News Headlines (104) 24 December 2012

ONLINE TODAY


►
Assumptions. Published on Dec 18, 2012 by Quirkology



► Not All Gamers Are Low Scorers On Friendships, Relationships - Dec. 20, 2012 — Not all video game players are destined for lives filled with failing relationships and dwindling friendships, according to Penn State researchers, who say that a lot depends on the role of the game-playing activity in the gamer's life. 

► Article: Found: Whale Thought Extinct for 2 Million Years - by Tia Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer | Date: 18 December 2012 

► Article:  Magic Mushrooms May Explain Santa & His 'Flying' Reindeer - by Douglas Main, LiveScience Contributor | Date: 20 December 2012

► Emperor turns 79, concerned about aging Japan - Problem 'particularly serious in rural areas,' Akihito says in birthday statement | The Associated Press

► NEWSMAKER-Aristocratic ex-Olympic shooter tipped as Japan finance minister 

by CorridorDigital

►
The Glitch. Published on Dec 17, 2012 || ► Minecraft: Diamonds Are Forever. Published on Jun 19, 2012








►
Raw: Scuba Diving Santa in Mexico. Published on Dec 23, 2012 :: The aquarium team at Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico decided to surprise young visitors on Sunday with an unusual sight - a scuba diving Santa Claus. (Dec. 23)



►
Memorial Service for Sen. Inouye Held in Hawaii.  Published on Dec 23, 2012 :: President Barack Obama, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and other dignitaries attended a memorial service for the late Sen. Daniel Inouye on Sunday. Inouye died of respiratory complications on Dec. 17. (Dec. 23) 

► NRA Chief LaPierre: 'Call Me Crazy' - By MICHAEL ONO | ABC News 

► Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right? The NRA says the problem with mass shootings like the recent one at the Sandy Hook grade school in Connecticut is not too many unregulated guns but violent video games. But most academic and government research does not support the gun lobby's charge. By Mark Guarino | Christian Science Monitor 

► AP PHOTOS: Remembering the Conn. shooting victims

► Even Israel Is Fact-Checking the NRA Now

► The FBI Treated Occupy Like a Terrorist Group

► Heroic actions bring change in tone on teachers - By CHRISTINE ARMARIO | Associated Press

► Lawmakers see 'fiscal cliff' deal as elusive - Associated Press

► Don't Worry, but North Korea's Rockets Can Probably Reach the U.S. - By Connor Simpson 

► Syria government says its forces still strong - Reuters 

► Your ultimate Christmas Eve playlist [VIDEO] - The Daily Caller 

► Holiday Gift to Stargazers: The Christmas Sky - By Joe Rao | SPACE.com

► Photos of the Day - A roundup of today's best photos.

► Most Popular Cities in 2012 - One point we've gathered from the millions of searches on Yahoo!  –  our users let their fingers do the traveling. We've tracked surges of searches on the Web to these top cities in the last year to see what most captures the attention of vacationers. And it's a diverse and at times surprising list. Here, the most searched-for cities on Yahoo!.  –  By Claudine Zap, Yahoo!




► Hacker-Proof Your Password - How to create one you'll remember, and computers won't guess





► Celebs Visit the Happiest Place on Earth - A slew of stars have treated their kids to fun outings at Disneyland this holiday season. Check out pics of Jessica Alba, Gwen Stefani, Sandra Bullock, and other famous parents amusing themselves at the amusement park.


► Celebrity Babies of 2012 - Blue Ivy, Maxwell Drew, and Tennessee James are just three of the many, many bundles of joy the stork dropped off in Hollywood this year.



► Santa Tracker Prepares to Follow the Jolly Fellow on Christmas Eve - By Claudine Zap | Author Blog Posts – Fri, Dec 21, 2012

► Simple and Delicious Peppermint Meringues - By bon appétit magazine | Shine Food – Fri, Dec 21, 2012  

► Easy Peppermint Bark - By Martha Stewart | Holiday Entertaining – Fri, Dec 21, 2012 
► Headquarters NORAD Holiday Message 2012. Published on Dec 13, 2012 by NORADTracksSanta :: North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Headquarters Holiday Message. U.S. Army General Charles H. Jacoby, Commander. Royal Canadian Air Force Lieutenant-General Alain Parent, Deputy Commander

► Egypt awaits referendum results 

The results of Egypt's referendum on a controversial constitution - expected to pass with a comfortable margin - are due, with opponents alleging voting fraud.
* Egyptians on the outcome - VIDEO
* Vote 'shows Islamist power'
* Egypt: Who holds the power?
* Constitutions compared

► 24 December 2012 - India prepares for the supermarket revolution | By Andrew North BBC News, Delhi 

► India, Russia sign defence deals 

Russia and India sign new defence deals worth billions of dollars during President Vladimir Putin's day-long trip to India.
* India-Russia nuclear plan stalled

► Meet New York City's Mr Christmas Tree. 24 December 2012  - Henry Romp has been in the Christmas tree-selling business since he was born.  As an infant he was taken from the family home in Vermont to New York's West Village and he has been coming there every holiday season since.  Situated on the corner of Jane Street and 8th Avenue, the Romps have been a fixture in the neighbourhood from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve for the past 25 years.  The BBC spent a day with Henry in Manhattan where he delivers Christmas trees in the back of a Porsche. Produced for the BBC by Leigh Paterson. (VIDEO) 

► 24 December 2012 - Science news highlights of 2012 

► 2012: The year in technology

► 2012: The year in space

► 24 December 2012 -  Bewick's swans: Baby boost for threatened birds | By Michelle Warwicker

► 24 December 2012 - Bogeymen: Five scary visitors in the night By Lucy Proctor BBC World Service

► 24 December 2012 -  Charles Dickens: My year with four million words of the master | By Matthew Davis BBC News

► 23 December 2012 - In pictures: Winners of 2012 

► Christmas decorations 'getting smaller'. 24 December 2012 - Christmas is shrinking - at least, trees and baubles are, according to the Chinese factories that make most of the world's festive decorations. The BBC's Shanghai correspondent John Sudworth went to the factory town of Yiwu to see the effects of falling global demand. || NEWS  - 20 December 2012 Welsh 'Tinseltown' raises Christmas mystery -By Justin Rowlatt Presenter, Business Daily, BBC World Service


► Giant Christmas tree lit up near North Korea border. 23 December 2012 - Church groups in South Korea have illuminated a giant Christmas tree-shaped tower near the border with North Korea for the first time in two years. The event has been banned since 2010 by the South Korean government due to concerns it could escalate tensions between the two countries. The message at the top reads 'peace in the whole world', but a number of local residents are said to fear it will spark retaliation from the North. Last year, North Korea warned of "unexpected consequences" if the tower was lit. (VIDEO) 

►
'West faces dangerous game choosing 'bad' vs 'acceptable' terrorism' - Lavrov (EXCLUSIVE). Published on Dec 23, 2012 :: As the Syrian war grows more sectarian and violent with each day, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov tells RT that Western powers' habit of dividing terrorists between "bad and acceptable" could have lasting consequences for the whole world.



► Nicht So Gut: 7.5 mln Germans 'functionally illiterate'. Published on Dec 23, 2012 :: To become one of the world's industrial titans you need a work force that's ready for anything, but grim statistics in the heart of Europe show millions of adults are being left behind because they have trouble reading and writing. (VIDEO)

►
'Iran in crosshairs': UK may deploy more troops to Gulf. Published on Dec 24, 2012 :: The United Arab Emirates is said to be close to ordering some 60 combat jets from the UK, and may be getting a contingent of British troops to sweeten the deal. British PM David Cameron told soldiers that they may be headed to the Gulf state as they pull out of Afghanistan. Rights groups though aren't happy - saying dealing with the Emirates, which the EU called on to stop the mass torture of political dissidents, sends all the wrong messages. Geopolitical analyst Patrick Henningsen says there's an ulterior motive behind the sale.



► Lavrov: 'Either secure Syria's chemical weapons, or arm its rebels' (EXCLUSIVE) 
► Money vs. Lives: Can Obama battle the NRA's gun-loving rhetoric?
► N. Korea develops missiles capable of reaching US – Seoul
► Montreal deacon known for criticizing pedophiles charged in child porn case 
► Red alert issued for Chilean volcano (PHOTOS)
► Russia, India common goal – a more just, democratic & secure world 
► Turkey lifts veto on Israel;s NATO activities despite frictions – report 
► 'IKEA monkey' to celebrate Christmas behind bars of animal sanctuary 

►
NRA defends response to Newtown massacre. Published on Dec 23, 2012 :: The powerful pro-gun lobby group in the United States has began a full media offensive. The National Rifle Association is defending its response to the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that left 26 people dead - including 20 children. Al Jazeera's John Terrett reports from Washington DC.



► The Frost Interview - Craig Venter: Designing life. Published on Dec 22, 2012 :: Sir David Frost meets the scientist who first sequenced the human genome and went on to create artificial life. (VIDEO)

►
Inside Syria - Syria's dwindling resources. Published on Dec 22, 2012 ::The war in Syria has taken a heavy toll on the economy, despite the government's best efforts to keep it afloat. Inside Syria, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses the plight of civilians caught in the middle of fighting with guests: Durmus Aydin, vice president of Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a Turkish aid agency which has operated in Syria for over 10 years; Samer Abboud, a Syrian economist at Arcadia University whose research is focused on capital flight in Syria; and Alan George, a senior associate at Oxford University and author of, "Syria: Neither Bread nor Freedom".



►
Special Programme - Dawkins on religion. Published on Dec 22, 2012 :: An interview with renowned atheist Richard Dawkins on whether religion is a force for good or evil.



► Inside Story - Are women safe in India? Published on Dec 23, 2012 :: Thousands protest demanding justice a week after a medical student was brutally gang-raped on a moving bus in New Delhi. So, are women safe in India and are existing laws an effective deterrent? Guests: Kavita Krishnan, Rajeev Aswathi, Lawrence Saez. (VIDEO)


► Analysis: Russia-India arms deal. Published on Dec 24, 2012 :: Russia has agreed a deal to sell India military helicopters and jet parts worth almost $3 billion. It's the first of a number of multi-billion dollar deals the two countries are considering during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi. Ajai Shukla is the editor of the Strategic Affairs Business Standard and joined Al Jazeera from New Delhi via Skype. (VIDEO)

Latest Headlines

■ Egypt Opposition Alleges Vote Fraud in Referendum
■ Police Say Afghan Policewoman Kills U.S. Adviser 
■ Monti Says He Is Open to Leading Next Government 
■ Putin to Focus on Economic Ties on Trip to India
■ Official: Navy SEAL Died of Apparent Suicide 
■ Rihanna Donates $1.75 Million to Barbados Hospital 
■ Unwavering NRA Opposes Any New Gun Restrictions
■ Richard Adams, Early Figure in Gay Marriage, Dies 
■ Audits of Businesses for Undocumented Immigrants Rising
■ Syria Jets Kill Tens As International Envoy Visits 
■ Ho Ho Holy Discount: Vatican Tax-Free Store Busy 
■ Russia Welcomes Any Offer to Give Assad Refuge 
■ Judge OKs Settlement in BP Gulf Class Action Suit 
■ CNN: Asteroid to Miss Earth in 2040, NASA Says 


■ CNNMoney: How to Survive the Fiscal Cliff 

► 15 Minutes of Fame: The Year in Fleeting Celebrity

By Joel Stein
* TIME's Person of the Year: Barack Obama
* The Most Surprising Photos of 2012
* The Coolest Person of the Year

► Why Is Congress Protecting the Gun Industry? 

* Viewpoint: Why More Guns in Schools Is Not the Answer

► In India, a Rape Sparks Violent Protests

* Police Shut Down Roads to Stop India Rape Protests

► Antarctica: It's Getting Hot at the Bottom of the Planet
► Lawmakers See 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal as Elusive 
► A Hobbit Holiday: Bilbo Beats Babs and Tom
► Study Finds Kids Give Cheese and Veggies the Thumbs Up

Featured

► Beauty for the Beasts: 11 Manly Skincare Lines
► Vacation Robo-Post: The Worst TV of 2012 
► 'Santa Claus Special' Train Comes to Appalachia
► Truly Last-Minute Holiday Shopping Options

► The Brink of Oblivion: Inside Nazi-Occupied Poland, 1939-1940 
► Ho Ho Hollywood: Celebrities Visit Santa
► TIME's Best of 2012: The Photobooks We Loved

► L.A. City Hall is one of painter's masterpieces - Joe Nicoletti has painted a lot of historic buildings and celebrity homes over the years, but City Hall remains a favorite subject. 
► Scientists aim to build a better Christmas tree. Scientists with a USDA grant try to breed better Christmas trees – beauties that won't drop needles on your floor. 
► TSA testing faster passenger screening program
► Sen. Daniel Inouye gets hero's farewell at Hawaii funeral 

► Funeral Service for Senator Daniel Inouye.  Published on Dec 21, 2012 by whitehouse :: President Obama and Vice President Biden speak at the funeral service for Senator Daniel Inouye. December 21, 2012.


► Obama and family arrive in Hawaii for Christmas holiday
► Obama offers a scaled-down budget plan to avert 'fiscal cliff' 
► Party leaders in Senate trade accusations of blame for Plan B failure
► The Times 'Santa Claus Expeditions' (PHOTOS)