News Headlines (118) 7 January 2013

ONLINE TODAY

► Obesity  || Do 'fat genes' really make you happier?  || What are trans fats?  || Recipe for a long life: overweight people have LOWER death risk - Carrying a few extra pounds 'could protect the heart'

► Wednesday, 09/26/2012  - Peter Pan Collars: How Do We Feel About Them? 

► Nancy Pelosi to appear on '30 Rock' series finale - The Emmy-winning show created by comedienne Tina Fey about the day-to-day life of fictional sketch comedy show will air its final episode on January 31 after seven seasons. 

► What does Google want with North Korea? (+video) - Google chairman Eric Schmidt, known for his advocacy of Internet freedom, could travel as early as next week to North Korea  – a country almost entirely sealed off from online communications. By Donald Kirk, Correspondent / January 4, 2013 : || CNBC - Richardson, Schmidt Fly to North Korea Monday  || YAHOO FINANCE 

► Is North Korea's Kim Jong Un a daddy? First Lady's fluctuating weight may hold clues 



By VICE

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The Cannibal Generals of Liberia. Published on Apr 26, 2012::  Cannibalism, murder and rape are just a part of everyday life in certain regions of Liberia. Despite the United Nation's eventual intervention, most of this country's young people continue to live in abject poverty, surrounded by filth, drug addiction, and teenage prostitution. In 2009, we went to Liberia to rummage through the messy remains of a country ravaged by 14 years of civil war.

UPDATE: Charles G. Taylor, former President of Liberia and warlord, has been convicted by an international tribunal of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including rape, murder, and the use of child soldiers. He is the first head of state to be found guilty by an international court since the Nuremberg trials.

Hosted by Shane Smith | Originally released in 2009



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Living in the Sewers of Colombia. Published on May 18, 2012 :: Aside from literally sleeping in feces, these people are dodging rats, flash floods and drug addicts. What's worse, the sewer dwellers are constantly under attack by local "death squads," who fire open rounds and pour gasoline into their underground homes, then set them ablaze. Hosted by Thomas Morton | Originally released in 2007



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The Ka-Ching Dynasty! - China. Uploaded on Feb 13, 2012 by journeymanpictures :: The economic transformation of China has been electrifying. But with Europe teetering and the US plodding, can the biggest tiger of all keep on roaring? China's super-rich certainly think they can.

Outside a private Beijing nightclub Porsches, Maseratis and Ferraris compete for space. Inside the club is packed with the children of China's super-rich enjoying a 'palace' themed party. China now has almost a million millionaires, six hundred billionaires, and the numbers keep growing at a staggering rate. As a reporter for the Hurun Report rich-list points out, they are a force to be reckoned with: "certainly we need to be aware of and understand this group." Even more striking is the bravado of China's super-rich, who feel that they can keep going from strength to strength. "I met an entrepreneur last week who said that if all goes to plan, in ten years time his business will be ten times the size it is now". The focus is certainly on quick growth. Current projections say that in ten years time half the world's billionaires will come from China. While there are warnings signs that the economic woes of Europe and the US will hit China, China's super-rich don't seem concerned. For some the hope is that the Chinese market will pick up the slack. For others, who have only known the good times, anything else is unthinkable: "if I have any spare money I buy sports cars."

A Film By ABC Australia - Distributed By Journeyman Pictures |  February 2012



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2012 Crossing Over: A New Beginning OFFICIAL FILM [Brave Archer Films®]. Published on Dec 2, 2012 by BraveArcherFilms :: 'A World of Love is Coming!' Brave Archer Films presents '2012 Crossing Over: A New Beginning' a film written, directed, filmed, edited and entirely independently funded and produced by Amel Tresnjic.

Plot: Unlike the doomsday perspective portrayed in the media, the film explores a 'positive' spiritual viewpoint regarding the significance of December 21, 2012 and beyond. Furthermore it explores 'our world's current state' and provides an empowering message of how every individual can contribute in making the world a better place. The film investigates the galactic alignment, consciousness awakening, cycles of evolution, our binary star system with Sirius, the fear agenda in the media, who's behind it, love vs fear, the power of choice and much more.

The film is loaded with amazing revelations of the current times we live in, from exceptional astrologer and teacher Santos Bonacci, spiritual leaders Bud Barber, George Neo and much more. The doco is shot entirely in Full HD, illustrated with high end animations and includes original music by Jonathan Kent.

Please share the message and support the film by making a small donation. It is the key to being able to make films like these possible. Each donation will receive a Downloadable Digital High Resolution copy of the Film. This film has been completely independently funded, produced and released for free. Your donation is very much appreciated. All donations will go towards spreading the message and production costs of the next film entitled 'Spiritual Awakening, Rise of the Kundalini.'



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Ma Petite Entreprise [Film Complet FR] Published on Nov 13, 2012 by Sinhopsys 






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The Library Where Robots Pick the Books. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: Yes, the high-tech James B. Hunt Library has books, but they're not visible when you walk into the building on the campus of North Carolina State University. Instead, the 1.5 million books are retrievable by robots. (Jan. 7) 



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Raw: Obama Returns From Hawaii. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: President Barack Obama has returned to Washington after a winter vacation in Hawaii that was interrupted by the "fiscal cliff" crisis. The week may include appointments of a new defense secretary and CIA director. (Jan. 6)



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Sources: Obama to Nominate Hagel to Head DOD. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: President Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary, a senior administration official said Sunday, signaling he's ready for a confirmation fight likely dominated by questions about Hagel's stands on Israel and Iran. (Jan. 6)



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Assad Calls on Syrians to Defend the Country. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: President Bashar Assad called on Syrians to defend their country against religious extremists seeking to destroy the nation, dismissing any prospect of dialogue with the "murderous criminals" he says are behind the uprising. (Jan. 6)

► Obama's Vacation by the Numbers - By Mary Bruce  || Obama returns to capital after Hawaii vacation - By MATTHEW DALY 

► GOP senators hint Hagel's in for tough confirmation fight - By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News  || Newsmaker: Republican maverick Hagel forged bond with Obama over Iraq - By Susan Cornwel

► Analysis: Obama may turn Medicare reform into wider health debate - By David Morgan

► Assad outlines new Syria peace plan - by BASSEM MROUE  ||  No One Is Happy with Assad's Big Speech - By Connor Simpson ,The Atlantic Wire  ||  Violence in Syria rages ahead of Assad speech - Associated Press   || Takeaway from Assad's speech? There will be no meaningful dialogue. President Bashar al-Assad's first speech in months dashed any hopes that a negotiated settlement to the Syrian civil war was soon possible. By Dan Murphy -Christian Science Monitor 

► Victim's plea for suspected Colorado theater gunman James Holmes

► A Bill and Hill year: why Clintons are Americans' favorite politicians - A recent poll showed that Hillary and Bill Clinton are the most popular politicians in America. How did America's top political couple come to have such high-flying ratings? | By Howard LaFranchi | Christian Science Monitor – Sat, Jan 5, 2013 

► Brrr! China's coldest winter in decades at new low - Associated Press  

► Google executive chairman heading to NKorea - By By GILLIAN WONG | Associated Press 

► Mars Rover Curiosity Finds Martian 'Flower' and Snake-Like Rock - By Tariq Malik | SPACE.com – Sat, Jan 5, 2013 

► Double-Star Systems Can Be Dangerous for Exoplanets - By Mike Wall | SPACE.com     (Mmm...just like the children who were born from the womb of their mothers, it should be clear who their fathers, eh? )... What? Whew! Well, yah... as well as never sleep with another man if you already have a fiance, Cisca!  It's very dangerous, you know?

► The Kilogram Has Gained Weight - By Tia Ghose | LiveScience.com 

► 2012 NatGeo Photo Contest winners - National Geographic has announced their winners from the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest . More than 22,000 entries were submitted from over 150 countries, with professional photographers and amateur photo enthusiasts across the globe participating.

► 5 best redesigns for 2013


► 10 Savvy Tax Strategies to Keep in Mind for 2013 


► Yahoo! Homes of the Week: Homes for $450,000 - Welcome to Yahoo! Homes of the Week, powered by Zillow. Each week we’ll spotlight homes for sale at a specific price point. This week we’re looking at homes for sale for around $450,000. To see even more homes at this price, go to Zillow Blog. 


► Do You Have "Annoying" Girl Voice? 


►World's best shopping cities  

► 7 January 2013  - US condemns Assad 'puppets' speech

A speech by Syria's Bashar al-Assad denouncing opponents as "puppets of the West" is dismissed by the US, which calls it "detached from reality".
* 'Puppet' opponents - VIDEO
* Doucet: Assad rallies the faithful
* Post-Assad options
* 'National charter'

► Egypt's Coptic Church celebrates amid changes. 7 January 2013 - Egypt's Orthodox Coptic Church is celebrating the feast of Christmas under a new and recently elected Pope and also under the country's new Islamist leader. Coptic Christians have often had a difficult relationship with the country's Muslims, and the arrival of the Arab Spring has left many feeling nervous about their future in the country, especially given sectarian attacks on some of their churches. John McManus reports.(VIDEO) || NEWS - Worry taints Egyptian Coptic Christmas 

► Five Delhi rape suspects in court New 

Five men accused of the gang rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi appear in court, as police in another suspected rape case are suspended.
* India looks for answers
* Family speaks to BBC 
* Viewpoints: What next?
* 'I wish I had saved her' -VIDEO
* Rapes that India forgot
* How India treats women

► Gerard Depardieu receives Russian passport. 6 January 2013  - French actor Gerard Depardieu has met President Vladimir Putin and been handed his new Russian passport. The actor had announced he was seeking Russian citizenship after the French government criticised his decision to move abroad to avoid higher taxes. He was also invited to set up home in the central Russian region of Mordovia, known for its Stalin-era prison camps. After arriving in Mordovia's main city of Saransk, Gerard Depardieu was greeted by local people and showed off his new passport. | Daniel Sandford reports. (VIDEO) || NEWS 

► Can Chavismo exist without Chavez? Chavez suffering 'complications' following cancer operation. 4 January 2013  - The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is said to be suffering from "complications" brought on by a "severe lung infection" following his fourth operation in Cuba for cancer.The 58-year-old is due to be sworn into office for a third term next week. In an effort to head off mounting speculation that the President is close to death,  Venezuela's information minister said a psychological war is being waged over Mr Chavez's health, designed to destabilise the country. The BBC's special correspondent Allan Little reports (VIDEO)  ||  NEWS  - Hugo Chavez battles lung infection in Cuba hospital

► 6 January 2013 - Russia's Mordovia woos new citizen Gerard Depardieu 

► 7 January 2013  - Bolivia accuses United States of plotting against Morales

► 2 January 2013  - Paying with 'kisses' as Brazil’s social currencies spread By Manuel Toledo BBC, Vitoria, Brazil  

► 27 December 2012  - Cuba town battles to preserve British West Indian ways By Sarah Rainsford BBC News, Baragua   || Cubans delight in American apples. 27 December 2012  - In spite of a decades-long embargo imposed by Washington against the communist government in Cuba, a few states in the US export produce to the island. That's thanks to the 1999 lifting of restrictions for the sale of food and medicine, promoted by then-president Bill Clinton. Farmers in Virginia, a mainly rural and conservative state, have put politics aside and found an important market in Cuba for their products, such as soy beans and apples. William Márquez visited the apple orchards and packing plants of Turkey Knob Growers-Bowman Sales, in Timberville, Virginia, the first company to sign a commercial agreement with Cuba since the embargo was imposed in 1962. (VIDEO)

► 7 January 2013  - Epilepsy and migraine 'could have shared genetic link'

► CES: Does the consumer technology show have a future? 

► 7 January 2013  - Will digital addiction clinics be big in 2013?

► 7 January 2013 - Newspaper review: Child benefit change examine 

► Mars Sample Return: Bringing the Red Planet to Earth

► 4 January 2013  - Mars rover finally looks set to drill | By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent

► 7 January 2013 - Reg Dean, Britain's oldest man, dies aged 110 

► 7 January 2013 - The Greek island of old age By Andrew Bomford BBC News, Ikaria, Greece 

► 7 January 2013  - In pictures: Orthodox Christmas celebrations

► 7 January 2013  - In pictures: Swimmers and divers at Ponds Forge in Sheffield 

► 7 January 2013 - In pictures: Sand mining in Sierra Leone

► Al Jazeera acquisition to 'compete with CNN and BBC' 

► Today's African Proverb : "When they wish to eat a vulture, they call it a guinea fowl" - An Amharic proverb sent by Kebede Deribe, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Ice Queen of Kungur (RT Documentary). Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: Take a trip to the Urals and see the natural beauty of Kungur ice cave! It has captured the interest of many scientists internationally. And it's no wonder. This cave is considered one of the most beautiful ice caverns in the world. Anybody who comes here could find a new grotto or come across a unique crystal. Not to mention the singing stone... Find out what could happen if you knock on it.



► Christmas terror attack foiled in Russia (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

► Bolivia slams US over 'irrefutable evidence' of meddling 

► 'From my cold, dead hands': Obama task force seeks revolutionary gun reforms

► Poison the well: Chinese city fails to report huge toxic leak, cuts off water to 1 million (VIDEO)

► Welcome to Russia, loosen your belts!

► UK will fight to keep the Falklands – Cameron

► Chinese architects accused of plagiarizing Zaha Hadid's Soho project in Beijing 

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Assad: War in Syria between 'nation and terrorists'. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: Syria's president has outlined a plan to end the country's conflict, starting with a halt to international support to "al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups." The solution proposes a new constitution and government, as well as national reconciliation  || ► Video: Assad mobbed by exultant supporters after rare speech. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: Syria's president Assad gave his speech in Damascus' central opera house to a throng of staunch supporters, who punctuated his speech with cheers of encouragement. The Syrian leader was mobbed by exultant supporters after the speech. "With blood and soul we sacrifice for you, O Bashar!" the crowd chanted following the speech.



► President Assad outlines political solution to Syrian conflict 

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Inside Syria - What does 2013 have in store for Syria? Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: The conflict in Syria has been going on for nearly two years now. And as we enter 2013, we look at what the future may hold for the country. Where do things stand right now, and what is likely to happen in 2013? Inside Syria, with presenter Hazem Sika, is joined by guests: Patrick Seale, a leading British writer on the Middle East, and the author of The Struggle for Syria and Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East; Joseph Bahout, a professor of Middle East politics at the Institute for Political Studies in Paris; and Andrew Tabler, a senior fellow with the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. || ► Syria's Assad addresses the nation. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: In a rare appearance, President Bashar al-Assad delivers speech on latest developments in Syria and the region.



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Defiant Assad: 'We will teach them a lesson'. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, making his first public appearance in months, has called for a "full national mobilisation" to fight against rebels he described as "al-Qaeda terrorists". "We meet today and suffering is overwhelming Syrian land. There is no place for joy while security and stability are absent on the streets of our country," Assad said in a speech on Sunday at the opera house in central Damascus. "We will teach them a lesson," Assad said.  ||  ► Syria's Assad lays out peace plan. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: President Bashar al-Assad has delivered his first speech in months, presenting a plan on how to resolve the conflict in Syria. He continued to blame the fighting on what he calls "terrorists" and accused foreign powers of destabilising Syria. Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from Amman in neighbouring Jordan.



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Opponents condemn Assad speech. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's first speech in seven months was supposed to have painted a possible way out of his country's crisis. And despite rapturous applause from supporters, his opponents at home and leaders abroad have condemned the remarks. Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports. || ► Syrian National Coalition: Assad has no desire to relinquish power. Published on Jan 6, 2013 :: In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Louay Safi of the Syrian National Coalition dismissed Assad's address to the nation as "empty rhetoric." "He has shown that he is a dictator that cannot be negotiated with."



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Inside Story - The fallout from France's supertax. Published on Jan 7, 2013 :: The French movie star, the Russian president and a deal to avoid paying the highest tax in the world. In protest, Gerard Depardieu goes for a Russian passport. Guests: Nabila Ramdani, Sebastien Ramage, Jean-Pierre Diserens 

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