US says airlines should observe China zone

 Al-jazeera-

Reported scrambling of "combat aircraft" by China, including at least two fighter jets, threatens to escalate situation.

US commercial airlines should observe China's demand to be given notice of aircraft entering its newly declared air defence zone, the State Department has said.

The Pentagon earlier indicated that American military forces would continue normal operations, despite China scrambling fighter jets to monitor US and Japanese aircraft in the area.

Tragedy: Multiple casualties after police helicopter crashes into crowded pub in Scotland

Report says that an unknown number of people remained trapped inside a Scottish pub after a police helicopter rammed into the roof on a busy weekend night.

At least 32 people were taken to local hospitals after the incident in Glasgow, authorities said Saturday.

Emergency responders "are working hard to recover people still inside the building," said Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick, of Police Scotland.

Accused of spying: American held in North Korea tenders 'apology

Merrill Newman, an 85-year-old American man detained in North Korea has apologized for his actions, including for killing troops and civilians during the Korean War, North Korea's state-run news agency reported Saturday.

KCNA released a statement it claimed was from Merrill Newman -- a Palo Alto, California man who, his family says, has been held in North Korea for more than 30 days.

"After I killed so many civilians and (North Korean) soldiers and destroyed strategic objects in the DPRK during the Korean War, I committed indelible offensive acts against the DPRK government and Korean people," Newman said, according to the "apology" reported by KCNA.

Again: Japan and South Korea's military planes defy China's New Defence Zone

(Credit to Reuters) 
Japanese and South Korean military aircraft flew through disputed air space over the East China Sea without informing China, officials said on Thursday, challenging a new Chinese air defense zone that has increased regional tensions and sparked concerns of an unintended clash.

The move came after Tokyo's close ally Washington defied China's demand that airplanes flying through its unilaterally announced zone identify themselves to Chinese authorities, flying two unarmed B-52 bombers over the islands on Tuesday without informing Beijing.

21 women, including minors, face 11 years in jail for rally in Egypt

A group of women have been jailed for 11 years for a peaceful protest in Alexandria, as Egypt's interim prime minister gave a strong defence of a law further restricting public demonstrations. The women, supporters of the deposed president Mohamed Morsi, received 11-year jail sentences on Wednesday for forming a human chain and passing out flyers earlier this month. Seven minors among the group were remanded to juvenile detention until they reach legal age. The youngest in the group is 15 years old.

Ex-Nokia employees launch smartphone (Jolla)

BBC

A team of ex-Nokia employees has released the first handset running on a new smartphone platform, BBC reported.

The Jolla phone - pronounced Yol-la - is powered by open-source operating system Sailfish, but can run most apps designed for Google's Android platform.

The company has paired with a major Finnish network, and hopes to set up a similar deal with a UK operator.

Italian Senate expells Berlusconi from parliament

Aljazeera:

 

The Italian Senate has on Wednesday, 28th November, 2013 expelled three-time ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament over his tax fraud conviction, even as the former prime minister calls his expulsion "a day of mourning" for democracy. .

The vote on Wednesday halts the 77-year-old Berlusconi's legislative run for at least six years, but does not mark the end of his political career.

Berlusconi had maintained his defiance ahead of the vote, declaring Wednesday a "day of mourning for democracy" before thousands of cheering, flag-waving supporters outside his Roman palazzo.

"We are not going to retire to some convent," Berlusconi said in a defiant speech, as fellow senators held rounds of voting that forced him from parliament for the first time in his 20-year political career.

Motions put forward by Berlusconi's allies in the Senate in an attempt to block the expulsion procedure were rejected one by one in a dramatic session in which dozens of lawmakers took the floor to support him.

Shocking! Burning man ran into church building, causing fire

A man ran into the rectory of an Episcopal church with his clothes on fire, causing a blaze that killed himself and the church's pastor, authorities said Wednesday.

According to reports, Investigators believe that John Sterner, 56, was covered in a flammable substance when he entered the building Tuesday morning, which caused the fire to spread quickly, according to a news release from town officials. But the cause of the fire remained under investigation, and authorities had not reached any conclusions about how Sterner came to be on fire.

Unarmed US planes defy China air defence zone

Two US B-52 bombers are reported to have flown over an area of the East China Sea inside China's expanded "air defence zone" without notifing China.

The unarmed aircraft took off from Guam on Monday and the flight was previously scheduled as part of a routine exercise in the area, a Department of Defence spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Last night we conducted a training exercise that was long-planned. It involved two aircraft flying from Guam and returning to Guam," said Colonel Steven Warren, a spokesman for the department.

No more business as usual: Pope Francis

 From CNN-
The Head of the Catholic World, Pope Francis on Tuesday called for big changes in the Roman Catholic Church, including at the very top, saying he knows it will be a messy business but he expects his flock to dive in feet first.

"I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," the Pope said in a major new statement.

+ Photos - Oil explosion in China kills dozens

Reports from China confirmed that Oil leaking from damaged pipeline caught fire, leaving at least 44 dead in Qingdao in country's east Chinese industrial safety is again in the spotlight after an explosion in the east of the country killed at least 44people and contaminated seawater.

Leaked oil from a ruptured pipeline ignited as workers cleaned up the spill, local authorities said, shattering roads, flinging bodies across streets and shutting down a key port.

The pipeline, owned by Sinopec, China's largest oil refiner, was leaking onto a city street in Qingdao, Shangdong province, and into the sea for about 15 minutes before it was shut off on Friday.

Hours later, at 10:30am (0230GMT), the leaked oil caught fire and exploded in two locations.

Pakistani doc who helped get bin Laden is now hit with questionable murder charge

Shakil Afridi, the hero Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA pinpoint Usama bin Laden's compound before the Navy SEAL raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader, has been charged with murder for trying to save a little boy stricken with appendicitis six years ago, according to his attorney.

The unusual charge comes as international pressure mounts on Pakistan to free Afridi, who was sentenced last year to 33 years in prison for "conspiring against the state," a sanction western observers believe was a pretext to punish him for helping the U.S. Afridi executed a vaccination ruse that helped establish bin Laden's presence in an Abbottabad compound, a development seen as embarrassing for Pakistan, which claimed not to know the world's most wanted man was living openly a stone's throw away from a military complex.

Couple arrested by UK Police for holding holding three women captive for 30 years

As reported by CNN, British police have arrested a couple on suspicion of holding three "extremely traumatized" women captive for more than 30 years, Scotland Yard announced Thursday.

One of the women -- a 30-year-old Briton -- "appears to have been in servitude for her entire life," Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland said. She and the other two women, a 57-year-old from Ireland and a 69-year-old from Malaysia, have been taken to a place of safety and are being cared for by a charity, police said.

Crack-cocaine-shamed Toronto Mayor threatens legal action

Mark Ford, who has admitted using crack cocaine, says former staff lied in interviews to police about his behaviour.

Toronto's mayor, Rob Ford, has threatened to take legal action against former aides who spoke to police about their concerns about his drug use.

Ford was reacting on Thursday to details in court documents that revealed more allegations about his behavior, including drunken driving and verbal abuse, which fed a political storm that has already consumed Toronto for months.

Aid begins to reach remote areas in the Philippines

Reports from Philippines confirmed that supplies finally arrive in some of worst hit and remote areas, eight days after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the country.

Substantial food and medical aid has finally begun to reach desperate survivors of a super-typhoon that killed thousands in the Philippines, but humanitarian groups are warning of huge challenges in accessing devastated communities in remote areas.

The unprecedented ferocity of Haiyan on November 8 and the scale of destruction it caused had completely overwhelmed the initial relief effort, leaving millions in the worst-hit central islands of Leyte and Samar hurt, homeless and hungry, with no power or water.

iPad - a disappointment?

This analyst is really spoiling for a fight, i guessed! Just read the article below

Apple's new iPad Air and Retina iPad mini have widely been called the best tablets ever to have debuted in their respective categories. In the 10-inch range, the Air is the fastest and lightest slate yet. In the 8-inch range, the Retina iPad mini is also the best-reviewed tablet ever to have launched.

Many Industry watchers expect on-year iPad sales to grow by a double-digit percentage in the current quarter and in the September quarter this year, the iPad brought in more than $6.1 billion in revenue for Apple.

Hacker, Jeremy Hammond, sentenced to 10 years in prison

Convicted hacker Jeremy Hammond, who was arrested with information from turncoat hacker Hector "Sabu" Monsegur, as first reported by FoxNews.com -- was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for illegally accessing computers systems of law enforcement agencies and government contractors.

In an emotional proceeding that lasted more than 2 hours in a Manhattan federal court room on Friday, victims and relatives of Hammond railed against the FBI and shed tears on his behalf following the sentencing. One overwrought person claiming to be a victim was forcibly escorted from the court by officers.

I want to get pregnant now: Kelly ClarksonI

Kelly Clarkson only got married last month but she's already itching to get pregnant. The singer admitted on "The Tonight Show" that she and her new husband, music manager Brandon Blackstock are eager to start a family.

Her response when asked. "We want a baby now!" she crowed. "Practice makes perfect! We're trying, trying, trying ... Like rabbits!" Hahaha, very funny>

When the "American Idol" winner married Blackstock she instantly became a step-mother to his two children from a previous relationship, Savannah, 11 and Seth, 7 and clearly that experience has strengthened her desire to become a mom.

Man falls from small plane off Florida coast-Police expand search

Report from Florida confirms that Police expanded their search Friday for a man who either jumped or fell from a small plane as it flew off the Florida coast near Miami.

According to the report, the pilot of the single-engine Piper PA-46 aircraft called air traffic controllers Thursday afternoon to say his passenger -- the only other person on board the flight -- had fallen out of the plane.

"He opened the back door and he just fall down the plane," the pilot said, according to a recording of the conversation.

Actress guilty of stalking Alec Baldwin sentenced to 210 days in jail

A Canadian woman who said actor Alec Baldwin promised her "omelets every morning" for the rest of her life after a sexual encounter was found guilty Thursday of stalking and harassing the 30 Rock star, CNN reported.

Further on the report, A judge sentenced Genevieve Sabourin, 41, to 210 days in jail for the five counts, as well as violating a protection order, and a contempt of court ruling issued after her repeated outbursts in court.

The three-day trial in a New York City court included tearful testimony from Baldwin, who denied that he had ever had a romantic relationship with Sabourin as she claimed.

Blind man removed from flight after service dog became restless

Albert Rizzi says he was kicked off a delayed US Airways flight on Wednesday after a flight attendant said his guide dog was not fully under the plane's seat.  ABC 6

US Airways says it is investigating the removal of a blind man and his service dog from a flight at Philadelphia International Airport, report says.

WPVI-TV says Albert Rizzi, who is legally blind, says he was told that his guide dog had to stay under a seat during Wednesday night's flight to Long Island.

Rizzi said the dog became restless after a flight delay and curled up under his legs, and he was told that the plane would have to turn around if it wasn't under a seat.

US Airways told the station that Rizzi became verbally abusive and other passengers became argumentative, sparking safety concerns.

The flight was eventually cancelled, and Rizzi and some other passengers accepted a US Airways offer to transport passengers by bus to Islip, N.Y

Don’t endanger your lives, Hollande tells French

Report from Monaco states that President Francois Hollande on Thursday urged the French not to endanger their lives after a priest was kidnapped in Cameroon despite repeated warnings he was in a dangerous area.

Hollande also promised that France would do all it can to secure the release of Roman Catholic priest Georges Vandenbeusch, who was kidnapped by armed men near the border with Nigeria.

“We are doing everything possible for this priest to be found and to give him back his freedom,” Hollande said during a visit to Monaco.

“He was practising his faith in an area he knew to be dangerous. Nevertheless, everything must be done and will be done so that he can be released without delay,” he said.

New 'Maleficent' poster featuring Angelina Jolie released

 

Disney has released the first poster for "Maleficent," featuring Angelina Jolie in all her wicked glory.

The film stars Jolie as Maleficent, the most iconic villain from the 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty." Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville also star.

The first trailer is expected to hit the Internet on Wednesday.

"Maleficent" is produced by Joe Roth, directed by Robert Stromberg, and written by Linda Woolverton. 

Jolie, Don Hahn, Matt Smith, Palak Patel and Sarah Bradshaw serve as executive producers.

"Maleficent" opens in theaters on May 30, 2014.

New Law: Jews and Muslims to share al-Aqsa Mosque

Israel braces for reaction to proposed law that would allow Jews to pray in the grounds of Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque....

 

Until a few weeks ago, most Israeli and Palestinian pundits dismissed the possibility of a Palestinian uprising in the near future.

However, a draft Israeli law granting Jews the right to pray at the al-Aqsa Mosque esplanade - one of the three most holy sites in Islam - is forcing some observers to reconsider their previous assessments.

The draft law, which is being discussed in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, would designate "time and space" for Jews wishing to pray there.

Hundreds feared dead in Puntland cyclone

Government says up to 300 people may be dead, with hundreds unaccounted for, after storm destroys entire villages.

 
As many as 300 people are feared dead after a cyclone and heavy floods in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region, according to the local government.

Puntland's government has described the situation as a "disaster", with  entire villages destroyed, and said it was appealing for emergency  international aid.

Frustration at rescue efforts mounts along with body bags in city of Tacloban, ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan.

There’s no easing into this situation when you arrive at what’s left of Tacloban Airport. You’re immediately faced with evidence of the destructive power of the storm.

The terminal building is standing, but only just. The control tower has no windows, but inside the staff manage to carefully manoeuvre the many military and civilian planes still landing and taking off.

Just off to the side of the carpark, you are hit with the first smell of death. A rotting corpse lies unclaimed, yet already placed inside a body bag.

There are scenes of utter desperation each day at the airport as thousands of people come to try to catch a plane out, eager to escape the misery of what Typhoon Haiyan inflicted upon them.