Mullah Fazlullah has been named as Pakistan’s Taliban new leader, after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack, a spokesman has said.
Mullah Fazlullah is a particularly hardline commander whose men shot the schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai.
Hakimullah Mehsud was killed when missiles struck his vehicle in the North Waziristan region on 1 November.
Pakistan’s government accused the US of destroying its attempts to start peace talks with the Taliban.
Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan said that the drone strike was “not just the killing of one person, it’s the death of all peace efforts”.
The announcement of the new leader was made by the Taliban’s caretaker leader Asmatullah Shaheen at a news conference at an undisclosed location.
Mullah Fazlullah has been named as Pakistan’s Taliban new leader, after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack
When the news was announced, there was reportedly heavy celebratory gunfire in the area around Miranshah, the main town in the tribal area of North Waziristan.
Mullah Fazlullah led a brutal campaign in Swat between 2008 and 2009, enforcing hardline Islamic law that included burning schools, and public floggings and beheadings.
A military operation was launched to retake the area.
Mullah Fazlullah fled over the border into Afghanistan but Islamabad says he has continued to orchestrate attacks in Pakistan.
He was accused of being behind a roadside bomb in September that killed Major General Sanaullah Niazi, the top commander in Swat, along with two other military personnel.
Mullah Fazlullah was known for his radio broadcasts calling for strict Islamic laws and earning him the nickname “Mullah Radio”.
The shooting of Malala Yousafzai in October 2012 sparked outrage in Pakistan and across the globe.
The teenager had spoken out against the Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education.
The Pakistani government said a delegation had been due to fly to North Waziristan to discuss peace talks with Hakimullah Mehsud but he was killed in the drone strike the day before.
There had been some hope the new leader of the Taliban would be more open to the peace initiative.
Regional Taliban commander Khan Said Sajna, said to favor such a move, had been touted as a favorite before the latest announcement.
Sultani Makenga – the commander of the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – has surrendered in Uganda, new reports claim.
Sultani Makenga is said to have handed himself over along with hundreds of M23 fighters in the Mgahinga National Park.
Neither government has so far confirmed the reports.
Earlier this week the M23 said it was ending its 19-month insurgency, hours after DR Congo government forces claimed military victory.
Reports say Sultani Makenga and about 1,700 fighters have been disarmed and are being held by the Ugandan military in Mgahinga, near the Congo border.
Earlier this week, Congolese officials said Col. Sultani Makenga had fled across the border to either Uganda or Rwanda.
Sultani Makenga is said to have handed himself over along with hundreds of M23 fighters in the Mgahinga National Park
Uganda has been hosting peace talks between the rebels and the DR Congo government. However, no peace accord has been signed.
Sultani Makenga is the subject of UN sanctions and it is unclear what Ugandan officials would do with him.
The M23 has wrought havoc across eastern DR Congo since it began its insurgency in April 2012.
Its fighters are mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group, a minority in eastern DR Congo but with ties to Rwanda’s leaders.
Their name refers to a 23 March 2009 peace deal which a former militia group – the CNDP – signed with the Congolese government. The rebels said the government had not lived up to its promises in the deal.
Analysts say the surrender of Sultani Makenga , if confirmed, will be a major success for the Congolese army which has been struggling to restore calm in eastern DR Congo for two decades.
Earlier this year the UN approved a new mission of 3,000 African soldiers with a mandate to fight the rebels.
They have the operational support of the existing UN Mission in DR Congo (Monusco) and have used helicopters to target the rebels, allowing the army to advance.
The headquarters of Greece’s former state broadcaster ERT have been cleared by riot police, using tear gas to gain entry and arresting several people.
Police formed a cordon round the building in Athens, before going from room to room to evacuate protesters.
Former employees have occupied the building since the government closed ERT and sacked its 2,600 staff in June.
Greece’s conservative-led coalition said the state broadcaster cost too much to run in an economic crisis.
The closure of ERT prompted a left-wing party to withdraw from the governing coalition of PM Antonis Samaras in protest – a move which almost brought down the government.
Following the announcement of ERT’s closure in June, hundreds of staff refused to leave the building and continued to broadcast their programming via the internet.
The headquarters of Greece’s former state broadcaster ERT have been cleared by riot police
Early on Thursday, Greek police arrived to secure the building in Agia Paraskevi, a suburb in the north of Athens.
Riot police used tear gas to disperse about 200 protesters outside the building, and then cleared each room inside.
Twenty or so workers were led out but three refused to go and were arrested. Police have now surrounded the building and protesters are gathering.
The state-run Athens News Agency reported that Panagiotis Kalfagiannis, a journalist and head of the ERT employees’ union, Pospert, was one of those held for public order offences.
ERT was Greece’s only TV broadcaster until the advent of private TV channels in 1989.
Despite several major overhauls to keep up with fierce private competition, a fall in ERT’s ratings in the mid-1990s triggered a long-running debate about its cost and efficiency.
In June, as Greece attempted to satisfy international creditors that it was fulfilling its debt restructuring and bailout commitments, PM Antonis Samaras announced the closure of ERT.
Antonis Samaras said the Greek exchequer could no longer afford to pay for a public broadcaster that cost more than $400,000 a year to run, and has refused to reinstate ERT unless it accepts a complete restructuring.
An interim TV station, called Public TV or DT, has been broadcasting in Greece since July while a restructured public broadcaster, called Nerit, is not expected to begin operating before 2014.
Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been released from house arrest and is free to move around the country, prison officials say.
It comes days after Pervez Musharraf was bailed over the 2007 army operation to oust militants from Islamabad’s Red Mosque – the last legal case against him.
However, the former general remains on a government exit control list and cannot leave the country.
It is also unclear if Pervez Musharraf will leave the house because of threats to his life.
Pervez Musharraf’s seven-month house arrest was unprecedented in a country which has been ruled by the military for more than half of its history.
Speaking on Monday, his lawyer said Pervez Musharraf had no intention of leaving Pakistan. He has consistently maintained that all the charges against him are politically motivated.
Prison official Wajad Ali is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that prison guards were withdrawn on Wednesday night from Pervez Musharraf’s villa on the outskirts of Islamabad.
Pervez Musharraf has been released from house arrest and is free to move around the country
On Monday the court approved bail in the case on condition Pervez Musharraf paid bonds totaling $2,000.
The operation ordered by Pervez Musharraf on the besieged Red Mosque left a cleric and more than 100 others dead, and fuelled a deadly militant insurgency inside Pakistan which rages to this day.
Earlier this year, Pervez Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile to fight elections – which were won by Nawaz Sharif, the man he ousted in his 1999 coup – but swiftly ran into trouble.
He was barred from running in the general election, and was placed under house arrest in April in the first of a series of cases relating to his time in power from 1999-2008.
Pervez Musharraf faces murder trials over the assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto and Baloch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti. He has also been charged over his attempt to sack the higher judiciary in 2007 – he has been bailed in all three of those cases.
Separately, the Sharif government said in June that it planned to try him for treason – but a formal complaint in that case has still to be lodged.
Twitter shares have been priced at $26 each, ahead of its debut on the NYSE on Thursday.
That is above the $23 to $25 range announced on Monday and values the short messaging service at more than $18 billion.
That makes it the biggest market debut for a technology firm since Facebook went public in May 2012.
Twitter has attracted 230 million users since starting seven years ago, but is yet to make a profit.
Its losses for Q3 2013 increased to $64.6 million, from $21.6 million a year earlier and a recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos showed that more than a third of registered users do not use the service at all.
Nevertheless there was strong demand for the shares and the company was able to raise the offering price twice.
Twitter has posted an increase in its sales, which more than doubled in Q3 to $168.6 million, and it is looking to raise even more revenue from advertisers outside the US.
Its $18 billion valuation includes the value of shares in compensation schemes for employees and other share awards.
Twitter shares have been priced at $26 each, ahead of its debut on the NYSE on Thursday
Co-founder Evan Williams is the biggest shareholder in the firm with a stake of more than 10% worth more than a billion dollars.
Another of the founders, Jack Dorsey, will also become a very rich man. His 4% stake is worth more than half a billion dollars.
Biz Stone, another co-founder, is thought to have made millions by selling holdings over the last few years.
But Noah Glass, also one of the originals, is believed to have made very little from the company’s success.
Twitter is selling 70 million shares, which will raise $1.82 billion, for the company.
Unlike Facebook, Twitter has chosen to trade its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
Facebook’s debut on the Nasdaq – traditionally the market of choice for technology firms – was marred by delays and problems with orders.
The NYSE has already tested trading of Twitter’s shares to try to avoid any technical hitches.
Twitter shares will trade under the symbol “TWTR”.
In the second part of her interview with Dr. Phil, Michelle Knight expressed disappointment with fellow victim Amanda Berry and said Ariel Castro treated her especially harshly because her family wasn’t looking for her.
Michelle Knight described her relationship with Amanda Berry as “ok,” but noted the two are “not best of friends.”
“Amanda was one of those girls that really didn’t get it,” Michelle Knight told the psychologist host, Phil McGraw, in the second of two taped interviews Wednesday.
Michelle Knight, who was captive in Ariel Castro’s Cleveland house for more than a decade, went on to say that their captor treated Amanda Berry “totally different” and this may have caused Amanda to look at “the situation in a different way.”
She explained that she delivered Amanda Berry’s baby in Ariel Castro’s home in 2006. She said that she was told by Ariel Castro that if the baby died, he would kill her.
Michelle Knight, now 32, said that the baby was born blue and that she had to give the baby CPR so that it started breathing.
While Amanda Berry was allowed to give birth to a baby that she and Ariel Castro conceived, Michelle Knight said she became pregnant five times while inside the house and each time, the captor caused her to have a miscarriage.
One time, she said, Ariel Castro jumped right on her stomach “with his feet and heavy body” in an effort to terminate her pregnancy.
Michelle Knight said she was starved and repeatedly punched in the stomach. She said Gina DeJesus, the third woman kidnapped and held captive in Ariel Castro’s home, helped her get through the miscarriages and cope in times of pain.
She recalled a time when she was forced by Ariel Castro to eat a sandwich with mustard on it, which she is allergic to.
“My throat and my body swelled up. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t talk,” she recounted.
Michelle Knight said Gina DeJesus got her through it and didn’t let her die.
Michelle Knight expressed disappointment with fellow victim Amanda Berry and said Ariel Castro treated her especially harshly because her family wasn’t looking for her
She said she doesn’t understand why Amanda Berry was allowed to have a baby and she wasn’t.
“I was a girl that couldn’t be broken, a girl that couldn’t be underestimated,” Michelle Knight told Dr. Phil.
“When he found out he couldn’t control me very much, he didn’t want to give me a kid.”
“I think he liked her more,” Michelle Knight said of Amanda Berry.
“Cause he had an obsession with blondes. He would always say, <<I don’t want to make her cry, I don’t want to make her upset or I don’t want to hear her whiny mouth>>. He would try to make her happy instead of sad.”
Michelle Knight said she felt like she was the most hated woman in the house and that Ariel Castro would frequently remind her that she didn’t have a family that loved her and was looking for her.
“That’s the reason why I hate you,” Michelle Knight said Ariel Castro told her.
“Because I can abuse you and nobody would care. No one.”
“…And it would hurt because I knew my family didn’t care and I knew my family wasn’t there for me, cause they never was,” Michelle Knight went on to say in the televised interview.
Police did show up at Ariel Castro’s home once, according to Michelle Knight. But, she said, they left after no one answered the door.
There have been previous reports that a neighbor called police after seeing n**ed women on dog leashes, crawling in the backyard of Ariel Castro’s home. Michelle Knight called that statement false in the interview with Dr. Phil. She said that Ariel Castro let her and the other two girls out in the backyard at times, but that the scenario described by the neighbor did not take place.
When the interview turned to the day Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus escaped from Ariel Castro’s home, Michelle expressed sadness and shook her head as the television host played a recording of Amanda’s 911 call.
Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus escaped from Ariel Castro’s house on May 6, 2013 when Amanda pushed out a door and called for help. She ran across the street to a neighbor’s house where she made called 911.
“She didn’t mention us,” Michelle Knight said of the 911 call, which she called “sad.”
“Maybe she was angry about everything… life…,” Michelle Knight said in an attempt to justify Amanda Berry’s lack of mention.
“She just took a different road than everyone else.”
Luckily, when police responded to Ariel Castro’s home, they rescued Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus as well as Amanda Berry and her daughter.
Michelle Knight described the rescue as being like “a roller-coaster” and recounted how she wouldn’t let go of the police officer.
“The first thing I said is, <<We’re going home!>>,” she said.
Michelle Knight was kidnapped in August 2002, when she was 20-years-old, reports the Associated Press. She has been the most public of the kidnap victims since then and even made a visit to Ariel Castro’s neighborhood before his home was demolished.
Ariel Castro, 53, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
A month into his sentence, Ariel Castro was found dead in his cell.
“He took a cowards way out,” Michelle Knight said of Ariel Castro’s suicide.
Michelle Knight said she would have preferred he have spent the rest of his life in prison
“The pain he put us through is pain he didn’t want to go through,” she said.
Typhoon Haiyan is heading for Philippines and is expected to strike central parts of the country on Friday.
Typhoon Haiyan, a category five storm, is moving towards the South East Asian nation with winds of up to 173 mph.
Some schools have already been closed and evacuations are under way in some areas.
Ferry operations have been suspended and fishing boats ordered back to port.
Typhoon Haiyan is expected to make landfall around noon on Friday between the islands of Samar and Leyte.
It is predicted to hit central areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.
Typhoon Haiyan is heading for Philippines and is expected to strike central parts of the country on Friday
Around 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake.
Meteorologists in the Philippines warned that Haiyan could be as devastating as Typhoon Botha in 2012.
Botha devastated parts of the southern Philippines, leaving at least 1,000 people dead and causing more than $1 billion in damage.
“This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations,” state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar told AFP.
“There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous.”
Haiyan is the 25th typhoon to enter Philippines territory this year.
Entertainer Of The Year
George Strait Male Vocalist Of The Year
Blake Shelton Female Vocalist Of The Year
Miranda Lambert Vocal Group Of The Year
Little Big Town Vocal Duo Of The Year
Florida Georgia Line New Artist Of The Year
Country Music Association Awards 2013
Kacey Musgraves Album Of The Year
Blake Shelton, Based On A True Story
Single Of The Year
Florida Georgia Line, Cruise Song Of The Year I Drive Your Truck – Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary Musical Event Of The Year
Tim McGraw With Taylor Swift & Keith Urban, Highway Don’t Care Music Video Of The Year
Tim McGraw, Highway Don’t Care Musician Of The Year
Mac McAnally Pinnacle Award
Taylor Swift
Justin Bieber has been charged in Brazil with illegally spraying graffiti in Rio de Janeiro.
Justin Bieber, 19, could be fined after pictures appeared in local media to show him painting a wall.
Defacing buildings is a crime in Brazil punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine.
However, Brazilian officials described the case involving Justin Bieber as “a minor offence”. There was no immediate comment from his management team.
In a statement, Brazil’s civil police force said Justin Bieber had been charged with “defacing a building or urban monument by graffiti or other means”.
Brazilian media reported and published photos appearing to show Justin Bieber spraying graffiti on the wall of the abandoned Hotel Nacional.
The pictures showed the singer wearing a red cap and army pants – with a security guard on one side, a police car parked on the other.
It emerged that Justin Bieber had authorization from the City Hall to paint at a sports facility nearby, but members of his entourage claim he chose a different location to avoid his fans.
Police argued the consent did not extend to any other places.
According to the Globo TV network, Justin Bieber flew out of Brazil on Wednesday afternoon on a private jet and went to Paraguay, where he was scheduled to perform.
Russia has sent the Olympic torch into space ahead of the Sochi Winter Games.
A Soyuz rocket is delivering the torch to the International Space Station- as part of efforts to showcase next year’s games in Russia.
On Saturday, two Russian cosmonauts will take it on a historic first spacewalk. The torch will not be lit.
The Soyuz rocket blasted off at 04:14:25 GMT from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Three cosmonauts – Russia’s Mikhail Tyurin, American Rick Mastracchio and Koici Wakata from Japan – are taking the torch to the ISS, which it is due to reach in six hours.
A Soyuz rocket is delivering the Olympic torch to the International Space Station
The Olympic torch will be handed over to fellow cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky, who are already on the orbiting station, when they go on the spacewalk on Saturday.
“Our goal here is to make it look spectacular,” Oleg Kotov said earlier.
“We’d like to showcase our Olympic torch in space. We will try to do it in a beautiful manner. Millions of people will see it live on TV and they will see the station and see how we work.”
The Olympic torch has been carried into space twice before – in 1996 and 2000 – but it has never left a spaceship.
The Sochi torch will then be returned to earth and used to light the Olympic cauldron in February 2014.
It is all part of the elaborate preparations for Russia’s first Olympics since the Soviet era. It is also the most expensive one so far, costing around $50 billion (1,620 billion roubles).
Polonium-210 is a naturally occurring radioactive material that emits highly hazardous alpha (positively charged) particles.
It was first discovered by Marie Curie at the end of the 19th century.
There are very small amounts of polonium-210 in the soil and in the atmosphere, and everyone has a small amount of it in their body.
At high doses, the substance damages tissues and organs.
Polonium-210, historically called radium F, is very hard for doctors to identify.
Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with polonium-210
It cannot pass through the skin, and must be ingested or inhaled into the body to cause damage.
And because the radiation has a very short range, polonium-210 only harms nearby tissue.
The substance has industrial uses such as static control and as a heat source for satellite power supplies, but is not available in these areas in a form conducive to easy poisoning.
Polonium-210 is also present in tobacco.
Although polonium-210 occurs naturally in the environment, acquiring enough of it to kill would require individuals with expertise and connections.
Polonium-210 would also need sophisticated lab facilities – and access to a nuclear reactor.
Alternatively, it could have been obtained from a commercial supplier.
Polonium-210 can either be extracted from rocks containing radioactive uranium or separated chemically from the substance radium-226.
Production of polonium from radium-226 would need sophisticated lab facilities because the latter substance produces dangerous levels of penetrating radiation.
According to a Swiss forensic report obtained by al-Jazeera, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with radioactive polonium.
Yasser Arafat’s official medical records say he died in 2004 from a stroke resulting from a blood disorder.
However, Yasser Arafat’s body was exhumed last year amid continuing claims he was murdered.
The Swiss report said tests on the body showed “unexpected high activity” of polonium, which “moderately” supported the poisoning theory.
Many Palestinians and others have long believed that Israel poisoned Arafat. Others allege that he had Aids or cancer. Israel has consistently denied any involvement.
A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry said the Swiss investigation was “more soap opera than science”.
The scientists – from the Vaudois University Hospital Centre (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland – carried out a detailed examination of Yasser Arafat’s medical records, samples taken from his remains and items he had taken into the hospital in Paris where he died in 2004.
They concluded that their results “moderately support the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with polonium-210”.
The scientists stressed that they had been unable to reach a more definitive conclusion because of the time that had lapsed since Yasser Arafat’s death, the limited samples available and the confused “chain of custody” of some of the specimens.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with radioactive polonium
Polonium-210 is a highly radioactive substance. It is found naturally in low doses in food and in the body, but can be fatal if ingested in high doses.
Parallel investigations are being carried out by French and Russian experts – one Russian official said last month that no traces of polonium had been found.
Speaking in Paris, Yasser Arafat’s widow, Suha, said the Swiss results revealed “a real crime, a political assassination”.
“This has confirmed all our doubts. It is scientifically proved that he didn’t die a natural death and we have scientific proof that this man was killed.”
Reuters said Yasser Arafat’s widow did not name any suspects and acknowledged that her husband had had many enemies in his lifetime.
Yasser Arafat, who led the Palestine Liberation Organization for 35 years and became the first president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996, fell violently ill in October 2004 at his compound.
Two weeks later Yasser Arafat was flown to a French military hospital in Paris, where he died on November 11, 2004, aged 75.
France began a murder inquiry in August 2012 after the Lausanne scientists, working with an al-Jazeera documentary crew, found traces of polonium-210 on Yasser Arafat’s personal effects.
His widow had objected to a post-mortem at the time of his death, but asked the Palestinian Authority to permit the exhumation “to reveal the truth”.
Yasser Arafat’s remains were removed from his tomb in the West Bank city of Ramallah in November 2012 and reinterred the same day.
Last month, the head of the Russian Federal Medico-Biological Agency, Vladimir Uiba, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that Yasser Arafat “could not have been poisoned with polonium”, saying that test carried out by Russian experts “found no traces of this substance”.
However, the agency later denied that Vladimir Uiba had made any official statement on the findings.
The head of the Palestinian investigation team, Tawfiq Tirawi, confirmed on Tuesday that the Russian and Swiss reports had been delivered. The Palestinian team is reported to have handed over its findings on Saturday.
Margot Robbie has created a sensation after pictures of her hamming it up with Will Smith were released.
The photos of Margot Robbie and her Focus co-star Will Smith pulling their shirts up and clowning around in a photo booth last month in New Orleans have been obtained by Star magazine.
A source told the magazine that Margot Robbie, 23, and Will Smith, 45, didn’t even take their photos after they were printed.
Will Smith and Margot Robbie are clearly comfortable with each other. The actor has expressed his fondness for Margot Robbie.
“When we did our audition together, we had a natural chemistry,” Will Smith previously said of his co-star.
Margot Robbie has created a sensation after pictures of her hamming it up with Will Smith were released
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Focus, which is currently being filmed, tells the story of a con artist (Will Smith) who takes a beautiful young women (Margot Robbie) under his wing and shows her what he knows. Things get complicated however when they get romantically involved.
Margot Robbie got her big break starring in the short-lived TV series Pan Am with Christina Ricci. However, her role as Naomi Lapaglia in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio is set to give her acting career a huge boost.
Margot Robbie is believed to be single, while Will Smith has been married to his wife Jada Pinkett for 16 years.
Will Smith and Jada Pinket have been forced to deny that their relationship is in trouble many times throughout the years, including as recently as last week.
Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson admitted that his bad behavior once put in jeopardy his 47-year marriage to his wife, Miss Kay.
Phil Robertson, 67, revealed in a recent interview with Extra how a love note inevitably helped sustain their wedded bliss.
He detailed some of the steps he took to get the couple’s relationship back on track during its tainted years. After finding God, Phil Robertson said his worldview and marriage dramatically changed. But he also spoke about how a short note he once wrote played a big role in helping maintain his now-strong relationship with Miss Kay.
Phil Robertson admitted that his bad behavior once put in jeopardy his 47-year marriage to Miss Kay
Phil Robertson told Extra’s Maria Menounos that the note originated long ago when his wife asked him if he loved her.
“I said yes and she said, <<Write it down>>. So I scribbled, <<Miss Kay, I love you. I always have and I always will>>,” he explained.
That note is still taped over the couple’s headboard, serving as a daily reminder to them both.
So, despite their on-screen love, like any married couple, Phil and Miss Kay Robertson have had their share of fights and problems.
Along the way, they hit some speed bumps.
[youtube jBibwSjyS6k 650]
“He had about 10 hard years,” Miss Kay Robertson told Maria Menounos of the troubles they experienced.
“He didn’t act nice like he does now, especially when he was drinking. He was real selfish and didn’t want to be responsible.”
Phil Robertson chimed in an added that his behavior came at a time “when there was no Jesus” in his life.
“I was following the ways of the world. I was raised in the ’60s,” he said.
The popularity of Duck Dynasty has migrated out of the duck blind and into home furnishings, among other things.
Jackson Furniture debuted its Duck Dynasty upholstery collection at the Fall High Point Furniture Market.
Tennessee-based Jackson Furniture presented more than 25 pieces including recliners, pullout sofas, club chairs and ottomans covered in Realtree camouflage and duck design camo.
Jackson Furniture debuted its Duck Dynasty upholstery collection at the Fall High Point Furniture Market
Furniture snobs may find the line curious, even frightening, but fans of the show and cabin owners will be drawn like ducks to a call. The recliners will range in price from $499 to $699.
The Robertson family’s multimillion-dollar empire is based on duck calls for hunters as well as deer calls and accessories under the Buck Commander label. Duck Commander is the best-selling brand in the country.
Duck Commander is the nickname of its founder, patriarch Phil Robertson, who played quarterback with Terry Bradshaw at Louisiana Tech University and turned down the NFL draft to follow his passion, duck hunting. Phil Robertson and his wife, Miss Kay, and their four sons are all featured on the show.
Veterans Day is officially Monday, November 11, 2013, and since it falls on a Monday this year it is the observation day as well.
2013 Restaurants with Veterans Day Free Meals
Applebees Free Meal
On Monday, November 11th, veterans and active duty military can choose from a free signature Thank You Meal menu that includes some of Applebee’s favorite items, including a 7 oz. House Sirloin, Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger, Three-Cheese Chicken & Sundried Tomato Penne, Fiesta Lime Chicken, Double Crunch Shrimp, Chicken Tenders Platter or Oriental Chicken Salad. Must present valid Veteran’s form of identification or be in uniform.
Bar Louie Free Lunch or Dinner
From open to close Sunday, November 10th and Monday, November 11th every Bar Louie location across the country will offer veterans and military personnel a free meal up to a $12 value when they show valid military I.D. or other proof of service.
California Pizza Kitchen
On Monday, November 11, all veterans or active duty military personnel will be able to get any pizza from our menu for free (dine-in only). Please come in uniform or bring your military ID or other proof of service. Offer valid at participating CPK restaurants, excluding Guam, airport, stadium and university locations.
Champps Free Cheeseburger and Fries
Veterans and active-duty receive a free handcrafted burger and fries all day. Choose from a select menu. Participating locations only, check to confirm.
Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse Eat Free
Veterans and active-duty military eat free on Monday, 11.11.13. Valid ID required or in uniform or photo in uniform.
Cheeseburger in Paradise
On Monday, November 11 get a complimentary All-American Burger with fries to active and retired military personnel. Dine in only and must purchase a beverage and present proof of service.
Chili’s Free Meal
Veterans and active-duty military receive a free meal from a special Veterans Day menu on Monday Nov. 11th. Must show proof of military service.
Einstein Bagels Free Bagel and Shmear
This Veterans Day from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all active, inactive and retired military personnel are invited to receive a Free Signature or Classic Bagel and Shmear, or any other topping, and no purchase is necessary.
Fatz Eatz and Drinkz
On this Veteran’s Day, 11/11/2013, Veterans and Active Duty military can enjoy a free entrée up to a $15 value. No purchase required! Also, each veteran will receive a $2 coupon for use on his or her next visit.
Golden Corral Free Meal
Monday November 11th from 4 PM to 9 PM get a free Veterans Day buffet and beverage to any veteran who has served in the United States military or is a current active duty service member. All Golden Corral locations will be participating. No identification is required to get your free Veterans day meal.
Veterans Day is officially Monday, November 11, 2013
Hooters Free Meal
Monday, Nov. 11, Hooters invites all veterans and current servicemen and women to a free meal, up to $10.99 in value with any drink purchase, by presenting a military ID or proof of service at any Hooters location across the country.
Little Caesars Free Crazy Bread
All United States armed forces veterans and active military members get a free order of Crazy Bread® with proof of military status at participating stores nationwide this Veterans Day, 11/11/13.
Longhorn Steakhouse Free App
From Nov. 11 – Nov. 14, service members receive a complimentary appetizer from a list of 10 delicious options, including New! Crispy Fried Green Beans, Lobster-Crab-and-Seafood-Stuffed Mushrooms and Sweet Chili Shrimp. Includes veterans and current service members.
Max & Erma’s Free Cheeseburger Combo Meal with Dessert
On Veterans Day, Monday Nov. 11, participating Max & Erma’s locations are celebrating veterans and active military personnel with a Cheeseburger, choice of soup or salad and a chocolate chip cookie.
McCormick and Schmick’s Free Entree
Enjoy a complimentary entree on Sunday November 10th, 2013. All veterans must show official verification. Veterans Day entrees must be enjoyed at the restaurant. No to-go orders permitted.
Menchie’s Free Frozen Yogurt
On Veterans Day, Monday, November 11th, 2013 Veterans and active duty personnel get a a free 6 oz. frozen yogurt. Show a valid ID or be in uniform to receive.
Noah’s Bagels Free Bagel and Shmear
This Veterans Day from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all active, inactive and retired military personnel are invited to receive a Free Signature or Classic Bagel and Shmear, or any other topping, and no purchase is necessary.
O’Charley’s free meal
On Monday, November 11 all veterans and all active-duty military personnel will have their choice of one of nine meals on the O’Charley’s “$9.99er” menu. Options include O’Charley’s Famous Chicken Tenders & Twisted Chips, Cowboy Sirloin, Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie and Santa Fe Tilapia, among others.
Olive Garden Free Meal
All veterans and military active duty will receive a free meal from a special menu on Veterans Day. Also, all November current military service members and their families get 10% off in honor of Military Appreciation Month.
On The Border Free Entree
All veterans and active duty military will receive a free entree from the “Create Your Own Combo menu” on Monday, November 11, 2013. OTB will also donate 15% of all eligible sales on Veterans Day from guests who bring in a give-back flyer.
Outback Steakhouse Free Bloomin’ Onion® and a beverage
Military personnel and veterans get a Free Bloomin’ Onion® and a beverage. Must have valid identification. Plus, get 10% off all meals from Nov. 12 through Dec. 31.
Paciugo Gelato Caffe
Paciugo will thank our nation’s veterans and troops on Veterans Day with a free 12 oz Gelatte on Monday, November 11, 2013. Military guests will need to provide proof of military service.
Red Lobster Free App & drink
From Nov. 11 – Nov. 14, service members receive a complimentary Texas Tonion appetizer and non-alcohol beverage. Includes veterans and current service members.
Red Robin Free Burger and Fries
All Veterans and Active Duty Military get a free Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Steak Fries on Monday, Nov. 11.
Sheetz
Midnight 11.11 to Midnight 11.12 vets get a free 6″ turkey sub and 20oz fountain drink.
Shoney’s Offers Free All-American Burger
Shoney’s says ‘Thank You’ to America’s heroes by offering Shoney’s All-American Burger to All Veterans and Active Duty Military Members on Monday, November 11th.
Sizzler Free Lunch
Active duty and retired members of the military get a free lunch on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2013 until 4 p.m. Guests with proof of military service will select a six-ounce six-ounce Tri Tip Steak, single Malibu Chicken or a half dozen Fried Shrimp entrée with a choice of side dish. Note this offer does not include veterans.
Spaghetti Warehouse Buy 1 Get 1 Free Meal
On Sunday, November 10th and Monday, November 11th choose 1 original spaghetti entrée or 15-layer lasagne, get the 2nd entrée free.
Texas Roadhouse Free Lunch
Select from a free special veterans lunch menu including a beverage and sides no November 11th, 2013.
TGI Fridays Free Lunch
Veterans and active duty military service members are invited have lunch on T.G.I Friday’s this Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop Free Doughnut
Veterans and active-duty military will receive a free doughnut. No purchase required. Valid ID required or show up in uniform.
Travel Centers of America Free Meal
On Veterans Day, November 11, all CDL drivers who are Military Veterans eat FREE at participating full-service restaurants with proof of service. Must present valid ID.
Tucanos Brazilian Grill
All active duty, reserve and retired military and veterans receive a complimentary Churrasco meal on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. Also, get 10-percent off the entire bill for veterans and troops who dine with their families, from Friday, Nov. 8 through Veteran’s Day, Monday, November 11.
Twin Peaks Free Meal
On Monday, November 11 all active and retired members of the Armed Forces are invited to visit Twin Peaks for lunch or dinner and select any meal from the Twin Peaks menu. Note, this offer is not available for veterans.
Kmart’s decision to open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and stay open through Friday (41 hours) sparked anger among its customers.
People have threatened to boycott Kmart store for not allowing employees to go home and spend the Thanksgiving Day with their families.
In the past, Kmart still opened 6 a.m., but let employees go home at 4 p.m. to have dinner.
People have threatened to boycott Kmart store for not allowing employees to go home and spend the Thanksgiving Day with their families
When Kmart announced they weren’t doing that this year, people filled the store’s Facebook page with messages calling the company “greedy,” “heartless,” and “morally bankrupt.”
Kmart says they will staff each store with volunteers and seasonal employees where possible, and that the decision came after customers indicated they wanted more flexible holiday shopping hours.
Tom Cruise has strongly dismissed claims he has “abandoned” his daughter Suri following his divorce from actress Katie Holmes as “patently false”.
“I have in no way cut Suri out of my life,” Tom Cruise said in a declaration filed on Tuesday in a $50 million defamation case against magazine publisher Bauer.
Tom Cruise, 51, is suing Bauer over two 2012 tabloid stories that claimed he was absent from his 7-year-old daughter’s life.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorced in June last year after six years of marriage.
The legal action relates to stories in Life & Style and In Touch magazines that claimed overseas film shoots had stopped Tom Cruise being a constant presence in Suri’s life.
Tom Cruise is suing Bauer over two 2012 tabloid stories that claimed he was absent from Suri’s life
In documents made public by Radar Online, Tom Cruise acknowledged he was “a professional actor in motion pictures” whose job involved “extended periods of time in various parts of the world”.
However, Tom Cruise insisted he and his daughter remained “extremely close” and had a “wonderful relationship and cheerful phone calls”.
“While I’m sure my daughter misses me when I am not with her (as I miss her), she is a very happy child,” Tom Cruise’s statement read.
Suri, he continued, “has never indicated, in words or substance, that she has ever felt abandoned by me”.
Tom Cruise’s lawyers are asking a judge to order Bauer to declare it did not have any sources to support its contentions.
Bauer’s lawyers have argued the star’s motion should be rejected, referring to statements from confidential sources that allegedly support its claims.
A new World Meteorological Organization bulletin has revealed the levels of gases in the atmosphere that drive global warming increased to a record high in 2012.
According to the WMO, atmospheric CO2 grew more rapidly last year than its average rise over the past decade.
Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide also broke previous records
Thanks to carbon dioxide and these other gases, the WMO says the warming effect on our climate has increased by almost a third since 1990.
The WMO’s annual greenhouse gas bulletin measures concentrations in the atmosphere, not emissions on the ground.
Carbon dioxide is the most important of the gases that they track, but only about half of the CO2 that’s emitted by human activities remains in the atmosphere, with the rest being absorbed by the plants, trees, the land and the oceans.
Since the start of the industrial era in 1750, global average levels of CO2 in the atmosphere have increased by 141%.
According to the WMO there were 393.1 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 2012, an increase of 2.2 ppm over 2011.
This was above the yearly average of 2.02 ppm over the past decade.
The levels of gases in the atmosphere that drive global warming increased to a record high in 201
“The observations highlight yet again how heat-trapping gases from human activities have upset the natural balance of our atmosphere and are a major contribution to climate change,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
While the daily measurement of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exceeded the symbolic 400 ppm mark in May this year, according to the WMO the global annual average CO2 concentration will cross this point in 2015 or 2016.
Levels of methane also reached record highs in 2012 of 1,819 parts per billion. Concentrations have been increasing since 2007 after a period when they appeared to be leveling off.
The WMO report says that it is not yet possible to attribute the methane increase to either human activities like cattle breeding and landfills or natural sources such as wetlands.
They believe that the rising emissions come from the tropical and mid-latitude northern hemisphere and not from the Arctic, where methane from the melting of permafrost and hydrates has long been a concern.
Emissions of nitrous oxide have also grown, with the atmospheric concentration in 2012 at 325.1 parts per billion, 120% above pre-industrial levels.
Nitrous oxide gas, although its concentrations are tiny compared to CO2, is 298 times more warming and also plays a role in the destruction of the ozone layer.
Recent research indicates that the rate of increase in emissions might be slowing down, but the gases can continue to concentrate in the atmosphere and exert a climate influence for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Scientists believe that the new data indicates that global warming will be back with a vengeance, after a slowdown in the rate of temperature increases over the past 14 years.
Raffaele Sollecito, who was convicted and later cleared of killing British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia in 2007, has appeared in court in Florence, Italy.
The Italian is due to make a statement over the death of Amanda Knox’s room-mate Meredith Kercher.
Raffaele Sollecito and his then-girlfriend, Amanda Knox, were convicted in 2009 of murder but acquitted on appeal in 2011.
However, in March Italy’s highest court overturned the acquittals, and ordered a new appeal.
Amanda Knox is now in the US and is not expected to attend court.
“He has come to show that he is not running away,” Raffaele Sollecito’s lawyer, Luca Maori, told reporters before the start of the hearing.
The new appeal was ordered after the prosecution took the case to the Supreme Court.
Raffaele Sollecito is due to make a statement over the death of Amanda Knox’s room-mate Meredith Kercher
The court strongly criticized the way the appeals court had dismissed important DNA evidence, ordering the whole process to begin all over again.
One of the key pieces of forensic evidence that helped to convict the pair in the first place was a kitchen knife found in Raffaele Sollecito’s kitchen, which was said to have Meredith Kercher’s DNA on the blade.
But the DNA sample was tiny, and the appeal judge thought the evidence was unreliable, so he rejected a forensic scientist’s suggestion to have it tested again.
Tuesday’s hearing will focus on a minute trace of DNA found on the murder weapon but not previously tested.
Meredith Kerceher’s family was not in court. But their lawyer, Francesco Maresca, said the evidence was clear for all to see.
“I think that this court has all the elements to take its decision. Another court has determined why that knife was in Knox’s hands,” said Francesco Maresca.
Both Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox spent four years in prison before their acquittal, and have always insisted they are innocent.
Another man – Rudy Guede from Ivory Coast – was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to 16 years for the killing.
The NFL is investigating allegations that Miami Dolphins player Richie Incognito bullied teammate Jonathan Martin.
Richie Incognito, 30, was suspended on Sunday night amid claims by 24-year-old Jonathan Martin’s representatives.
Jonathan Martin, 6ft 5in and 312 lb, left the team last week to seek treatment for an emotional issue after reportedly being the victim of a prank.
The investigation casts a spotlight on a culture of hazing that has long been common in league locker rooms.
Richie Incognito protested his innocence on Twitter before his suspension.
The offensive guard, who was voted the NFL’s Dirtiest Player in a 2009 player poll, is a nine-year professional who is nearing the end of a $13 million contract.
Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin told a news conference on Monday at the team’s training facility: “The NFL is going to conduct a review of the workplace.
The NFL is investigating allegations that Miami Dolphins player Richie Incognito bullied teammate Jonathan Martin
“It’s going to be comprehensive, it’s going to be objective.
“As an organization we are going to give our full and complete co-operation with the NFL.”
Joe Philbin said a decision had been made to suspend Incognito based partly on information from representatives of Jonathan Martin, an offensive tackle in his second NFL season.
The team said in a statement: “We believe in maintaining a culture of respect for one another and as a result we believe this decision is in the best interest of the organization at this time.”
According to ESPN, Richie Incognito’s alleged intimidation of Jonathan Martin included leaving him a voice message with a racial slur as well as threats to kill him and assault his mother. Richie Incognito is white; Jonathan Martin is black.
The sports network also reported that Richie Incognito had persuaded Jonathan Martin to pay $15,000 towards a trip to Las Vegas that the younger man did not even go on.
Speaking of Richie Incognito, an unidentified team source told the Miami Herald on Monday: “From a club perspective, he will never play another game here.”
The nature of the alleged prank that led to Jonathan Martin leaving the team last week is unclear.
But in a stadium programme sold at the Dolphins’ Halloween game, Richie Incognito was asked who was the easiest teammate to scare, and he said: “Jonathan Martin.”
Michelle Knight, who was held in captivity in Ariel Castro’s house for 11 years, has revealed on Dr Phil show that she was hung “like a fish” from her feet and neck.
Michelle Knight, now 32, is the first of three women who escaped Ariel Castro’s abuse to tell her story at length.
She says she was beaten with a barbell by Ariel Castro so “the monster” could force her to miscarriage.
Michelle Knight recounted more allegations of physical, s**ual and emotional abuse in the second part of her taped interviews with Phil McGraw.
She appeared on the Dr Phil show in a taped interview and opened up on the horrors of being held captive by Ariel Castro for over a decade.
The woman survived the “horrible conditions in the house”, after being kidnapped, tortured and abandoned in a filthy basement, by holding out hope she’d see her son again.
Michelle Knight described years of physical, mental and s**ual abuse. That includes “being tied up like a fish” and spending weeks chained and tortured in the basement, according to the show.
Ariel Castro, who was imprisoned for life for the crimes, died in an apparent suicide in an Ohio jail in September.
Michelle Knight is the first of three women who escaped Ariel Castro’s abuse to tell her story at length
Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry were freed from his Cleveland house after Ms Berry managed to escape in May and call for help.
He abducted the women from the streets of his Cleveland neighborhood and held them for about a decade before they were freed.
Michelle Knight was 21 when she was kidnapped in August 2002.
Officials have said he kept the women chained for long periods in the house, beating, starving and assaulting them.
Ariel Castro pleaded guilty in July to the 937 charges against him, including multiple counts of kidnapping, rape and aggravated murder, in connection with the beating of a pregnant captive until she miscarried.
In a video published ahead of the two-part interview to be broadcast this week, Michelle Knight told host Phil McGraw she was “tied up like fish, an ornament on the wall, that’s the only way I can describe it”.
Phil McGraw told the Cleveland Plain Dealer after hearing her story, “you wonder how anyone lasted a day let alone more than a decade”.
“In the 12 years of doing the Dr Phil show, no one has changed me like Michelle Knight and her story of survival,” he said.
Phil McGraw also said Michelle Knight was “eager” to have her own voice after the years of abuse by Ariel Castro.
The interview will run over two days on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Phil McGraw said that out of respect for Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight would only discuss her own experience.
Apple has revealed a list of data requests it has received from governments across the globe.
The US government tops the list with 1,000 to 2,000 requests in the six months to June 30.
Apple said the US requests affected 2,000 to 3,000 accounts, adding it gave out data on zero to 1,000 accounts.
The tech giant said the most common “requests involve robberies and other crimes or requests from law enforcement officers searching for missing persons”.
It said the response usually involves disclosing information about an account holder’s iTunes or iCloud account “such as a name and an address”.
“In very rare cases, we are asked to provide stored photos or email. We consider these requests very carefully and only provide account content in extremely limited circumstances,” Apple said.
The UK was second on the list, with 127 requests. Spain, Germany and Australia also featured in the top five.
Apple has revealed a list of data requests it has received from governments across the globe
Apple added that since its main business was “not about collecting information”, the vast majority of requests it received from law enforcement agencies were about information on “lost or stolen devices”.
The company logs these requests under a separate category as “device requests” which, it said, “never include national security-related requests”.
Apple received more than 3,500 such requests in the US between January and June this year.
The tech giant also used the report to call for more freedom to disclose the details of such requests to customers.
Apple said that currently the US government did not allow it to disclose “except in broad ranges, the number of national security orders, the number of accounts affected by the orders, or whether content, such as emails, was disclosed”.
“We strongly oppose this gag order,” it added.
Apple said it had asked the government to ease these restrictions but so far had not seen any major changes.
“Despite our extensive efforts in this area, we do not yet have an agreement that we feel adequately addresses our customers’ right to know how often and under what circumstances we provide data to law enforcement agencies.”
The move by tech companies came after leaks by whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed mass surveillance programmes by the National Security Agency (NSA) and associated agencies.
Apple said it had filed a letter with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court supporting a group of cases requesting greater transparency.
