BlackBerry has decided to abandon a plan to sell itself to its biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings.
Instead, BlackBerry intends to raise $1 billion in fresh financing.
Chief executive Thorsten Heins will step down and former Sybase chief executive John Chen will serve as interim chief executive.
Last month, BlackBerry reported a second-quarter net loss of $965 million.
Those losses were blamed on poor sales of its new smartphone, the Z10.
BlackBerry has decided to abandon a plan to sell itself to its biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings
Fairfax was planning to lead a consortium of firms in a takeover of BlackBerry worth $4.7 billion.
But that plan, announced last month, has fallen through.
Last week, Reuters reported that Fairfax was struggling to raise the financing needed for the deal.
Instead, Fairfax, which owns a 10% stake in BlackBerry, is contributing $250 million to the new fund-raising.
“This financing provides an immediate cash injection on terms favorable to BlackBerry, enhancing our substantial cash position,” said Barbara Stymiest, chair of BlackBerry’s board of directors.
In September, BlackBerry announced a plan to cut 4,500 jobs, or 40% of its workforce, to reverse giant losses.
The interim chief executive, John Chen, acknowledged the challenge ahead: “BlackBerry is an iconic brand with enormous potential – but it’s going to take time, discipline and tough decisions to reclaim our success.”
HSBC has announced a 30% profit rise in Q3 2013, boosted by a strong performance in the UK and Hong Kong.
Reported pre-tax profit was $4.5 billion, compared with $3.4 billion for the same period a year ago, the bank said.
HSBC’s home markets of the UK and Hong Kong were responsible for more than half of the group’s profits.
The bank also confirmed it was being investigated as part of a global probe into currency trading manipulation.
Barclays, RBS, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and UBS have already confirmed that regulators, including the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, have been in contact with them in relation to suggestions that currency markets could have been rigged.
HSBC has announced a 30 percent profit rise in Q3 2013
“We see reasons for optimism with some evidence of a broadening recovery,” group chief executive Stuart Gulliver said on the outlook for the bank.
Operating expenses fell by $700 million to $9.6 billion during the period, but the bank said that was mainly due to the absence of one-off costs from last year.
Underlying costs were up on the year, which HSBC blamed on investments, wage inflation and regulatory-related costs.
Stuart Gulliver is aiming to streamline the bank’s operations by focusing on high-growth markets in Asia. In October, it sold its Panama business for an estimated $1.1 billion gain.
HSBC has closed or sold 12 non-core businesses since the start of the year.
“Hong Kong continues to benefit from its close economic relationship with mainland China. We remain well positioned to capitalize on improving economic conditions in these markets,” added Stuart Gulliver.
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s bail over the 2007 army operation to oust militants from Islamabad’s Red Mosque has been approved by a Pakistani court.
The court approved bail on condition Pervez Musharraf pay bonds totaling $2,000.
But the former general remains on a government exit control list and cannot leave the country.
Speaking outside the court in the capital, his lawyer said Pervez Musharraf had no intention of leaving Pakistan.
The operation ordered by General 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, he 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.
Pervez Musharraf’s bail over the 2007 army operation to oust militants from Islamabad’s Red Mosque has been approved by a Pakistani court
Pervez Musharraf 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.
He 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.
Pervez Musharraf 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.
Pervez Musharraf insists all the charges against him are politically motivated.
His house arrest is unprecedented in a country which has been ruled by the military for more than half of its history.
The latest bail ruling means Pervez Musharraf could soon be free to move around Pakistan.
However, Pervez Musharraf is likely to remain under guard at his villa on the outskirts of Islamabad because of threats to his life.
Ender’s Game has topped the US box office chart in its opening weekend.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, about an 86-year-old and his 8-year-old grandson, was shunted into second after hitting the number one spot last week.
Sci-Fi adventure Ender’s Game, a story about children forced to fight an enemy race, took $28 million according to estimates.
The film stars Harrison Ford as a commander who manipulates a young boy (Asa Butterfield) into leading a war.
Double Oscar nominee Viola Davis plays Harrison Ford’s second in command.
Ender’s Game has topped the US box office chart in its opening weekend
Based on the best-selling 1985 novel of the same name, Ender’s Game was in line with box office forecasts which predicted it would take between $25 million and $30 million in its debut weekend.
This was despite calls by some to boycott the film after the book’s author, Orson Scott Card, made some comments expressing his opposition to gay marriage.
But with the highly anticipated Thor: The Dark World opening next week, box office analyst Jeff Bock said: “It looks like Ender’s Game is one-and-done… (next weekend) there won’t be much of the box office pie left for Ender’s Game.”
Last Vegas, featuring an all-star cast including Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline, opened in third place with $16.5 million.
Children’s animation Free Birds, which features the voices of Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Amy Poehler, debuted in fourth spot with takings of $16.2 million.
Gravity, now in its fifth week, rounded out the top five.
The first ever YouTube awards were held in New York and presided by Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts.
The event featured Eminem, Lady Gaga and M.I.A making live music videos directed by the awards’ creator, Spike Jonze, and others.
Eminem won Artist of the Year, while Taylor Swift’s I Knew You Were Trouble took the YouTube Phenomenon award.
The ceremony was streamed live online.
The inaugural YouTube awards reflect an increasing trend for people to turn to the internet, rather than television and radio, for music and video
Nominees were chosen by taking into account the YouTube views, likes, comments and subscription figures for different artists.
Indie actress Greta Gerwig kicked off proceedings at the sprawling Pier 36 venue, performing in a live video for Arcade Fire and their new song Afterlife.
Lady Gaga was up next, tears rolling down her cheeks as she performed her single Dope for the first time wearing a baseball cap and flannel shirt.
The coveted Video of the Year award went to South Korean group Girls’ Generation for their song I Got A Boy, while Innovation of the Year went to DeStorm Power, the YouTube user whose 250 videos on the website have been watched more than 200 million times.
The inaugural YouTube awards reflect an increasing trend for people to turn to the internet, rather than television and radio, for music and video.
In August last year, the Nielsen rating agency published a survey in which 64% of American adolescents said they listened to music on YouTube, compared with 56% who listened to radio.
The US Congress and the White House have rejected clemency for former NSA analyst Edward Snowden.
“Mr. Snowden violated US law. He should return to the US and face justice,” said White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer.
Edward Snowden, 30, asked for international help to persuade the US to drop spying charges against him in a letter given to a German politician.
He fled to Russia in June after leaking details of far-reaching US telephone and internet espionage.
Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum, allowing him to live in Russia until July 2014.
In a surprise move last week, German Green MP Hans-Christian Stroebele met Edward Snowden in Moscow and revealed the former intelligence contractor’s readiness to brief the German government on NSA’s spying.
Edward Snowden set out his position in a letter, which Hans-Christian Stroebele showed to reporters at a news conference in Berlin on Friday.
The US Congress and the White House have rejected clemency for former NSA analyst Edward Snowden
“Speaking the truth is not a crime,” Edward Snowden wrote. He claimed that the US government was persecuting him by charging him with espionage.
On Sunday, the White House said that no offers for clemency were being discussed.
This view was echoed by the Republican Congressman Mike Rogers and Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein.
Dianne Feinstein said that if Edward Snowden had been a true whistleblower, he could have reported privately to her committee, but had chosen not to.
“We would have seen him and we would have looked at that information. That didn’t happen, and now he’s done this enormous disservice to our country,” Senator Dianne Feinstein said in an interview on CBS television.
“I think the answer is no clemency,” she said.
The scale of the alleged US espionage has provoked international concern and calls for tighter supervision.
Reports that the US bugged German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone for years have caused a diplomatic rift.
The head of US intelligence has defended the monitoring of foreign leaders as a key goal of operations but the US is facing growing anger over reports it spied on its allies abroad.
It has also been reported that the NSA monitored French diplomats in Washington and at the UN, and that it conducted surveillance on millions of French and Spanish telephone calls, among other operations against US allies.
Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi has arrived in court in Cairo where he is due to go on trial, state media say.
Mohamed Morsi and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures face charges of inciting the killing of protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace.
Security services are on high alert after supporters of the former president called for major protests.
Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military in July after protests against his rule.
According to state TV, Mohamed Morsi arrived at the courtroom, inside the Police Academy in Cairo. Other key Brotherhood figures, Essam el-Erian, Mohammed al-Beltagi and Ahmed Abdel Aati are also there.
While Mohamed Morsi was airlifted into the compound by helicopter, other defendants were said to have been brought in by armoured personnel carriers.
Mohamed Morsi and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood figures face charges of inciting the killing of protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace
The ousted president was seen from a distance in civilian clothes, Egyptian radio reported. This is his first appearance in public since he was ousted on July 3.
The trial had been due to take place at Tora prison on the other side of Cairo but had been switched late on Sunday, apparently to deter protesters.
Shortly after Mohamed Morsi’s arrival, a small crowd arrived and began chanting outside the sprawling police compound more than one hour’s drive from the centre of the city. The crowd soon grew to number some 200.
Although Mohamed Morsi won the presidency in a democratic election, during his 13 months in power he fell out with key institutions.
The ex-president is accused of “incitement to murder and violence” over the deaths of at least 10 people during intense clashes in December 2012 which followed a decree that gave him wide-ranging powers.
After he was ousted, a sit-in protest in Cairo by Mohamed Morsi’s supporters was violently broken up by the military, leading to the deaths of hundreds of people.
The interim government has also cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Mohamed Morsi hails, banning the Islamist organization and arresting dozens of senior figures.
His supporters say he was removed in a coup and is now facing a politicized trial. Human rights groups accuse the security services of acting without accountability.
Mohamed Morsi and his co-defendants are expected to use the trial to underline what they see as the illegitimacy of their ousting. There is considerable interest in Egypt in whether the authorities decide to televise the former leader’s appearance in court.
Texans coach Gary Kubiak was in stable condition after he collapsed as he was running off the field at halftime at Reliant Stadium Sunday night, the team said.
Gary Kubiak, 52, was evaluated for stroke-like symptoms, a person close to the situation said. Kubiak did not suffer a stroke, the person said, but is undergoing further evaluation, including an MRI.
As the Houston Texans trickled into the locker room at halftime and learned that coach Gary Kubiak had collapsed leaving the field, their excitement over a big first half quickly disintegrated into dread.
They were soon informed that he was in stable condition, but the rattled team unraveled in the second half as Indianapolis rallied for a 27-24 victory Sunday night.
Texans coach Gary Kubiak collapsed as he was running off the field at halftime at Reliant Stadium Sunday night
Gary Kubiak hunched over and dropped to his knees at the 24-yard line and was immediately surrounded by medical personnel. He was lifted off the field on a stretcher and taken by cart to the ambulance.
The Texans said Gary Kubiak didn’t have a heart attack. The team said the coach, a former NFL quarterback who calls the team’s plays, was conscious and was with his family as he was taken to the hospital.
“He had an episode; he was light-headed and dizzy,” Houston general manager Rick Smith said in an interview on NBC.
“He was evaluated by a number of specialists . . . he is awake and coherent.
We have to assess . . . obviously, there’s a lot of info. Hopefully, Gary will be back with us tomorrow.”
Up 21-3 when Gary Kubiak collapsed, the Texans struggled after halftime for their sixth straight loss after opening the season 2-0 with Super Bowl hopes.
Gary Kubiak’s collapse came a day after Denver Broncos coach John Fox was hospitalized in North Carolina as he awaits aortic value replacement surgery. The 58-year-old Fox will have surgery in a few days and will miss several weeks while recuperating.
Gary Kubiak has long been known as a top offensive coach, mentoring quarterbacks in Denver under Mike Shanahan and now Matt Schaub — and Case Keenum — in Houston. He has had no publicly known health problems.
Secretary of State John Kerry has called for an end to all violence in Egypt and urged moves to full democracy on his first visit to the country since President Mohamed Morsi was ousted.
“History has demonstrated that democracies are more stable, viable and prosperous than any alternative,” John Kerry told a news conference.
“With stability comes tourism and investment, and with both come jobs.”
John Kerry said the US was committed to working with Egypt’s military-backed rulers.
John Kerry on his first visit to Egypt since President Mohamed Morsi was ousted
His visit to Cairo was not disclosed by US officials until he landed. It is the first time a US secretary of state has travelled to Egypt on a visit that is unannounced for security reasons.
On his six-hour stop John Kerry was meeting the interim leaders that assumed control following Mohamed Morsi’s removal in July – President Adly Mahmud Mansour, PM Hazem el-Beblawi, Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy and army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Egypt is the first stage of a nine-day tour that John Kerry will take in Middle Eastern and North African countries, as well as Poland.
Former President Mohamed Morsi goes on trial on Monday.
A rare solar eclipse that began as a “ring of fire” and transformed into a spectacular total eclipse of the sun amazed skywatchers from North America to Africa on Sunday, November 3.
The celestial event was a rare hybrid solar eclipse, which began over the Atlantic Ocean as an annular eclipse and transitioned into a full total solar eclipse for observers along the narrow path of totality in the eastern Atlantic and over parts of Africa.
The rare solar eclipse that began as a ring of fire and transformed into a spectacular total eclipse of the sun amazed skywatchers from North America to Africa
Observers along the US East Coast and parts of Canada, meanwhile, awoke to a partial solar eclipse at sunrise.
People watched the rare solar eclipse showing the Sun partially blocked by the Moon passing in front, as seen in Estoril near Lisbon, Portugal.
Jimmy Kimmel continued his Halloween prank on kids and issued a new YouTube challenge to their parents: “Tell your children you ate all of their Halloween candy.”
Jimmy Kimmel continued his Halloween candy prank on kids
Paul Anthony Ciancia – the man suspected of carrying out Friday’s gun attack at LA Airport – has been charged with murder.
Prosecutors say the death penalty could be sought if 23-year-old Paul Anthony Ciancia is convicted. He is in hospital after being shot by police.
A federal US security agent was killed and others wounded in the attack. Police are attempting to establish a motive for the assault.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has now reopened fully.
About 1,550 flights with 167,000 passengers were affected, airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said.
US Attorney Andre Birotte said Paul Anthony Ciancia was also charged with commission of violence at an international airport.
Andre Birotte said the gunman had pulled a “.223-calibre M&P-15 assault rifle out of his bag and fired multiple rounds at point-blank range” at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer Gerardo Hernandez, 39.
Paul Anthony Ciancia has been charged with murder after carrying out Friday’s gun attack at LA Airport
The attorney said the shots did not kill the officer, but the gunman returned to “shoot the wounded officer again”.
Gerardo Hernandez’s widow, Ana, said he was “a joyful person, always smiling and took pride in his duty to the American public”.
The FBI has also given more details of a note found on the suspect.
David Bowdich, the head of the FBI’s LA office, said: “In the note that was handwritten by the defendant, that was signed by the defendant, we found a statement where he made a conscious decision to kill multiple TSA employees.
“He addressed them at one point in the letter, and stated that he wanted to <<instill fear into their traitorous minds>>.”
David Bowdich said investigators had not yet been able to interview Paul Anthony Ciancia.
The gunman appeared to target agents of the TSA, which manages security at US airports.
He pushed through screening gates and walked more than 100 yards into the secure area of the terminal before law enforcement officers caught up with him in a food court.
A law enforcement official told the Associated Press news agency that Paul Anthony Ciancia was shot in the mouth and leg by two airport police officers.
Ellen DeGeneres decided to pay tribute to Nicki Minaj on her Halloween episode of her talk show.
The outfit made headlines during Nicki Minaj’s guest appearance in September.
Ellen DeGeneres decided to pay tribute to Nicki Minaj on her Halloween episode of her talk show
Ellen DeGeneres: “This year I decided to go as something really scary … Nicki was on the show a few weeks ago and her shirt was not … she took our show from PG to double D, that’s what she did!”
Jimmy Kimmel decided to try Snow White costume for his Halloween show.
His Snow White costume was his best Jimmy Kimmel Live getup since he dressed up as Jay Leno in 2010.
Jimmy Kimmel decided to try Snow White costume for his Halloween show
Jimmy Kimmel’s guest, Mindy Kaling, meanwhile, turned up as Peter Pan’s nemesis — though Kimmel initially took her for Prince.
The two sat down to talk about their childhood Halloween costumes.
Jimmy Kimmel seems to know where his bread is buttered: His show airs on Disney-owned ABC, and his theater is owned by the Walt Disney Company. So no one will poison his apple at this year’s company Christmas party.
Ethnic Serb communities are encouraged to go to the polls for the first time as the votes are being cast in Kosovo’s municipal elections.
The governments of both Serbia and Kosovo have been promoting a strong turnout, but many people in the north are likely to boycott the vote.
Kosovar Serbs are concerned that if they vote, it will legitimize the independent state of Kosovo.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
Ethnic Serb communities are encouraged to go to the polls for the first time as the votes are being cast in Kosovo’s municipal elections
The move had the support of Kosovo’s majority Albanian population, but not the small Serbian minority, which refuses to recognize the country’s independence.
For the first time, the government in Belgrade is putting pressure on Kosovo’s Serb population to take part in the municipal elections.
The change is down to a new agreement between Serbia and Kosovo to normalize relations, as Serbia seeks membership of the European Union.
Polling stations opened at 07:00 and will close at 19:00 local time.
Calls for independence from ethnic Albanians in Kosovo after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia led Serbia to stage a violent crackdown in the territory, which was bought to an end by a NATO military intervention in 1999.
Until it declared independence in 2008, Kosovo was administered by the United Nations.
Jay Leno told his guest Andy Cohen during Friday’s Tonight Show that the assumed beef between him and David Letterman is a tabloid creation.
Jay Leno said he and David Letterman actually like each other: “We started out together, he still makes me laugh as much as anybody.”
He added: “Brilliant wordsmith, very funny guy.”
Jay Leno said the two spoke a month ago, talking about “things in TV and what was going on here” – presumably meaning Leno’s second Tonight Show exit.
Jay Leno told his guest Andy Cohen during Friday’s Tonight Show that the assumed beef between he and David Letterman is a tabloid creation
The candid conversation occurred when Andy Cohen turned the tables on Jay Leno, asking him to play “Plead the Fifth” from Cohen’s own talk show, Watch What Happens Live.
Andy Cohen asks a celebrity three questions, they can “plead the fifth” to one, but must answer the other two honestly. The question that prompted the open answer was his first one to Jay Leno: “What is the misconception about you that irritates you the most?”
After the explanation, Andy Cohen also asked Jay Leno what he would say to Johnny Carson if he had the chance. Jay Leno answered: “Thank You.”
NBA legend Walt Bellamy, who averaged 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds in 14 seasons, died Saturday at the age of 74.
The Atlanta Hawks confirmed the death, but didn’t provide details.
The Hawks said Walt Bellamy attended the team’s home opener Friday night.
”Walt Bellamy was an enormously gifted Hall of Fame player who had a tremendous impact on our game,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement released by the league.
”Off the court, he was an even more extraordinary person. Walt is going to be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. On behalf of the entire NBA family, our condolences and thoughts go out to Walt’s family.”
Walt Bellamy, a former Indiana University star, won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and was the first overall pick by the Chicago Packers in 1961. He was the rookie of the year with Chicago, averaging 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds, and also played for the Baltimore Bullets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta and New Orleans Jazz. He played in four All-Star games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
Walt Bellamy won an Olympic gold medal in 1960 and was the first overall pick by the Chicago Packers in 1961
”The Atlanta Hawks family is saddened to learn of the death of Walt Bellamy at the age of 74 earlier today,” the Hawks said in a statement.
‘’The Hawks and the National Basketball Association have lost a giant. As an Olympic gold medalist, the first overall pick in 1961, Rookie of the Year in 1962, a four-time All-Star and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, his on-court accomplishments were overwhelming. Off the court, he was equally impactful as a family man, leader in the community, mentor and friend to many.’’
Walt Bellamy was traded three times, going from the Bullets to the Knicks in November 1965 for Jim Barnes, Johnny Egan, Johnny Green and cash, then to Detroit along with Howard Komives in December 1968 in the deal that brought star forward Dave DeBusschere to New York. Detroit sent Walt Bellamy to Atlanta in February 1970 for John Arthurs.
In three seasons at Indiana, the 6-foot-11 former New Bern, N.C., Walt Bellamy averaged 20.6 points and 15.5 rebounds.
A Cirque De Soleil artist slipped and fell during a performance in Las Vegas on Friday night, according to the organization.
The incident came just a few days after Cirque du Soleil was told it would be fined in the death of another performer.
The Cirque De Soleil acrobat was performing in an act known as the “Wheel of Death” during the 7 p.m. showing of the Zarkana stage production at the Aria Resort and Casino when he slipped and fell off the wheel, according to a statement on the group’s official Facebook page.
The Cirque De Soleil acrobat was performing in an act known as the “Wheel of Death” during showing of the Zarkana stage production at the Aria Resort and Casino when he slipped and fell off the wheel
The performance was stopped and the artist was taken by ambulance to the University Medical Center in Las Vegas, according to Cirque de Soleil spokesman Ann Paladie. He was in stable condition Saturday and was expected to be released in the next few days.
Ann Paladie said the acrobat was previously a performer in the group’s production KOOZA prior to performing in Zarkana.
The Clark County Fire Department confirmed it responded to a call that someone had fallen about 20 feet.
Zarkana includes Cirque du Soleil’s signature acrobatics far above the stage.
Cuban government has ordered the immediate closure of dozens of privately-run cinemas and video-game salons.
The government said the cinemas were never authorized, and that it needed to bring “order” to the management of independent businesses.
Cuba recently relaxed restrictions on the private sector.
But some Cuban entrepreneurs had used restaurant and other types of business licenses to operate backroom movie and entertainment parlors.
“Cinematic exhibition (including 3D rooms) and computer games will cease immediately in whatever kind of private business activity,” read a government announcement in the state-run newspaper Granma.
Cuban government has ordered the immediate closure of dozens of privately-run cinemas and video-game salons
It warned of decisive action against any violations of the law, and defended its decision to instill “discipline” in the private sector, adding that this was not “a step backward”.
“Quite the contrary, we will continue to decidedly advance in the updating of our economic model.”
Cuba’s President Raul Castro, who replaced his brother Fidel in 2008, has relaxed some economic restrictions on the set-up of private businesses in the communist island, where the state still employs 79% of the five million-strong labor force.
Raul Castro opened up retail services to “self employment” in the form of nearly 200 licensed activities such as seamstresses, taxis and small restaurants.
But some residents had used these categories to operate cinema and video-game parlors.
The closure is a huge blow to those entrepreneurial Cubans who invested heavily, especially in 3D cinemas, importing equipment at considerable cost from abroad.
There had been hints this crackdown was coming. Cuban Culture Ministry officials talked of the “banality” and “frivolity” of films on offer, mostly produced in America, and out of line, they complained, with the cultural policy of the revolution.
Correspondents say private cinemas had become a popular alternative to poorly-maintained, state-run movie theatres that shy away from showing Hollywood and other mainstream films.
According to government figures, more than 400,000 people in Cuba are self-employed, of whom around 100,000 work as employees of s mall businesses.
The LAX gunman, who injured at least two others, was wounded in the shootout with airport police and taken into custody, authorities said.
Paul Anthony Ciancia’s condition was not disclosed.
Gerardo I. Hernandez, 39, became the first TSA officer in the agency’s 12-year history to be killed in the line of duty
When the shooting stopped, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer was dead. Gerardo I. Hernandez, 39, became the first TSA officer in the agency’s 12-year history to be killed in the line of duty.
Five other people were hurt, including two other TSA employees and gunman Paul Ciancia, 23, of Pennsville, New Jersey. He was shot four times by airport police and remained hospitalized but there was no word on his condition.
Paul Ciancia apparently had been living in Los Angeles for about 1½ years, authorities said.
RFI journalists Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont have been killed after they were kidnapped in the northern town of Kidal in Mali.
Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were abducted after interviewing a local political leader. Their bodies were found outside the town soon after.
French President Francois Hollande called the killings “despicable”.
The killings come days after France was celebrating the release of four hostages from neighboring Niger.
Radio France Internationale (RFI) said Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were on their second assignment in Kidal, having travelled to the town in July to cover the first round of the presidential election.
RFI journalists Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont have been killed after they were kidnapped in the northern town of Kidal in Mali
Ambeiry Ag Rhissa, a local official of the MNLA ethnic Tuareg separatist group, said Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont had just finished interviewing him when they were kidnapped outside his house.
“When they left, I heard a strange noise outside,” he told Reuters news agency by telephone.
“I immediately went out to see and when I opened my door, a turbaned man pointed a gun at me and told me go back inside.”
Sources said four men forced the journalists into a beige truck which was then driven off into the surrounding desert.
One report said the kidnappers’ vehicle was being pursued by the security forces, possibly including the French army. A French attack helicopter was seen above Kidal a few hours after the abduction occurred.
The bodies of the two journalists were found some 8 miles outside Kidal, sources said.
Confirming their deaths, the French foreign ministry said it would “in conjunction with the Malian authorities, make every effort to find out as soon as possible about the circumstances of their death”.
A statement from President Francois Hollande’s office said he “expresses his indignation over this despicable act”, adding that he is meeting ministers on Sunday to discuss the incident.
Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont’s deaths bring to 42 the number of journalists around the world killed so far in 2013.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said the death of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud has destroyed the country’s nascent peace process.
“This is not just the killing of one person, it’s the death of all peace efforts,” Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said.
Pakistan has summoned the US ambassador to protest over Friday’s drone strike that killed Hakimullah Mehsud.
The move came a day before a Pakistani delegation had been due to fly to North Waziristan to meet Hakimullah Mehsud.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan accused the US of “scuttling” efforts to begin peace talks, and said “every aspect” of Pakistan’s co-operation with Washington would be reviewed.
Information Minister Pervez Rashid said: “The US has tried to attack the peace talks with this drone but we will not let them fail.”
Pakistan has summoned the US ambassador to protest over Friday’s drone strike that killed Hakimullah Mehsud
Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif had pledged to talk with the Taliban to try to end its campaign of violence, which has left thousands dead in bombings and shootings across the country.
Hakimullah Mehsud was killed along with four other people – including two of his bodyguards – when four missiles struck their vehicle in the north-western region of North Waziristan, a senior Taliban official confirmed.
Pakistani media say Hakimullah Mehsud’s funeral has taken place at an unknown location in the tribal area of North Waziristan.
A Pakistani Taliban spokesman, Azam Tariq, vowed revenge, as Pakistan’s security forces were put on high alert.
“Every drop of Hakimullah’s blood will turn into a suicide bomber,” he said.
“America and their friends shouldn’t be happy because we will take revenge for our martyr’s blood.”
The Taliban’s ruling council met on Saturday to choose a new leader. Unconfirmed reports say regional commander Khan Said Sajna has been elected to the top job.
As well as Hakimullah Mehsud, the previous Pakistan Taliban leader was killed in a drone strike, in 2009.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the US president’s National Security Council, would not comment on any US government involvement or confirm the death but said it would be a serious loss for the group.
The Pakistan government has strongly condemned the drone attack as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Hakimullah Mehsud’s death is seen as another setback for the militant group after the recent capture of a senior commander by US forces in Afghanistan.
Hakimullah Mehsud, who led the insurgency from North Waziristan, had a $5 million FBI bounty on his head and was thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.
He came to prominence in 2007 as a commander under the militant group’s founder Baitullah Mehsud, with the capture of 300 Pakistani soldiers adding to his prestige among the militants.
Hundreds of contestants have gathered for the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Germany.
The 2013 World Beard and Moustache Championships take place on November 2, 2013 in Leinfelden-Echterdingen.
Entrants were competing for the best facial hair in a range of categories.
Hundreds of contestants have gathered for the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Germany
Organizer Juergen Burkhardt said the turnout was better than expected.
The World Beard and Moustache Championships will return to America in September 2014 with Portland, Oregon, serving as host city. This will be the third bearding worlds to take place in America.
Carson City, Nevada hosted the event in 2003 and Anchorage, Alaska did so in 2009.
