kenneth – renamed Allie in the subsequent novel.
It was originally scheduled to appear in Harper’s Bazaar, but JD Salinger withdrew it before publication.
Following the success of Catcher In The Rye, JD Salinger released a collection of short stories and several novellas but stopped publishing in 1965 and withdrew from public view – although it is believed he continued to work.
Living in New Hampshire, JD Salinger protected his privacy fiercely until his death in 2010, aged 91.
In 1982, he sued to halt the publication of a fictitious interview with a major magazine.
In 2009, JD Salinger took court action to stop the US publication of a novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Colting that presented Holden Caulfield as an old man.
In his final interview, given in 1980, JD Salinger said: “There’s a marvelous peace in not publishing.
“When you publish, the world thinks you owe something. If you don’t publish, they don’t know what you’re doing. You can keep it for yourself.”
JD Salinger had given instructions that his unpublished stories should not be seen for 50 years after he died.
However, a documentary released earlier this year claimed five works would be made available between 2015 and 2020 – among them The Last And The Best Of The Peter Pans, a sequel to Catcher In The Rye.
The appearance of Three Stories was first mentioned on discussion site Reddit, and later reported by Buzzfeed – but the provenance of the collection is unclear.
A paperback version was recently sold on eBay, and is thought to be one of 25 copies printed privately in Britain in 1999.
However, the version that was shared online has a different cover to the one listed on eBay.
The user who distributed the scan, on invitation only file-sharing site what.cd, wrote an anonymous message saying they would “confirm and, with that, take responsibility to the claim that these are accurate to the originals”.
“It took me many weeks of research to find that this book existed, and many more weeks to acquire it,” the anonymous user added.
Public protector Thuli Madonsela – South Africa’s top corruption fighter – has condemned a newspaper for publishing extracts from her report, which allegedly says President Jacob Zuma should repay $20 million for upgrades to his rural home in Nkandla.
Thuli Madonsela said it was “unethical and unlawful” to publish her report.
According to the Mail and Guardian, Thuli Madonsela said President Jacob Zuma had derived “substantial benefits” from the upgrade.
The government says the improvements were needed for national security.
It has gone to court to block publication of Thuli Madonsela’s report.
Last week, several newspapers defied a government warning not to publish photographs of the residence in Nkandla.
Thuli Madonsela’s reports allegedly says Jacob Zuma home’s upgrades included a visitors’ lounge, amphitheatre, cattle enclosure, swimming pool and houses for his relatives
Opposition parties have condemned it as a waste of public money, while the governing ANC says it believes he has done nothing wrong.
Jacob Zuma’s office has declined to comment on the Mail and Guardian article.
The newspaper says it has had “direct access” to the provisional report by Thuli Madonsela, the public protector.
It said the upgrades included a visitors’ lounge, amphitheatre, cattle enclosure, swimming pool and houses for the president’s relatives.
The newspaper said it published the article because “all the evidence points to a systematic attempt by the government to shield disclosures about the scandal from public view”.
“There are good reasons for fearing that the security ministers who tried to interdict Madonsela earlier this month may be planning further litigation to block its release,” it said.
Thuli Madonsela has distanced herself from the article and the quotes that have been attributed to her, saying that the final report would be released in about a month.
British detectives searching for new leads in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann have received 5,000 calls.
Investigators were inundated with tips from UK, Germany and Holland after police issued a computer-generated image of a suspect last month, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood told the BBC.
“The media appeals produced a fantastic response from the public in all three countries,” he said.
“I know the appeal generated a large number of calls to the Portuguese police also.”
Many of the tips were from people who were in Portugal’s Praia da Luz resort when 3-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing on May 3, 2007, Andy Redwood added.
British detectives searching for new leads in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann have received 5,000 calls
The computer-generated image represents a man who was spotted carrying a child towards the beach near the resort.
Portuguese police closed the investigation in 2008. But after two years of reviewing case documents, London’s Metropolitan Police reopened the case in July, saying there was a good chance Madeleine was still alive. Portuguese detectives followed suit last month.
Five years after officially closing the book on Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, the Portuguese authorities say new material justifies reopening the investigation.
Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said they were “very pleased” with the decision and hoped it would finally lead to their daughter being found.
Andy Redwood said police have widened the timeline they’re examining and in the last few months have opened two other investigative trails.
From shootings and stabbings to minor brawls, Black Friday turned violent as shoppers became obsessed over discount deals.
After buying a big screen TV, a Las Vegas shopper was shot at around 9:45 p.m. local time late Thursday as he tried to take his purchase home, Lt. David Gordon of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told NBC News.
“As the victim was walking through his complex he was approached by a suspect who fired warning shots which caused the victim to release the television,” he said.
As the thief tried to load it into a vehicle the victim approached him to try and get it back, David Gordon added.
“The suspect fired two more shots and the victim was struck in the leg,” he said.
“He was not seriously injured.”
Early Friday shoppers started arriving at a Chicago-area Kohl’s store just hours after a police officer shot the driver of a car that was dragging another officer responding to a call of alleged shoplifting which came in at around 10 p.m. local time.
Both the driver and the officer were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Three people were arrested, police said.
At least three people got into a fight in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Rialto, California, because shoppers were cutting in line, Sgt. Nicholas Borchard told NBC. Two were taken into custody after the fight at around 7 p.m. local time, he added. A police officer suffered a minor unknown injury.
From shootings and stabbings to minor brawls, Black Friday turned violent as shoppers became obsessed over discount deals
A man in Claypool Hill, West Virginia, was slashed to the bone with a knife after threatening another man with a gun in an argument over a Wal-Mart parking spot, Tazewell County Sheriff Brian Hieatt told WVVA. Both faced charges after the incident that happened at 6:30 p.m. the station reported.
Another shopper was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer after getting into an argument with a New Jersey Wal-Mart store manager about a television set. Officers arrived at the scene at 6:39 p.m. and once they had pacified the customer they also charged the shopper with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Stores have braced themselves for the Black Friday rush despite a Consumer Reports poll this week that found 56% of Americans had no plans to shop at all this weekend.
Because Thanksgiving fell on November 28, the latest possible date, there are six fewer shopping days this holiday season than last. The most common reason – named by 70% of respondents – was a desire to avoid the crowds.
A Gallup poll this year found that 53% of Americans are very or somewhat likely to do their shopping online, the highest share since Gallup started asking the question in 1998.
China has scrambled fighter jets over the disputed islands in East China Sea to monitor US and Japanese planes as they flew in its newly declared air defense zone.
The zone covers territory claimed by China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
China said last week that all aircraft crossing through the zone must file flight plans and identify themselves or face “defensive emergency measures”.
The US, Japan and South Korea say they have since defied the ruling and flown military aircraft in the area.
China’s newly declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ) covers a vast area of the East China Sea and includes a group of islands which are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan.
South Korea claims ownership of a submerged rock, known as Ieodo, within the zone.
China has scrambled fighter jets over the disputed islands in East China Sea
The establishment of the ADIZ has caused widespread anger, with the US calling it a “destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region”.
On Thursday, China had announced it was deploying warplanes in the area as a “defensive measure” and to carry out routine surveillance.
Then on Friday, Air Force spokesman Colonel Shen Jinke said Chinese warplanes had been scrambled that morning to identify two US surveillance aircraft and 10 Japanese planes – including early warning aircraft, surveillance aircraft and fighter jets – crossing through the ADIZ, state media reports.
Col. Shen Jinke made no reference to whether any further action was taken by any of the aircraft.
Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China had a right to patrol the region and that it the ADIZ was not aimed at any specific country.
Speaking at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said the EU will not accept a “veto” by Russia on the bloc’s ties with former Soviet republics.
Jose Manuel Barroso said the era of “limited sovereignty was over in Europe”.
The summit failed to revive an association agreement with Ukraine that was due to be its centrepiece.
Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych said he could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia – which opposes the deal – for EU ties.
Viktor Yanukovych froze plans to sign Ukraine’s trade deal last week. In Vilnius, he defended his refusal to sign, saying the EU was not offering adequate financial aid.
After the two-day summit, Jose Manuel Barroso said: “We will not give in to external pressure, not the least from Russia.
“What we cannot accept is a condition on a bilateral agreement to have a kind of a possible veto of a third country. This is contrary to all principles of international law.”
EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the parties had been “really close” to signing the association agreement, but added that “we need to overcome pressure from abroad”.
“We are embarked on a long journey, helping Ukraine to become, as others, what we call now, <<new member states>>. But we have to set aside short-term political calculations.”
However, progress was made with two other ex-Soviet states, Georgia and Moldova.
Viktor Yanukovych froze plans to sign Ukraine’s trade deal, saying the EU was not offering adequate financial aid
Association agreements with both were initialed – a stage prior to signing – on Friday. Diplomats have expressed hope those deals can be signed next year.
EU leaders said in a statement earlier that they “strongly” disapproved of Moscow’s pressure on Ukraine not to sign – while Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the EU of “blackmail”.
Analysts say Russia worked hard to undermine the EU agreement with Ukraine, which it sees as a strategically vital partner.
On the one hand, it offered Kiev loans and price discounts. On the other, it threatened painful trade sanctions and higher gas bills.
On Thursday, Viktor Yanukovych told Ukrainian TV that an EU offer to lend Kiev 610 million euros ($828 million) was inadequate.
He said Ukraine would need at least 20 billion euros a year to cover the costs of upgrading its economy to “European standards”.
“For three years in succession they [EU leaders] have shown this candy in pretty wrapping to us,” Viktor Yanukovych added.
“We don’t have to be humiliated like this. We are a serious country, a European one.”
Meanwhile pro-EU protests are continuing in Ukrainian cities against the government’s decision to back out of the agreement.
Prominent Ukrainian opposition politician Vitali Klitschko, who is also in Vilnius, said he hoped the agreement would be signed after all.
“We Ukrainians want the changes,” the world boxing champion added.
“We want to live with the European family, with European rules, with Europeans’ life standards.”
Maxima Latvia CEO, Gintaras Jasinskas, has lost his job over controversial comments he made after the collapse of a supermarket in Riga.
Gintaras Jasinskas sparked anger by saying: “It is those who feel guilty who resign.”
His remarks came after he was asked whether any company executives would follow PM Valdis Dombrovskis’ lead and step down.
At least 54 people died when the Maxima supermarket collapsed last Thursday.
Asked about the disaster, Gintaras Jasinskas said he felt “responsible, but not guilty”, adding that he could “look people in the eyes”.
Maxima, which has its headquarters in neighboring Lithuania, operates supermarkets in all three Baltic states.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Twitter: “Most shocking and arrogant statement by Maxima Latvia CEO refusing to assume any responsibility for [the] tragedy…”
The foreign ministry summoned Lithuania’s ambassador Ricardas Degutis to demand an explanation, according to local media.
Mindaugas Bagdonavicius, Lithuanian chief executive of the Maxima Group, later announced Gintaras Jasinskas had been sacked over Thursday’s remarks.
Maxima Latvia CEO has lost his job over controversial comments he made after the collapse of a supermarket in Riga
“Shareholders have decided to dismiss from his position the chairman of Maxima Latvija Gintaras Jasinskas for his unacceptably expressed opinion at this painful and difficult time for Latvia’s nation,” Reuters quoted Mindaugas Bagdonavicius assaying.
The Latvian prime minister announced his resignation – and thereby the fall of his government – on Wednesday.
“Considering the tragedy and all related circumstances… a new government is needed that has the clear support of parliament,” Valdis Dombrovskis said.
Latvian President Andris Berzins earlier described the disaster as “murder” and called for foreign experts to investigate what had happened.
He was quoted by Baltic news agency Delfi as saying: “I call on all who look to the future to assess their responsibility and act accordingly.”
Andris Berzins is now considering appointing a new government. Elections are not scheduled until October next year.
The collapse was the biggest loss of life since Latvia became independent from the USSR in 1991.
Latvian police have opened a criminal investigation into the cause of Maxima disaster.
Structural experts have suggested that the supermarket building itself may have been badly designed and so not able to support a garden that was being built on the roof.
Substandard construction materials and corruption are other possible lines of inquiry.
Some part of Comet ISON may have survived its encounter with the Sun, scientists say.
The giant ball of ice and dust was initially declared dead when it failed to re-emerge from behind the star with the expected brightness.
All that could be seen was a dull smudge in space telescope images – its nucleus and tail assumed destroyed.
But recent pictures have indicated a brightening of what may be a small fragment of the comet.
Astronomers admit to being surprised and delighted, but now caution that anything could happen in the coming hours and days.
This remnant of ISON could continue to brighten, or it could simply fizzle out altogether.
Some part of Comet ISON may have survived its encounter with the Sun
“We’ve been following this comet for a year now and all the way it has been surprising us and confusing us,” said astrophysicist Karl Battams, who operates the NASA-funded Sungrazing Comets Project.
The European Space Agency (ESA), too, which had been among the first organizations to call the death of ISON, has had to re-assess the situation. A small part of the nucleus may be intact, its experts say.
How much of the once 2 km-wide hunk of dirty ice could have survived is impossible to say.
Passing just 1.2 million km above the surface of the Sun would have severely disrupted ISON. Its ices would have vaporized rapidly in temperatures over 2,000C. And the immense gravity of the star would also have pulled and squeezed on the object as it tumbled end over end.
Karl Battams said: “We would like people to give us a couple of days, just to look at more images as they come from the spacecraft, and that will allow us to assess the brightness of the object that we’re seeing now, and how that brightness changes.
“That will give us an idea of maybe what the object is composed of and what it might do in the coming days and weeks.”
Whatever happens next, comets are going to be a big feature in the news over the next year.
Hundreds of Thai protesters forced their way into the army headquarters in Bangkok, on the sixth day of anti-government rallies.
The protesters broke open a gate, held a rally in the compound asking for the army’s help in their campaign, and later withdrew without confrontation.
On Thursday, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra called for an end to the demonstrations after surviving a no-confidence vote.
But protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has rejected her appeal.
“We will not let them work anymore,” the former senior opposition lawmaker said in a speech late on Thursday.
On Friday, at least 1,000 protesters forced their way into the army headquarters compound, but did not enter any buildings.
They urged the army to come out in support of the demonstrators.
Hundreds of Thai protesters forced their way into the army headquarters in Bangkok, on the sixth day of anti-government rallies
“We want to know which side the army stands on,” Reuters news agency quoted one protester as saying.
Meanwhile security was tightened around the ruling Pheu Thai party headquarters, where more protesters had massed.
Demonstrators have been surrounding and occupying official buildings this week in an attempt to disrupt the government.
During the demonstrations, which have been largely peaceful so far, participants have cut the electricity supply to the national police headquarters and forced the evacuation of Thailand’s top crime-fighting agency.
The protesters say Yingluck Shinawatra’s government is controlled by her brother, exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
Yingluck Shinawatra has invoked special powers allowing curfews and road closures, and police have also ordered the arrest of Suthep Thaugsuban – but so far no move has been made to detain him.
In a televised address on Thursday, Yingluck Shinawatra said the protesters should negotiate with the government.
“The government doesn’t want to enter into any political games because we believe it will cause the economy to deteriorate,” Yingluck Shinawatra said.
The US government has agreed to pay $50 million settlement to Apptricity after it was said to have pirated “thousands” of copies of military software.
Apptricity, based in Texas, has provided logistics programs to the army since 2004.
The company said it had discovered last year the software had been installed on many more machines than had been licensed.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has not commented on the settlement.
The Dallas Morning News reported a DoJ spokeswoman had confirmed the agreement, but would not give more details.
The US government has agreed to pay $50 million settlement to Apptricity after it was said to have pirated “thousands” of copies of military software
Apptricity’s software allows the military to track the movements of soldiers as well as key supplies.
It has also been used during relief efforts, most notably in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.
According to court documents filed in 2012, the deal with the military meant up to 500 named users could access the software.
Apptricity later estimated that 9,000 users were accessing the program, in addition to the 500 that had been paid for.
The unauthorized copying only came to light after a US Army official mentioned “thousands” of devices running the software during a presentation on technology.
Apptricity called for $224 million to be paid to cover costs.
The settlement of $50 million falls some way short – but in a statement the company said Apptricity would spend the sum on expanding the company.
“Apptricity is now incredibly energized to use the settlement resolution as a catalyst for aggressive investment in our team, our solutions and our untapped market opportunities,” said Randy Lieberman, Apptricity’s chief financial officer.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the year, and companies go all out with marketing.
Most brands save their best online deals for the weekend after Thanksgiving, giving consumers a chance to buy coveted items at slashed prices just in time for the holidays.
Whether you are online shopper (and you love Cyber Monday) or love the thrill of digging through a bargain bin (and love Black Friday), we suggest preparing yourself for this momentous shopping extravaganza with these tips:
1. Create a budget
Before you create your list, you need a carefully planned budget. This will further help you avoid those impulse purchases.
2. Make a list and check it twice
Shopping a sale can be dangerous, as the idea of markdowns can have you purchasing items you don’t need. To avoid spending on frivolous items, make a list and don’t deviate from it.
3. Check return policies
The downside to buying on final sale or clearance usually means no returns. Or, the time period for returns is short, so know before you go.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the year, and companies go all out with marketing
4. Dress appropriately
There is no need to dress to impress on Black Friday. Everyone is there for one reason: to shop. Sneakers and leggings are appropriate attire for efficient shopping. Also, it makes time in the fitting room quick and easy.
5. Bring cash for Black Friday
The line at the register can seem neverending on Black Friday. Don’t be the one that holds it up because of a faulty credit card.
6. Check the lay of the land
It is best to know the territory. Time spent looking for the electronics section is time lost.
7. Drive-by shopping
Finding a parking space can be nightmare. And by the time you find a spot, the store would be practically half empty. Arrange for a ride there and home.
8. Shop with your home computer on Cyber Monday
If Cyber Monday is your day to splurge, make sure you do it in the comfort of your home with your own computer. For security reasons, you don’t want to be shopping on a public computer.
9. Shop with a credit card or Paypalon Cyber Monday
Scams are common online, so make sure you avoid the heartache that comes with bank fraud—read: don’t use debit cards. Most credit cards come with anti-fraud protection. Paypal is another secure way to shop online.
10. Get Cyber Monday coupons in advance
Most websites have promo codes a few days before, offering even more of a discount on select items.
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have now become officially divorced after 8 years of marriage.
A judge in Los Angeles finalized the decision on Tuesday morning after the pair signed legal papers last month.
Ashton Kutcher, 35, filed for a divorce from Demi Moore, 51, in December 2012.
The two separated in 2011 and had to agree on how to divide their $300 million fortune. They were married on September 24, 2005, in a private ceremony at a Kabbalah Centre.
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have now become officially divorced after 8 years of marriage
The wedding was attended by around 150 close friends and family, including Bruce Willis, Demi Moore’s ex-husband.
During their marriage Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore started a foundation to combat s**ual exploitation of girls around the globe.
Demi Moore appears in upcoming film Very Good Girls and starred in 2011’s Margin Call.
Since 2011 Ashton Kutcher has starred in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, playing Walden Schmidt.
Ashton Kutcher has been dating Hollywood star Mila Kunis since April 2012.
Shoppers eager to catch all Black Friday’s best bargains have been able to make an even earlier start to their holiday shopping, as a record number of stores opened on Thanksgiving Day.
Black Friday, the day following the Thanksgiving holiday, is the biggest shopping day of the year in the US.
Retailers offer special deals to tempt shoppers to spend.
Shoppers eager to catch all Black Friday’s best bargains have been able to make an even earlier start to their holiday shopping, as a record number of stores opened on Thanksgiving Day
Some stores, including the flagship Macy’s in New York, opened on Thursday evening – traditionally reserved for celebrating – for the first time ever.
Twelve national chains opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day.
Workers’ groups have protested that the trend towards Thanksgiving opening means retail employees can no longer spend the day with their own families.
Thanksgiving Day is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
Black Friday took over from the last Saturday before Christmas as the biggest shopping day of the year for US consumers in 2001.
Comet ISON was destroyed in its encounter with the Sun.
Telescopes saw the giant ball of ice and dust disappear behind the Sun, but only a dull streamer emerge.
Astronomers continued to search for the object, but it eventually became clear that the much vaunted “Comet of the Century” had gone out with a whimper.
Despite its great size, ISON was probably torn apart in the immense heat and tidal forces so close to the Sun.
The ESA’s experts on the SOHO Sun-watching satellite called the death of the comet at about 21:30 GMT.
Comet ISON was destroyed in its encounter with the Sun
“Our SOHO scientists have confirmed, Comet ISON is gone,” ESA’s twitter feed announced.
ISON had captivated skywatchers with its promise ever since it was discovery by Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok in 2012.
A “fresh”, 2 km-wide object flung in towards the inner Solar System from its home far beyond the outer planet Neptune, it was hoped it might produce a brilliant tail that would arc across the night sky, perhaps for weeks.
And, as it got closer and closer to the Sun, its ices did indeed begin to vaporise, releasing dust that shimmered in a distinctive trailing stream.
But from early on, it was clear ISON was unlikely to be spectacular; it was just not brightening in the way experienced comet watchers had anticipated.
This led scientists to fear for its survival when it eventually grazed past the star at a distance of just 1.2 million km at 18:35 GMT on Thursday.
SOHO followed ISON as it began its sweep around the back of the Sun, but then failed to pick up a coherent object at the time it was supposed to re-emerge. A streak in the imagery was interpreted as the last fizzling of debris.
Other telescopes such as NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory could detect no clear sign of the comet’s nucleus, either.
Passing close to the Sun, ISON would have been subjected to temperatures over 2,000C. And the immense gravity of the star would also have pulled and squeezed on the object as it tumbled end over end.
All the evidence suggests ISON’s nucleus was torn apart in the close pass, in the same way that Comet Lovejoy – a previous hopeful in 2011 – was disrupted.
Honey Boo Boo’s mother, June Shannon, shares her family’s favorite Thanksgiving delicacy, cranberry lasagna.
“Alana’s favorite thing is cranberry sauce,” Mama June says.
“I always have to keep it in the house, even if it’s not Thanksgiving. She loves me to make what we call our cranberry lasagna.”
The cranberry sauce cans can also be used as hand weights, as June Shannon demonstrates in a rigorous 10-second workout.
June Shannon shares her family’s favorite Thanksgiving delicacy, cranberry lasagna
Moving on, the Mama June lists the ingredients other than cranberry sauce that you’ll need to replicate this treat: A pan, a knife, and some sugar.
“We do thoroughly enjoy cranberry sauce as a family,” June Shannon says as she slices the sauce into hockey-puck sized slabs, arranges them in the pan and then douses them with sugar.
After a couple of hours in the fridge, it’s ready.
“I hate to say it but Alana would probably, if I let her, she would eat this whole thing,” June Shannon says after sampling her handiwork and declaring it to be pretty good.
“Cranberry sauce is kind of like the food of the Gods.”
Kanye West, who vowed during a November 18 radio interview to never mention Barack Obama again, bravely reconsidering his stance on whether or not to discuss the president so that he could declare himself and his fiancée, Kim Kardashian, “most relevant”.
“The reason why Obama mentioned our name is ’cause we most relevant. Case in point! So if I say that, that’s cause it’s the case in point,” Kanye West attempted to explain during a Monday interview on Hot 97.
“He just say that trying to be cool! Obama was supposed to be the coolest person on the planet, now he gotta say our names to be cool. It’s like a feature; we featured in his interviews right now. They need a feature from us to get relevant!”
Kanye West bravely reconsidering his stance on whether or not to discuss Barack Obama so that he could declare himself and Kim Kardashian “most relevant”
Kanye West initially vowed not to discuss the president again while speaking toPhiladelphia radio station Hot 107.9, declaring: “I’m not gonna mention him no more, I’m past that.”
The bad blood between Kanye West and Barack Obama, who once referred to the rapper as a “jackass,” came to a boil when the president lamented that young people these days regard the celebrity couple as “the mark of success.”
“Kids [in the past] weren’t monitoring every day what Kim Kardashian was wearing, or where Kanye West was going on vacation, and thinking that somehow that was the mark of success,” Barack Obama said during an interview with Amazon’s Kindle Singles site.
Kris Jenner defended her daughter and Kanye West on her chat show, saying:“I find it so odd that he’s picking on Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Well, Kanye West, first of all, doesn’t go on vacation. Ever.”
“And Kim Kardashian is the hardest-working young lady in the world. She never sleeps, she never stops, she never slows down and works so hard for what she’s got.”
World’s oldest public toilet, created at the dawn of the dinosaurs, has been unearthed in Argentina.
Thousands of fossilized poos left by rhino-like megaherbivores were found clustered together, scientists say.
The 240-million-year-old site is the “world’s oldest public toilet” and the first evidence that ancient reptiles shared collective dumping grounds.
The dung contains clues to prehistoric diet, disease and vegetation says a study in Scientific Reports.
Elephants, antelopes and horses are among modern animals who defecate in socially agreed hotspots – to mark territory and reduce the spread of parasites.
However, their best efforts are dwarfed by the enormous scale of this latrine – which breaks the previous record “oldest toilet” by 220 million years.
World’s oldest public toilet, created at the dawn of the dinosaurs, has been unearthed in Argentina
Fossil “coprolites” as wide as 40 cm and weighing several kilograms were found in seven massive patches across the Chanares Formation in La Rioja province.
Some were sausage-like, others pristine ovals, in colours ranging from whitish grey to dark brown-violet.
“There is no doubt who the culprit was,” said Dr. Lucas Fiorelli, of Crilar-Conicet, who discovered the dung heaps.
“Only one species could produce such big lumps – and we found their bones littered everywhere at the site.”
The perpetrator was Dinodontosaurus, an eight-foot-long megaherbivore similar to modern rhinos.
These animals were dicynodonts – large, mammal-like reptiles common in the Triassic period when the first dinosaurs began to emerge.
The fact they shared latrines suggests they were gregarious, herd animals, who had good reasons to poo strategically, said Dr. Lucas Fiorelli.
The predator in this case was the formidable Luperosuchus, a crocodile-like carnivore up to 8 m in length.
But the dung patches were equally intimidating.
A density of 94 poos per square metre was recorded by the researchers. And the excrement was spread across patches 900 square metres in size.
Prehistoric coprolites are nothing new, but it is extremely rare to find an accumulation as old and substantial as this one – because faeces degrade so easily.
A sheet of volcanic ash has preserved the ancient dung piles “like Pompeii”, said Dr. Lucas Fiorelli.
The coprolites are like time capsules.
“When cracked open they reveal fragments of extinct plants, fungi, and gut parasites,” said Martin Hechenleitner, a fellow author on the study.
More than 3.5 million spectators watched the 87th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of New York City on November 28.
Snoopy, Spider-Man and the rest of the iconic balloons have gotten the all-clear to fly between Manhattan skyscrapers at the annual parade.
There’d been some concerns about whether the wind could keep 16 giant balloons grounded, but the cherished tradition prevailed.
More than 3.5 million spectators watched the 87th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of New York City
Balloon handlers were keeping a tight grip on their inflated characters and held them fairly close to the ground in tree-lined areas. The wind was around 26 mph.
The cheering throngs were bundled against a 30-degree chill, but the sun was shining. Some in the crowd lifted small children onto their shoulders.
Elsewhere in the country, Thanksgiving traditions were largely unaffected by the weather.
