News Headlines (100) 20 December 2012

► A Three-Mile-Long Asteroid Buzzes the Earth 

► Beyond 2012: Why the World Won't End - NASA

► Q: Is NASA predicting a "total blackout" of Earth on Dec. 23 to Dec. 25? A: Absolutely not. Neither NASA nor any other scientific organization is predicting such a blackout. The false reports on this issue claim that some sort of "alignment of the Universe" will cause a blackout. There is no such alignment (see next question). Some versions of this rumor cite an emergency preparedness message from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. This is simply a message encouraging people to be prepared for emergencies, recorded as part of a wider government preparedness campaign. It never mentions a blackout. (VIDEO)




► Bullying leaves its mark on mood gene, study finds - By karen seidman, GAZETTE universities reporter December 18, 2012
► 18 December 2012  - King Ramesses III's throat was slit, analysis reveals By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
► Politicians Breaking Ranks, Meaningful Gun Control Gaining Momentum - Major Defections Stun Lawmakers; Sources: President Soliciting Proposals | December 18, 2012 
► For Immediate Release - December 19, 2012 | Remarks by the President in a Press Conference - James S. Brady | Press Briefing Room
►The Politics Of Gun Control On Capitol Hill - December 19, 2012 | NPR
► Gun control movement tries to shed election losing reputation 
► Democrats vow to push for gun control measures in Congress
► After shooting, some Republicans more open to gun controls

► Utah sixth grader placed .22-caliber handgun to classmate’s head after 'encouraged by his PARENTS to carry a gun after Sandy Hook' || LATIMES - Utah sixth-grader brings gun to school, fearing another Newtown
► Gunman released hours before murder suicide in Longmont, Colorado 
► Grimm brothers' celebration awakens saga of fairy tale link to German culture -Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and roots of Nazism on agenda at Kassel congress for 200th anniversary of brothers' classic tales | Kate Connolly in Berlin - Wednesday 19 December 2012

►
A Decade of Injustice - UK. Published on Sep 10, 2012 by journeymanpictures :: Shaker Aamer has been held in Guantanamo Bay since 2002. He's a legal UK resident, married to a British national, with four children. He's also yet to face trial or be charged. So why is he still behind bars? Through conversations with activists and former detainees, this film paints a picture of Aamer and his extraordinary situation; from the injustices he has endured to what his life has involved for the last decade. From Bagram to Guantanamo Bay, his story illustrates the "unlawful" measures that the US and UK governments continue to use to justify their War on Terror, "ignoring international law, Geneva conventions, and their own Constitution." - Spectacle


►
Entretien Islam&Info - Alexandre Douguine (Géopolitique, Islam, Tradition, Occident. Published on Dec 6, 2012 by IslametInfo. Islam&Info est heureux de vous présenter son entretien avec Alexandre Douguine, penseur et géostratège russe de renommée. Partisan d'un monde multipolaire respectueux de leurs différences, Alexandre Douguine nous donne ici sa vision de son monde, l'Eurasia. Il s'entretient également de sa vision des autres grands espaces, de l'Islam, de l'Occident et des partis dissidents européens ... Et évidemment du NWO américain.

Face à un nouvel ordre mondial global porté par le libéralisme, le messianisme, la finance cosmopolite et l'armée américaine, seul un réveil des anciennes civilisations paraît à la hauteur de cette menace ultime. Le stratège esquisse ici, avec nous, les contours de ce futur front commun des mondes qui viendra à bout de l'anticivilisation US. Ces paroles et cette échange pourraient paraître déconnectés et désuets si Alexandre Douguine n'était pas écouté jusqu'aux plus hautes sphères du pouvoir russe. Alors entrez vous aussi dans l'ère de la jihadocroisade multidimensionnelle.



► by VICE
Suicide Forest in Japan. Published on May 9, 2012 :: The Aokigahara Forest is the most popular site for suicides in Japan. After the novel Kuroi Jukai was published, in which a young lover commits suicide in the forest, people started taking their own lives there at a rate of 50 to 100 deaths a year. The site holds so many bodies that the Yakuza pays homeless people to sneak into the forest and rob the corpses. The authorities sweep for bodies only on an annual basis, as the forest sits at the base of Mt. Fuji and is too dense to patrol more frequently.



► Interview with a Cannibal. Published on Jun 29, 2012 :: Issei Sagawa murdered an innocent woman and spent three days eating her flesh. Due to loopholes in the law, Issei is a free man to this day.

On the afternoon of June 13, 1981, a Japanese man named Issei Sagawa walked to the Bois de Boulogne, a park on the outskirts of Paris, carrying two suitcases. The contents of those suitcases, to the lament of a nearby jogger, was the dismembered body of a fellow student -- a Dutch woman named Renée Hartevelt, whom Sagawa had shot three days prior and had spent the days since eating various parts of her body. He was soon arrested. According to reports, Issei uttered, "I killed her to eat her flesh," when they raided his home, whereupon they found bits of Renne still in his fridge.

Sagawa was declared insane and unfit for trial and was institutionalized in Paris. His incarceration was to be short, however, as the French public soon grew weary of their hard-earned francs going to support this evil woman-eater, and Issei was promptly deported. Herein followed a bizarre and seemingly too convenient set of legal loopholes and psychiatric reports that led doctors in Japan declaring him "sane, but evil."

On August 12, 1986, Sagawa checked himself out of Tokyo's Matsuzawa Psychiatric hospital, and has been a free man ever since.

► Funerals become a routine in shattered Newtown -By DAVID KLEPPER | Associated Press 
► Shooting renews argument over video-game violence  By LOU KESTEN | Associated Press 
► Obama to send Congress gun proposals in January - By JULIE PACE | Associated Press
  ► Obama: Give Me Gun Proposals by January. Published on Dec 19, 2012 by AssociatedPress :: President Barack Obama is asking a team led by Vice President Joe Biden to offer "concrete proposals" to curb gun violence no later than January, in the aftermath of the horrific massacre at a Connecticut elementary school. (Dec. 19)



► Latin Americans rank as happiest people on planet - By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN 
► Fear slows Libyan probe into attack on U.S. mission in Benghazi - By Marie-Louise Gumuchian, Hadeel Al Shalchi and Ghaith Shennib
► US hits Israel hard on settlement plans - By MATTHEW LEE | Associated Press –  Tue, Dec 18, 2012 
► 10 Scientists Who Mattered in 2012 - By Tia Ghose and Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience 
► Alan Alda: Scientists Should Learn to Talk to KidsBy Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer 
► Venezuela VP hopes Chavez can be sworn in Jan. 10 -By VIVIAN SEQUERA | Associated Press 

► Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss Universe - By HANNAH DREIER and MICHELLE RINDELS 

► Official quits over Libya attack

A senior US official quits and others are suspended following a damning report into their handling of September's killing of the US envoy to Libya.
* Envoy admits Benghazi error 
* US security in Libya 'was cut'
* 'No warning' of attack
* Timeline: Benghazi attack 

► Obama calls for 'action' on guns 

US President Barack Obama calls for "concrete proposals" on gun control by the end of January, saying "words need to lead to action". || VIDEO - Newtown shootings: Obama 'backs assault weapons ban'
* 'Words need to lead to action' - VIDEO
* Mardell: Obama's gun control fight 

► 20 December 2012 - S Korea faces 'grave' North test New

South Korea's President-elect Park Geun-hye highlights a "grave" security challenge from the North, a day after her election win.
* Park wins election - VIDEO
    * Profile: Park Geun-hye
* Chaebol debate rages

► 20 December 2012  - Military satellite heads skyward :: 19 December 2012 - UK's Skynet military satellite launched | By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

A powerful new telecommunications satellite for the UK military is launched on an Ariane rocket from the Kourou base in French Guiana.

* MoD satellite's classified tech - 19 December 2012 - A powerful new telecommunications satellite is being launched on Wednesday for the British military. The Skynet-5D spacecraft is the final piece in a multi-billion-pound system that enables UK forces to stay connected wherever they are deployed in the world. Because it is a military system, Skynet has been designed to evade enemy jamming and eavesdropping, and as such contains a number of classified technologies. BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos was granted special access to the spacecraft before its launch. (VIDEO)

* Ariane rocket ready to do battle - 23 November 2012 by Jonatahan Amos

► Crocodile's flying leap at swimmer in Australia. 9 December 2012  - Three Swedish tourists had a surprise while swimming in a national park in Australia when a crocodile leapt from rocks landing on one of them. Felix Andersson, Jakob Hellberg and Ulrik Bergsland were testing new underwater camera kit when they spotted the creature and moved in for a closer look. The crocodile suddenly launched itself from rocks in the Litchfield National Park, landing on Felix Andersson's shoulder.  Speaking to the BBC News Website, Mr Andersson said he was surprised but unhurt by the crocodile. (VIDEO) 

► A flying crocodile jumps at Felix!  Published on Dec 12, 2012 by Ulrik Bergsland :: Ulrik Bergsland (me) Jakob Hellberg (holdin the camera) and Felix Andersson (the one getting faceslapped by the crocodile) were going for a swim in Litchfield national park in northern Australia when suddenly supercrocdile appeared!



► 19 December 2012 - X-47B stealth drone targets new frontiers

► Sao Paulo's police turn hi-tech to fight crime 

► Los Angeles's icy surprise

► Episode 8 - Barcelona

► 19 December 2012  - Day in pictures: 19 December 2012 

► Going After Guns: 'You can't have police state & armed population'. Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: President Barack Obama has made a move towards stronger gun control in the U.S. The proposal comes after the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school that took the lives of 26 people, including 20 children (VIDEO) || NEWS

► Video: Huge volcano erupts, shoots giant ash column in Ecuador. Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: (NOTE VIDEO IS MUTE) Residents living near Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano have been advised to voluntarily evacuate after an increase in activity created at least three moderate explosions and ash fall on nearby villages. The first explosion generated a column of ash that reached two kilometers (1.24 miles) in height and fell over various communities, among them the tourist city of Banos. A third explosion generated a column of ash nearly five kilometres (3.1 miles) tall.



► Crazy Russian Winter: What happens to boiling water at -41C? Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: An illusionist has made surviving the cruel Russian winter much more entertaining through science and a little bit of magic, by showing the world what happens when boiling water meets -40 degrees Celsius winter temperatures || COURTESY || NEWS



► Time names US President Obama Person of the Year, again. Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: Time magazine has once again chosen US President Barack Obama as 'person of the year.' He beat seven other shortlisted contenders, including his Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Morsi and Pakistani activist for women's education Malala Yousafzai. (VIDEO)  ||  NEWS

► CrossTalk: Charity Cliff. Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: ­Can government welfare be replaced by private charity? How much of an impact do rich people in America make on the lives of the less fortunate? To what degree does the tax code stimulate individuals and companies into making more charitable contributions? And should it? Does charity attempt to replace poor public policy? CrossTalking with Richard Land, Stephen Pimpare and Leslie Lenkowsky. (VIDEO) 

► NDAA 2013 - Indefinite detention without trial is back  
► Adequate or faulty? Russian lawmakers vote for US adoption ban amid criticism 
► US Army to seek death penalty for soldier charged with Kandahar massacre
► Clinton's 'Sovietization' comment attracts Kremlin's ire
► A New Earth? Potentially habitable planet discovered orbiting nearby star similar to our sun
► Down to -50C: Russians freeze to death as strongest-in-decades winter hits (PHOTOS)
► Russians in Syria are 'legitimate targets' - key opposition group member 
► Newtown massacre motives: likely factors behind school-shooting emerge 
► Historical images of lost Russian royal jewels rediscovered
► LGBT begin kissing protest as Duma readies to vote on gay propaganda bill 
► 'Swan Lake' in 3D: 'Avatar' director to work on blockbuster ballet in Russia

► Life goes on despite 'Mayan Apocalypse'. Published on Dec 19, 2012 ::Thousands of tourists are flocking to Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to be part of the so-called "Mayan Apocalypse". Many of them believe the world is coming to an end this Friday, when a major cycle of the Mayan calendar ends. Some say the 5000-year-old Mayan civilization is entering a new era. So what do the Mayan people think themselves? Al Jazeera's David Mercer visited a Guatemalan highland village to find out. (VIDEO)

► People & Power - The Organ Traders Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: An investigation into the loose but interconnected multi-million dollar international criminal enterprise of human organ trading. People & Power tries to find out how this trade continues to flourish and the challenges law enforcers are faced with. (VIDEO) 


►
Obama says stricter gun laws necessary. Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: In the wake of a shooting at a primary school in Connecticut that resulted in the deaths of 20 children and six adults, President Obama has been working on ways to prevent another mass killing. Obama has put Vice-President Joe Biden in charge of coming up with plans - which focus mainly on tightening up gun laws. He says there is already a growing consensus that a ban on automatic, military-style weapons must be put into place. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reports from Washington, DC. || ► Obama calls for gun law reform. Published on Dec 19, 2012 :: President Barack Obama has urged US politicians to "have the courage" to seek compromise and reform the nation's gun laws. He's appointed Vice-President Joe Biden to head a task force charged with seeking policy solutions. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane has more details.

Latest Headlines

■ Russia Gives Initial OK to American Adoption Ban 
■ YPF, Chevron Sign Argentina Shale Pact 
■ Fear Keeps Egypt's Christians Away from Polls 
■ Mikulski to Head Appropriations, Senator Says
■ Senators Write Sony, Criticize 'Zero Dark Thirty'
■ FBI Offers $50k Reward in Chicago Jail Escape
■ Obama Pressing for Policy Changes After Shooting
■ State Dept. Security Chief Resigns After Benghazi
■ Snowstorm Hits Rockies, Heads to Midwest 
■ General Motors to Buy Back 200 Million Government Shares 
■ In Cold Blood Killers Exhumed in Second Murder Investigation
■ Dictator's Daughter Becomes South Korea's First Female President
■ Benghazi Review Finds Systematic Security Faults
■ CNN: Obama Pledges Action on Guns By January
■ CNNMoney: Dumbest Moments of 2012 

► Person of the Year: Barack Obama, Architect of the New America 

'The American people have rightly been frustrated at the pace of change, and the economy is still struggling, and this President we elected is imperfect,' Obama says. 'And yet despite all that, this is who we want to be.'
By Michael Scherer

* Exclusive: The Person of the Year Interview
* Inside the White House: Never-Before-Seen Photos
* Re-Election: The Data Miners Who Helped Obama Win
* Obama Photo Diary: 48 Hours with the President 
* Runner-Up: Malala's Journey — A Timeline 
* Runner-Up: Tim Cook and Apple's Greatest Moments
* Runner-Up: TIME Sits Down with Morsi
* Runner-Up: What Is the 'God Particle'? 
* 2012 In Brief: The People Who Mattered Most - BASHAR ASSAD
* Those We Lost: TIME's 2012 Tributes
* President Obama, Driller-in-Chief
* Joe Klein: The 2012 Awards for Political Courage
* Joel Stein: 2012's Coolest Person Is...
* Live Reactions: What You're Saying About #POY2012
* Take the TIME Person of the Year Quiz 


Short List

* Malala Yousafzai
* Tim Cook 
* Mohamed Morsi 
* Fabiola Gianotti 

Featured

* South Korea Elects First Female President 
* Autism Backlash: Guilt by Association?
* A New Financial Bubble—or Three?
* This Is 40 Minutes Too Long 

► Connecticut Community Copes After School Shooting
► TIME Picks the Most Surprising Photos of 2012
► Inside a Nazi Christmas Party, 1941

► L.A. mayoral election a wide-open contest

► China cracking down on doomsday group 

► Waiting for 'Doomsday' - Dec. 21, 2012: Fearful 'end of world' callers flood NASA December 19, 2012

* Merida Mexico, says: Hope to see you after Dec. 21
* China cracking down on doomsday group
* TV shows, movies tap into fear of the big fall
* More: Are you equipped for end of the world?

► Raw: Rocket With 3 Astronauts Takes Off for ISS. Published on Dec 19, 2012 by AssociatedPress :: A Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts, NASA's Tom Marshburn, Russia's Roman Romanenko, and Canada's Chris Hadfield, took off atop a towering Russian rocket on Wednesday, headed for the International Space Station. (Dec. 19)

► Sen. Feinstein will not become Judiciary Committee chair
► Clinton accused of faking illness to avoid Benghazi testimony
► House Democrats push on gun control 
► Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearing on voter suppression
► Pictures in the News | December 19, 2012 - Posted By: Marc Martin