George Zimmerman, who acquitted of murder in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, has been arrested on charges he pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend.
George Zimmerman, 30, has been jailed in Seminole County, Florida.
The Florida man was charged with felony aggravated assault, battery, domestic violence and criminal mischief, a sheriff’s office spokesman said.
In July, a jury cleared George Zimmerman of the February 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, 17.
Since then, George Zimmerman has had other brushes with police, including an incident in October when he was briefly detained following a domestic disturbance at the home of his estranged wife, Shellie.
On Monday, a spokesman for the Seminole County sheriff’s department said George Zimmerman was arrested on Monday morning and confined to a single-person 64 sq ft cell – standard treatment for “high-profile” defendants.
George Zimmerman has been arrested on charges he pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend
About 12:30 local time, sheriff’s deputies responded to an emergency call at a house in Apopka, Florida.
George Zimmerman’s girlfriend said they had argued, and he had broken a glass table in the living room, then retrieved a shotgun and pointed it at her. He then pushed her out the front door and barricaded himself inside, police said.
She was not injured, police said.
The sheriff’s office spokesman said investigators believed George Zimmerman and his girlfriend had lived together since August and had been arguing about breaking up.
He said George Zimmerman was not armed when police arrived and did not resist arrest.
George Zimmerman’s acquittal of second-degree murder over the killing of Trayvon Martin sparked a fierce debate about racial profiling and gun culture in the US.
He shot dead Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed and walking at night toward his father’s house. He said the boy had attacked him.
Following the verdict, protest marches were staged across the US including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington and Atlanta.
Prosecutors in Germany have agreed to drop proceedings against the “bishop of bling”, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, in return for a payment of 20,000 euros ($27,000).
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Limburg was accused of lying under oath over his flights to India.
Claims that Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst spent more than 31 million euros ($42 million) on renovating his official residence caused outrage.
Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was accused of lying under oath over his flights to India
Pope Francis ordered the bishop to take a leave of absence from his post.
An investigation into Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst’s apparently lavish spending is taking place.
Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was facing prosecution in Hamburg over claims he gave false statements in a case against Der Spiegel magazine, which had reported that he took first-class flights to visit slum dwellers.
Church members in Germany pay a compulsory church tax out of their income.
The Toronto city council has decided to strip Mayor Rob Ford of most of his authority, as the embattled city leader resists growing pressure to step down.
On Monday, the council transferred most of Rob Ford’s budget and many of his powers to the deputy mayor.
Rob Ford, 44, who has promised to fight the council’s decisions, criticized the vote as a “coup d’etat”.
The mayor of Canada’s largest city has faced intense pressure to resign after admitting to using illegal drugs.
In recent weeks he has also acknowledged buying illegal drugs while serving as mayor.
Rob Ford abstained from Monday’s vote, but promised “outright war” in the next election against the councilors who opposed him.
“What’s happening here today is not a democratic process, this is a dictatorship,” he told the city councilors.
The Toronto city council has decided to strip Mayor Rob Ford of most of his authority
“You are absolutely telling everybody that voted in the last municipal election that their vote does not count.”
And Bob Ford refused to apologize, saying he had done enough apologizing already.
“I’ve admitted my mistakes,” he said.
“I’m not going to sit here and go on and on and on.”
Earlier in the heated council meeting, Bob Ford ran through the gallery, accidentally knocking over city councilor Pam McConnell before catching her.
Pam McConnell was later seen holding ice to her lip.
Monday’s motion reduces Bob Ford’s office budget by 60%, and allows mayoral staff to join deputy mayor Norm Kelly, largely making Bob Ford mayor in name only.
The council does not have the power to remove Bob Ford from office unless he has a criminal conviction.
Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong, once a Bob Ford ally but now one of his most outspoken critics, said the mayor’s conduct was embarrassing the city.
“He’s the worst spokesman for the city of Toronto right now,” he said.
The Toronto council began stripping away Bob Ford’s powers on Friday, voting 39 to 3 to prevent him from being able to dismiss the deputy mayor and taking away his emergency powers.
Despite the scandal, Bob Ford does not seem inclined to shun the spotlight.
Top 10 list of the best Black Friday TV deals to date for 2013 as of November 17, according to TVPredictions.com.
1. Sam’s Club & Wal-Mart:Vizio 70-inch Smart LED TV: $998 (normally $1,600-$1,800). A 70-inch Smart LED TV from Vizio for $600-$800 off. This is the hallmark of what Black Friday sales are supposed to be all about, and with this deal you have two stores to choose from.
2. Wal-Mart:Vizio 60-inch, 120Hz HDTV: $688 The flat-screen set normally goes for $899 or $999 online or at retail. Perhaps not the biggest bargain out there, but still a nice discount.
3. Wal-Mart: Funai 32-inch 720p LED HDTV: $98 Funai may not be a name brand, but most television display experts say the picture quality on a 32-inch model varies little from brand to brand. At $98, this is a great deal for anyone looking for an extra HDTV for a kids’ room or guest room for example.
4. Best Buy: LG 55-inch, 120Hz LED TV: $499 (normally $1,000). This flat-screen TV sale is one of six doorbusters that the retailer has announced thus far. A 55-inch TV for about half the price is a true bargain.
Black Friday TV deals
5. H.H. Gregg: Sony 55-Inch 4K LED TV: $2,999 This price is $500 off the suggested list price from Sony, which recently slashed it $1,000 from $4,499. So bottom line is basically H.H. Gregg is selling the 4K set for $1,500 less than what it costs just a few months ago. (If you don’t want to wait until Black Friday, Amazon is currently selling the 4K TV set for $2,998.)
6. H.H. Gregg: Seiki 55-inch LED HDTV: $399 Seiki is also not a name brand, but when do you ever see a 55-inch HDTV for just $399? This set normally retails for about $300 more online and in-store.
7. Wal-Mart:Apple iPad Mini 16GB: $299 (with $100 gift card). The price is basically the same as you would find before Black Friday, but the $100 gift card arguably makes this a 33 percent discount. Note: Target is offering a similar deal at the same price, but their gift card is only $75.
8. Meijer’s:Apple iPad Air: $379 (with $100 off next Meijer shopping trip). The new Apple tablet will not only sell at roughly $120 less than the normal price, but you get $100 off your next shopping trip at Meijer’s. Awesome package.
9. Sam’s Club:Apple iPhone 5c w/2 yr. Contract: 96 cents. 96 cents is not a misprint. Great deal for a new iPhone, however limited supplies means you’ll have to get there early.
10. Sam’s Club: LG Blu-ray Player: $38 This high-def disc player is not compatible with a Smart TV device, but at $38, this is a great deal for Blu-ray enthusiasts.
The Black Friday deals can change from day to day as retailers leak more of their circulars. Check out BFads.net for the latest up to the minute news on holiday sales this year.
For this year’s Black Friday all the retailers – Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Kmart, Amazon and every other – are offering bigger and far bigger discounts.
This year there are several exciting development as far as Black Friday shopping is concerned. The most important development is the fact that the retailers are opening their doors a lot earlier than previous years. The first to announce early opening on Thanksgiving for Black Friday was none other than Wal-Mart. It was followed by almost every other top retailer in the country within no time.
Great offers are going to be available on every product including smartphone, tablet, laptop, camera, furniture, toys, clothes and almost every other product. You are going to get best deals during Black Friday and this include latest and top end smartphones like iPhone 5S from Cupertino based Apple and Korean based tech giant Samsung’s flagship handset Galaxy S4. And the best thing is the fact that the deals and offers are going to be really exciting.
Like every year in the past Best Buy has taken the lead in offering great deal for Black Friday
When it comes to electronic items, you need to look no further than the top electronic products vendor, Best Buy. Like every year in the past Best Buy has taken the lead in offering great deals. This Black Friday electronic items are going to be in great demand and retailing companies are not going to disappoint the holiday shoppers. Not just the offers are going to become more enticing, they are becoming bigger and bigger. And the best thing about the Black Friday shopping is the fact that this time they are coming very early too.
Best Buy has brought every top product under Black Friday deal list. The retailing giant seems to have brought almost every great product to the table as far as Black Friday this year is concerned. If you want to go for gizmos including tablets, smartphones then there is no better place than Best Buy. It is offering 8GB Barnes & Noble Nook HD Snow tablet for $80, down from $129, an 8GB Nabi 7-inch kid’s tablet for $130, down from $180 and 16GB Apple iPad Air tablet with Wi-Fi and $100 gift card for $480. Samsung Galaxy S4 is available for as little as $40 and 16GB Apple iPhone 5s comes for $180 with contract. So as far as electronic items’ offers are concerned, there is no one offering deals like Best Buy.
The orbiter was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 13:28 local time.
Assuming the $671million mission stays on track, the probe will have a 10-month cruise to the Red Planet.
MAVEN is going to study Mars’ high atmosphere, to try to understand the processes that have robbed the world of most of its air.
Evidence suggests the planet was once shrouded in a thick blanket of gases that supported the presence of liquid water at its surface. Today, the air pressure is so low that free water would instantly boil away.
MAVEN was released from the Atlas V’s upper-stage some 53 minutes after leaving the Cape Canaveral pad. The probe then had to open its solar panels and orientate itself into a cruise configuration.
“During cruise, we perform four planned trajectory correction manoeuvres where we fire thrusters to tweak the trajectory so that we arrive at the right place and time to go into orbit around Mars. At that point, we will fire a set of thrusters to slow down the spacecraft and get captured into orbit,” explained Guy Beutelschies, the spacecraft’s programme manager at manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The present-day atmosphere of Mars, composed mostly of carbon dioxide, is extremely thin, with atmospheric pressure at the surface just 0.6% of the Earth’s surface pressure.
NASA’s MAVEN mission has set off for Mars
The Martian landscape, though, retains channels that were evidently cut by abundant, flowing water – proof that the planet had a much denser atmosphere in the past.
Some of the air would certainly have reacted with, and been incorporated into, minerals at the surface.
But the most likely explanation for its loss is that the solar wind – the great outflow of energetic particles from the Sun – has simply eroded it through time.
This has been possible because, unlike Earth, the Red Planet lacks a protective global magnetic field, which is capable of deflecting the abrasive assault from our star.
MAVEN (the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft) is equipped with eight instruments – some to understand the Sun’s influence at Mars; others to investigate the composition and behavior of the atmosphere. The intention is to measure the rates at which different air molecules are being lost today, distinguishing between the various processes responsible.
Scientists will use this information to get some insights into the history of the Martian climate – from the time billions of years ago when it was warmer and wetter, and potentially habitable to life, to the present environment which is cold and desiccated.
“Most of the loss is thought to have occurred early in Mars’ history when the Sun and the solar wind were more intense,” said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN’s principal investigator from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“The loss rates today are low enough that we’re probably not going to see the loss of the entire atmosphere. The reason we are studying it today, even though the loss rates are so much lower, is that we can understand the specific processes that are going on and learn how to extrapolate them back in time.”
Arrival at Mars is timed for September 22, 2014.
“MAVEN will be in an elliptical orbit that ranges as far away as 6,220 km and as close as 150 km,” said Guy Beutelschies.
“We will also execute a set of operations to dip down into the tenuous upper reaches of the atmosphere to do some direct sampling for approximately a week at a time. These are called ‘deep dips’ and we do five of them during the primary mission.”
That primary mission lasts one Earth year (half a Mars year), after which the science team will need additional funding to continue their investigations.
NASA, though, fully intends to keep operating MAVEN long into the future as a data-relay platform for surface rovers like Curiosity.
“If things go nominally, we should have fuel left onboard to keep the vehicle flying for years beyond its design life,” according to NASA.
“As a reference, Mars Odyssey was launched in 2001 and is still operating.”
India launched its Mangalyaan mission to Mars on November 5 but is taking a less direct trajectory to the Red Planet than MAVEN, which means the US mission should get into orbit just a few days before the other orbiter.
Newly elected Louisiana Congressman Vance McAllister said the endorsement by the Duck Dynasty fame might have given him a leg up in winning Saturday’s runoff for an open congressional seat.
“When Willie and Jep and Jase did what they did for me, I’m sure it didn’t hurt at all,” Republican Vance McAllister told Fox & Friends Monday, referring to the endorsements he received from the folks on the popular TV reality show.
Vance McAllister beat fellow Republican state Senator Neil Riser in a runoff election for the seat in the state’s 5th Congressional District. Both self-described conservatives, Riser ran on the endorsement of the Tea Party of Louisiana.
Phil Robertson endorsed Vance McAllister, a businessman and political newcomer, because he had “the least political experience,” Raw Story reports.
Vance McAllister said Willie Robertson stopped by to congratulate him after the win, giving him a “big old bear hug.”
Jep Robertson endorsement helped Vance McAllister to win Louisiana Congress seat
“We had just wrapped up with all my TV interviews and everything, and I was talking to some friends and family. And, next thing I hear is, <<Willie is here.>> And, I turned around and, oh, my goodness, it’s like Grizzly Adams walking up behind you,” Vance McAllister said.
“He told me he was proud of me. And, I told him, <<Well, boy, I appreciate it>>. Phil, Jase, and Willie and Jep, and even Si, they are amazing, true Christians,” Vance McAllister added.
“And, you know, what y’all see on TV, and I’ve known them before any of this all came about, they are some wonderful people.”
Vance McAllister also said the barrage of negative campaign ads against him also contributed to his win.
“It was 100 percent negative campaign against 100 percent positive campaign. And, I stayed true to my faith and maintained my integrity,” he said.
Paris authorities have launched a manhunt after a gunman attacked offices of the newspaper Liberation and fired outside the HQ of the bank Societe Generale.
A photographer, 27, was critically hurt at Liberation. The gunman later forced a motorist to drive him to the Champs Elysees before allowing him to go.
Police are looking for the same man who broke into the Paris offices of the 24-hour news channel BFMTV on Friday.
Police have now been stationed outside all the main media offices in Paris.
At a news conference, investigators held up two images, one of the suspect in a street and another picture, from BFMTV surveillance cameras, which was earlier shown on Le Parisien‘s website.
Paris prosecutor Francis Molins said that a lone gunman appeared to be behind the three attacks and the hijacking. He said the suspect had not yet been identified and the motive was still unclear.
The man is said to be between 40 and 45, and shaven-headed.
The gunman had walked into BFMTV on Friday morning and emptied the chamber of his gun in the reception area.
“Next time, I will not miss you,” the man had said to an editor he threatened.
A police helicopter hung over the Champs Elysees amid fears the gunman might be heading towards the Eiffel Tower, but it is speculated that he might have gone into the metro.
People have been encouraged to stay indoors.
Paris authorities have launched a manhunt after a gunman attacked offices of the newspaper Liberation and fired outside the HQ of the bank Societe Generale
Police say the suspect is calm and assured and each time has walked away from the scene of his attacks.
French media say the suspect told the motorist he hijacked that he was armed with grenades.
President Francois Hollande, who is in Israel, said the priority was “to stop an individual who had tried to kill and could try to kill again”.
At 10:15 local time on Monday, the gunman entered the Paris offices of Liberation, near the Place de la Republique in the east of the city, and opened fire.
He injured a photographer in the chest and stomach before escaping. Liberation said three spent cartridges had been found.
The gunman did not say anything during the attack, Liberation reported.
Some two hours later, the bank Societe Generale confirmed that a man opened fire outside its headquarters in the western business district of La Defense. No-one was injured, the bank said.
One witness of the bank shooting told Le Figaro that he heard a large bang and saw a man wearing a khaki coat and a cap and carrying a shotgun.
The gunman’s second shot caused panic and the man then disappeared down some stairs on to a street, the witness said.
Police say the gunman then hijacked a car in Nanterre, close to La Defense, and forced the driver to take him to the Champs Elysees, where he was dropped near the metro station George V.
Liberation‘s deputy editor Fabrice Tassel said the victim there was fighting for his life.
The victim – who has not been named – was said to be a freelance assistant photographer who had just arrived at the newspaper office to work on a fashion photoshoot.
Police have sealed off the area around Liberation‘s offices. Interior Minister Manuel Valls has visited the scene, along with Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti and the Mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoe.
Manuel Valls said: “As long as this person is still on the loose and we do not know the motives, this represents a threat. We must move fast.”
Liberation‘s publisher Nicolas Demorand said: “In a democracy, when someone enters a newspaper office with a gun, this is very, very serious, whatever the person’s mental state.”
Dow Jones index rose above 16,000 points for the first time and the broader Standard and Poor’s passed through the 1,800.
Traders are optimistic about the prospect of the Federal Reserve continuing its cheap money policy.
Lower interest rates mean investors are driven to find investments where they will gain higher returns.
Interest rates are close to nothing in the US and are expected to stay there.
Dow Jones index rose above 16,000 points for the first time and the broader Standard and Poor’s passed through the 1,800
Although the current chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, is leaving the post, Janet Yellen, who is all but certain to take over from him, is expected to keep the money flowing while the US economy remains fragile.
The economy is growing, but is not thought to be on solid enough ground to withstand the shock that could be caused by a change in policy.
Earlier this month, it was announced that the US economy grew at a better-than-expected annual pace of 2.8% in the third quarter.
However, the latest figures also showed that the unemployment rate edged up to 7.3% from 7.2% in September.
The gains that put stocks in record grounds were modest.
The Dow Jones was up 39.7 points at 16,001.4 points.
The Standard and Poor’s was up 2 points at 1,800.40 points.
Thor: The Dark World has topped the US box office for a second week but romantic comedy The Best Man Holiday opened strongly in second place.
Thor: The Dark World took $38.5 million over the weekend, while The Best Man Holiday took $30.6 million.
The Best Man Holiday, which reunites the characters from 1999’s The Best Man, is considered a surprise challenger to Thor‘s crown.
It features a largely African-American ensemble cast, including Taye Diggs and Morris Chestnut.
The romantic comedy follows a group of college friends who reunite over Christmas and reignite old rivalries and romances.
Movies that appeal particularly to black audiences – particularly those by prolific director Tyler Perry – have recently been surpassing expectations at the US box office.
Third place in this week’s chart was taken by Last Vegas – a “sexagenarian version of The Hangover” – starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline as four old friends on a stag weekend, with takings of $8.9 million.
Thor: The Dark World has topped the US box office for a second week
Animation Free Birds was fourth with $8.3 million, followed by Jackass comedy Bad Grandpa in fifth spot with $7.7 million.
Oscar-tipped sci-fi Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, held firm in sixth place, while Harrison Ford’s Ender’s Game slipped from third to seventh.
Twelve Years a Slave was in eighth position, with Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks, in ninth.
British romantic comedy About Time was at number 10.
The race for the lucrative Christmas box office starts this Friday, with the opening action movie Hunger Games: Catching Fire – which is expected to score one of the year’s biggest debuts.
Tasmanian Greenpeace activist Colin Russell, who is among other 30 arrested during a protest against Arctic drilling, will remain in jail for three more months pending trial, a Russian judge has ruled today.
Prosecutors have asked the courts in St Petersburg to keep all 28 activists and two journalists in jail beyond November 24, when their current detention period runs out.
Colin Russell was the first to have his case heard on Monday.
British journalist Kieron Bryon is due in court later on Monday.
The 30 have been charged with hooliganism over a protest at a Russian oil rig in the Arctic in September. The offence carries a maximum sentence of seven years.
Originally they had been charged with piracy, which carries a longer jail term.
Tasmanian Greenpeace activist Colin Russell will remain in the Russian jail for three more months
Besides Colin Russell, six others have hearings on Monday. A request for bail or house arrest was denied.
Before being told he must remain in prison, Colin Russell told the judge: “I haven’t done anything wrong.
“I don’t understand the reasons why I’ve been detained. I’ve done two months’ hard time for nothing.”
Last week the 30 were moved to prisons in St Petersburg from Murmansk in the Arctic.
Greenpeace denies any wrongdoing and is urging Russia to release the detainees – who come from 18 countries – and their ship, Arctic Sunrise.
If Russia keeps all 30 in jail for another three months they will remain there during the February 2014 Winter Olympics hosted by Russia in Sochi.
The environmental group’s international executive director, Kumi Naidoo, condemned the judge’s ruling against Colin Russell, saying “this case is now a circus”.
“Our friends may now be in jail for months longer, all because they made a stand for all of us in the pristine Arctic. We will continue to pursue every legal avenue we can, and leave no stone unturned, until each and every one of them is home with their families,” he said.
“We hope the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea will order their release when they adjudicate on Friday.”
Russia is not attending the UN tribunal hearing in Hamburg, as it is not party to some UN Law of the Sea dispute procedures.
Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson has teamed up with Operation Christmas Child to get the word out about sharing God’s love through the joy of a shoebox gift.
Watch as Uncle Si Robertson learns how to pack an Operation Christmas Child shoebox. This big kid at heart wanted to help children around the world have a Merry Christmas and learn about the love of Christ.
Si Robertson has teamed up with Operation Christmas Child to get the word out about sharing God’s love through the joy of a shoebox gift
Operation Christmas Child wrote on their Samaritan’s Purse website: “Since 1990, more than 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have experienced God’s love through the power of simple shoe box gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ.
“We always give shoeboxes to children based on need, regardless of their background or religious beliefs. It’s an unconditional gift of love.
“Where appropriate, with each shoebox, our church partners will offer a little booklet of Bible stories. They may also invite children receiving shoeboxes to join a discipleship course called The Greatest Journey. This is a <<no strings attached>> programme and participation is with the consent of their parent or guardian.”
One man has been seriously injured after a gunman has opened fire inside a Paris office building housing the left-wing newspaper, Liberation.
The victim was a photographer’s assistant, aged 27, Liberation said.
On Friday a man armed with what appeared to be a gun broke into the Paris offices of the rolling news channel BFMTV. He did not fire any shots and no-one was injured.
It is not clear whether there is any connection between the two incidents.
On its website, Liberation said the man entered the premises shortly before 10:15, armed with a hunting rifle. He fired two shots, wounding the photographer’s assistant before escaping.
The gunman did not say anything, Liberation reported. He is described as aged about 40 and wearing a cap.
A gunman has opened fire inside Liberation’s office in Paris
Police have now been stationed outside the offices of all major media organizations in Paris.
Liberation’s deputy editor Fabrice Tassel said the victim – who was shot in the chest – was fighting for his life.
Police have sealed off the area around Liberation‘s offices. Interior Minister Manuel Valls has arrived at the scene.
Liberation said three spent cartridges of buckshot had been found, along with traces of buckshot in the ceiling.
“In a democracy, when someone enters a newspaper office with a gun, this is very, very serious, whatever the person’s mental state,” said Liberation‘s publisher Nicolas Demorand.
Nicolas Demorand said he would hold a news conference at 4 p.m.
In the next few hours, investigators will compare CCTV images from the two attacks to see if there are any similarities, BFMTV said.
A journalist from Liberation told BFMTV that the two security guards at the entrance immediately ducked down behind their desks when the man drew his weapon and did not see him clearly.
This year’s Duck Dynasty Christmas special is set to air on December 11th.
The season just wrapped up for Duck Dynasty Season 4, but don’t worry, you are going to be able to get one more dose of the Robertson family before Christmas.
This year’s Duck Dynasty Christmas special set to air on December 11th
There is no telling what Si, Willie, Jase Robertson and the rest of the crew will be up to in the upcoming episode but judging from the video promoting the show, it should be hilarious.
The promoting video shows Uncle Si putting coal in everyone’s stocking while he laughs in his sinister laugh.
Duck Dynasty Christmas special is set to air on Wednesday, December 11th, 2013 at 10/9 C.
Political newcomer Republican Vance McAllister, who was endorsed by Duck Dynasty‘s Willie Robertson, won a Louisiana special election for Congress on Saturday.
Vance McAllister defeated Republican state Senator Neil Riser 60% to 40% to represent Louisiana’s fifth Congressional District.
In the October 15 open primary, Neil Riser got 32% of the vote while Vance McAllister got 18%.
Republican Vance McAllister, who was endorsed by Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson, won a Louisiana special election for Congress
“I’m so humbled. So humbled. This is such a great monumental win – victory,” Vance McAllister said Saturday night.
“[This race] was never about why not to vote for Neil Riser. It was about why to vote for Vance McAllister.”
The election was held after Republican Rodney Alexander (R-LA) vacated the seat when he abruptly retired from Congress to take a post in Republican Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s administration.
Willie Robertson, who some expected to run for the seat, endorsed Vance McAllister on Wednesday, calling him a “good buddy” who “can turn Washington around.”
Top Syrian rebel commander Abdul Qadir al-Saleh has died of wounds he sustained in a government air strike on a rebel-held air base near Aleppo on Thursday, reports say.
Abdul Qadir al-Saleh, the leader of Liwa al-Tawhid, died overnight, a spokesman told the Associated Press.
Abdul Aziz Salama, the brigade’s political leader, had assumed overall command, the spokesman added.
Abdul Qadir al-Saleh has died of wounds he sustained in a government air strike on a rebel-held air base near Aleppo
Opposition activists had said Abdul Qadir al-Saleh, also known as Hajji Marea, was in a good condition in hospital last week.
Liwa al-Tawhid (Battalion of Monotheism) was formed in July 2012 to unite the many separate fighting groups operating in the Aleppo countryside. Later that month, it led a rebel offensive on the city of Aleppo.
Liwa al-Tawhid is now one of the main forces operating in the province, and is estimated to have between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters.
In January, it joined the Syrian Islamic Liberation Front (SILF), an alliance of Islamist rebel groups that recognizes the Western-backed Supreme Military Council of the Free Syrian Army but not the National Coalition.
Stricken Fukushima nuclear plant has begun removing fuel rods from a storage pond at the Unit 4 reactor building.
The delicate operation is seen as a necessary step in stabilizing the site.
It will take more over two days to remove the first 22 fuel rod assemblies, plant operator Tepco says.
Overall, more than 1,500 assemblies must be removed in what correspondents describe as a risky and dangerous operation set to take a year.
Experts say hydrogen explosions after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 have made the current storage facility vulnerable to further tremors.
The fuel rod assemblies are 4-metre long tubes containing pellets of uranium fuel, and the fear is that some may have been damaged during the disaster.
When the tsunami struck, water knocked out cooling systems to three of Fukushima’s reactors, which went into a state of partial meltdown.
Unit 4 was undergoing maintenance, so all of its fuel rods were being stored. But a build-up of hydrogen triggered an explosion in Unit 4, damaging its structure.
Stricken Fukushima nuclear plant has begun removing fuel rods from a storage pond at the Unit 4 reactor building
The removal process, which has been preceded by months of repair work and planning, began on Monday afternoon.
“At 15:18, we started to pull up the first fuel assembly with a crane,” a spokesman for Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Company) said.
A recently-installed crane is being lowered into the pool and hooked onto the assemblies to place them inside a cask.
The fuel rods will then be deposited into a more secure storage pool with a cooling system.
Experts say it it vital that the casks are watertight so the rods have no contact with air – which risks overheating and possible contamination.
Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s top government spokesman, said he hoped the operation would be done properly.
“We hope that this [process] will be conducted in a manner that will not disturb local residents, and that the removal will be done on schedule, properly and safely,” he said.
Tepco spokesman Masayuki Ono called the operation “a very important process in moving ahead with the plant’s decommissioning”.
Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka has warned that rubble from the blast in the pool could pose a problem, Kyodo news agency reported.
“The fuel has to be handled very carefully. There is a need to make sure that a fuel assembly is not pulled out (from the fuel rack) by force when it gets stuck because of the rubble,” Kyodo news agency quoted him as saying.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant has suffered a series of setbacks in recent months, including a series of toxic water leaks and worker errors.
Co-founder of the upscale Ace Hotel chain, Alex Calderwood, has died at age 47, the company said.
Ace Hotel chain started in 1999 with a single refurbished halfway house in Seattle’s arts district.
Alex Calderwood died Thursday in London, the site of the company’s newest hotel. No cause was reported.
The company confirmed Alex Calderwood’s death in a brief statement on its blog that said only that he “was our teacher, mentor, guru and most importantly our dear friend.”
Company employees said they’d been asked not to talk to reporters.
Co-founder of the upscale Ace Hotel chain, Alex Calderwood, has died at age 47
The first Ace Hotel was opened in 1999 in Seattle by Alex Calderwood, Wade Weigel and David Petersen, who’d become known in trendy circles for having founded the quirky, upscale Rudy’s Barbershop chain in Los Angeles seven years earlier.
The three took over the lease of an old Salvation Army halfway house in Seattle’s waterfront Belltown neighborhood, a densely populated center of the city’s restaurant and arts scene.
With intentionally cheap rates, room art by Shepard Fairey – the man behind the iconic Barack Obama “Hope” poster – antique steam radiators, artists’ lofts and cleverly concealed bathrooms (some behind revolving doors), the Ace quickly became a favorite of adventurous travelers.
The hotel chain now has locations in New York, London, Palm Springs, California, and Portland, Oregon, and is scheduled to open in Los Angeles in January.
Ace Hotels are often described as hipster headquarters, especially the Portland location, which has been parodied in the TV series Portlandia – where the snobbish staff provides record turntables and typewriters to the guests of the “Deuce Hotel.”
Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden reportedly revealed that Australia’s intelligence agencies spied on phone calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and close confidantes.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the first lady and Vice-President Boediono were reportedly amongst those targeted.
The documents leaked by Edward Snowden were published by broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Guardian newspaper.
Indonesia said Australia should “urgently” clarify the spying claims.
The report is the latest in a series of spying allegations that have strained relations between the two allies.
On November 1st, Indonesia summoned Australia’s ambassador amid reports that Australia’s Jakarta embassy was used as part of a US-led spying network in Asia.
The latest leaked document showed that Australia spy agencies named Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the first lady, Vice-President Boediono and other senior ministers as targets for monitoring, the reports said.
The presentation from Australian spy agency the Defense Signals Directorate (now known as the Australian Signals Directorate) showed that agencies attempted to listen to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s calls at least once, and tracked calls made to and from his mobile phone, in August 2009, the ABC and the Guardian added.
Australia’s intelligence agencies spied on phone calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and close confidantes
The news organizations published slides from the presentation, which appeared to show a list of Indonesian “leadership targets” and the handset models used by each target, as well as a diagram of “voice events” of the Indonesian president in August 2009.
One slide entitled “Indonesian President voice intercept (August ’09)” appeared to show an attempt to listen to the content of a phone call to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
On Monday, responding to questions in parliament, Australian PM Tony Abbott said: “The Australian government never comments on specific intelligence matters.”
He added: “I will never say or do anything that might damage the strong relationship and the close co-operation that we have with Indonesia, which is all in all, our most important relationship.”
Last week, commenting on the earlier claims, PM Tony Abbott had described the term spying as “kind of loaded language” and suggested that “researching” would be more appropriate.
On Monday Indonesian presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah, said: “[The] Australian government urgently needs to clarify on this news, to avoid further damage.”
“The damage has been done,” he added.
Indonesia has publicly voiced anger over previous allegations of Australian spying.
Vice-President Boediono, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said last week that the Indonesian public was “concerned” about the spying allegations.
“I think we must look forward to come to some arrangement which guarantees that intelligence information from each side is not used against the other,” Boediono said.
Australia and Indonesia are key allies and trading partners.
Australia requires Indonesia’s co-operation on the asylum issue, as many asylum seekers travel via Indonesia to Australia by boat, but there are tensions on the issue.
Earlier this month, Indonesia declined an Australian request to receive a boat of asylum seekers whose vessel, bound for Australia’s Christmas Island, had got into trouble after it departed from Indonesia.
The reports are amongst the series of documents leaked by Edward Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia and is wanted in the US in connection with the unauthorized disclosures.
Dozens of tornadoes killed at least six people, injured many others and left devastating damage in parts of Illinois.
The powerful tornadoes have swept through the Midwest, destroying buildings and overturning vehicles in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
Brookport, Illinois, in Massac County near the Kentucky line, was particularly hard hit. At least two people were confirmed to have died, and police with dogs were going door to door to search for trapped residents. With roads entering the city closed by debris and downed power lines, Brookport authorities imposed a 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew.
At least four other people were killed in Illinois, the state Emergency Management Agency told NBC News. An 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister were killed near New Minden, according to Washington County Coroner Mark Styninger, and unidentified victims were confirmed dead in Washington city and in Unionville.
Dozens of tornadoes killed at least six people, injured many others and left devastating damage in parts of Illinois
Forecasters said people in 10 states had been at risk. Hailstones the size of tennis balls have been reported.
The storm was so fast-moving – with winds of up to 68 mph – that weather services issued warnings for people not to wait until they saw the weather change.
It is continuing its way east.
November is ordinarily one of the quietest months in the tornado calendar, meaning these storms are unusually destructive for this time of year.
About 80 reports of tornadoes had come in by late Sunday, said the National Weather Service – though a spokesman cautioned that multiple reporting meant the confirmed number might be about 30 or 40.
Prepare the sliced-banana topping just before serving. Ingredients: (8 to 10 serves)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
2 ripe bananas, enough to make 1 cup mashed
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Banana Bourbon Layer Cake
3/4 cup sour cream
3 bananas, not too ripe
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
3/4 cup bourbon
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time. In another bowl, mash bananas, and combine with buttermilk and vanilla. Add alternately to butter mixture with flour mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Beat egg whites until stiff; fold into batter.
Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
When cake layers are cool, whip cream with confectioners’ sugar until stiff. Fold in sour cream. Place a cake layer on a plate, and spread with filling to within 1 inch of edge. Place other layer on top, and press down lightly. Chill for 1 hour.
Slice bananas 1/2 inch thick. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When it sizzles, add slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with sugar. When golden brown, turn slices; cook until brown on other side.
Carefully pour in bourbon (using a measuring cup, never the bottle) and ignite with a match. Cook until flames die down, shaking the pan to toss bananas in syrup. Remove from heat.
Arrange banana slices on top of cake. Pour remaining syrup over cake, letting it drip down sides. Serve immediately.
Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson have received best actor and actress awards respectively at this year’s Rome Film Festival.
Scarlett Johansson, 28, was recognized for her role in Spike Jonze’s film Her, in which she is heard but not seen as the voice of a computer operating system.
Matthew McConaughey was honored for his Oscar-tipped role as a 1980s AIDS activist in Dallas Buyers Club.
Matthew McConaughey has received the best actor award at this year’s Rome Film Festival for his role as a 1980s AIDS activist in Dallas Buyers Club
Tir, a documentary about a Bosnian truck driver, won the best film award.
It is the second documentary to win top honors at an Italian film festival this year, following the success of Sacro GRA at Venice in September,
Sacro GRA, directed by Alberto Fasulo, is also the first Italian title to win Rome’s top prize since the festival began in 2006.
Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa – who is not related to his namesake Akira – won the best director award for his thriller Seventh Code.
Dallas Buyers Club also won an audience prize at Saturday’s ceremony, held on the penultimate day of the 8th Rome Film Festival.
Charlie Sheen has canceled an appearance at Baja Film Festival in Mexico on Saturday after his private plane suffered a mechanical glitch.
Charlie Sheen, 48, was set to attend the film festival with ex-wife Denise Richards, and their two daughters, Sam, 9, and 8-year-old Lola.
But the actor has been forced to axe the trip due to problems with his jet which he branded “potentially life threatening.”
Charlie Sheen took to Twitter to post a photo of himself posing with Denise Richards and the young girls as they sat aboard the plane and issued an apology to festival organizers.
Charlie Sheen has canceled an appearance at Baja Film Festival in Mexico after his private plane suffered a mechanical glitch
The actor wrote: “I’d like to apologize to Pablo Sanchez-Navarro Hotel El Gonzo, the good people of Cabo who organized the film festival, as well as all of my fans in attendance. I boarded my plane this a.m. with Denise, my daughters Sam and Lola, as well as my publicist Jeff Ballard and life long best friend Tony Todd. I allotted ample time to attend the event in a punctual and safe capacity. However, we encountered a mechanical diversion that rendered the trip potentially life threatening. The generous offer was made to have a replacement plane scoop us up, and deliver us to said event. The problem is for a myriad of reasons that are both practical and ethereal and completely rooted in a gut check ‘safety first’ code, I will NOT fly my family my friends or myself on any other aircraft. This is a non negotiable rule of mine as it lives in concert with zero wiggle room for maybes or friendly coercion. As I write this my plane is still not launch ready therefore leaving us all with zero options to attend the event on time. I am beyond apologetic and I ask all involved, to exercise grace and understanding in and around the headaches I’m certain this has created.”
