Multiple structures on fire after gas line explodes in West Virginia

A major gas line has exploded in Sissonville, West Virginia, officials told CNN.

Several structures in the area are on fire, Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said.

Carper said it sounded “like a jet engine” as the fire raged. No injuries were immediately reported.

The explosion has caused northbound I-77 at the Charleston split to be shut down, West Virginia’s Department of Transportation reported on its Twitter account.

http://fox43.com/2012/12/11/multiple-structures-on-fire-after-gas-line-explodes-in-west-virginia/#axzz2EoItQJZM

Mass Death of Livestock Keeps Sokoto Villagers Away From Meat, Nigeria

Over a week after the mysterious death of about 1,600 sheep in Tungan Madugu village of Gwadabawa local government area of Sokoto State, residents of the community say they are still afraid of eating meat.

"We did not buy meat within those days that the animals were dying and even now, we are afraid of buying meat," one local resident told Daily Trust.

The animals, which were said to belong to Fulani nomads from Niger Republic, reportedly died after drinking from an open well at Gidan Jihadi viallge in neighbouring Kware local government area.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201212101065.html

14 dead after bridge collapses in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Fourteen people died after a bridge collapsed on the R65 between Lothair and Ermelo due to heavy rains, the Mpumalanga community safety department said on Tuesday.

Spokesman Joseph Mabuza said three vehicles, one of them a taxi, were involved in the accident.

"The bridge goes over a dam and it collapsed. The cars drove over the collapsed bridge and were swept away by high volumes of water."

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2012/12/11/14-dead-after-bridge-collapses-in-mpumalanga

Tornado: Residents,firefighters pick up pieces after severe weather crushes community

ASCENSION PARISH, LA (FOX44)- The National Weather Service confirmed a EF1 tornado touched down in Ascension Parish.

Several homes and even a fire station were damaged. The area off Black Bayou Road between LA 44 and Airline Highway got hit with strong winds around 9 Monday morning.

Residents there are thankful no one was injured.

http://www.fox44.com/news/residentsfirefighters-pick-pieces-after-severe-weather-crushes-community

Man injured, workers evacuated after Prince Albert water treatment plan chemical spill, Canada

Several workers were evacuated and one man was taken to hospital Monday following a chemical spill at the Prince Albert water treatment plant.

The spill happened around noon on Monday after an employee hit his head on a pipe containing caustic soda. Caustic soda is used at the treatment plant as a cleaning agent to change the pH level of water, said City Manager Robert Cotterill.

http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Chemical+leak+contained+Prince+Albert+water+treatment/7677817/story.html

Landslide kills 1 gold miner, 21 missing in Sukabumi, Indonesia

Police say a landslide in Sukabumi, West Java, has killed at least one miner collecting trace amounts of gold at the illegal mine.

West Java police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul said Tuesday that days of torrential rain triggered a landslide at the mountainous site in Sukabumi late Monday.

Rescuers were searching for 21 others reported as missing. Four miners were found alive.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/12/11/landslide-kills-1-gold-miner-21-missing-sukabumi.html

Belfast Protests: DUP MP Receives Death Threat

A second Northern Ireland MP has been told his life is in danger amid increasing unrest over the decision to restrict the flying of the Union flag on Belfast City Hall.

Jeffrey Donaldson, the Democratic Unionist MP for Lagan Valley, said the police told him unnamed individuals had threatened to shoot him, his wife and children.

http://news.sky.com/story/1023570/belfast-protests-dup-mp-receives-death-threat

Manuel Pardo Executed Over 1986 Killing Spree

A former police officer who murdered nine people during a 1986 crime spree has been executed.

Manuel Pardo was pronounced dead at Florida State Prison about 16 minutes after the lethal injection process began.

His lawyers had tried to block the execution by arguing that he was mentally ill.

http://news.sky.com/story/1023599/vigilante-cop-executed-over-1986-killing-spree

Obama: US Recognises Syrian Opposition

President Barack Obama has said Syria's opposition is now the "legitimate representative" of the country's people.

His comments in support of the newly formed Syrian Opposition Council mark the most significant US intervention yet in the 20-month conflict.

"We have made a decision that the Syrian opposition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people," he said in an interview with American network ABC News.

http://news.sky.com/story/1024162/obama-us-recognises-syrian-opposition

Oregon Shopping Centre Shooting, 2 Killed

Two people have been killed by a gunman wearing body armour at a shopping centre in Oregon.

Clackamas County Sheriff's spokesman James Rhodes, said: "I can confirm that we believe at this point that there was one and only one shooter involved and that shooter is deceased.

http://news.sky.com/story/1024168/two-killed-in-oregon-shopping-centre-shooting

North Korea's Long-Range Rocket 'A Success'

North Korea's defiant launch of a long-range rocket appears to have gone according to plan, South Korea's military has said.

The blast-off, which had been anticipated, defies critics who have warned the country wants to develop technology that would enable it to carry out a nuclear strike.

The impoverished North has said it simply wanted to put a weather satellite into space, rather than carry out suspected ballistic missile tests, and it declared the mission a success.

http://news.sky.com/story/1024177/north-koreas-long-range-rocket-a-success

3.0 Magnitude Earthquake OKLAHOMA - 12th December 2012

Magnitude
3.0
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 03:30:21 UTC
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 09:30:21 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
35.539°N, 96.286°W
Depth
14.6 km (9.1 miles)
Region
OKLAHOMA
Distances
11 km (6 miles) N of Okemah, Oklahoma

5.0 Magnitude Earthquake FIJI REGION - 12th December 2012

Magnitude
5.0
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 01:44:24 UTC
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 01:44:24 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
19.603°S, 176.231°W
Depth
35 km (21.7 miles)
Region
FIJI REGION
Distances
198 km (123 miles) W of Pangai, Tonga

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 12th December 2012

Magnitude
4.8
Date-Time
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 00:19:37 UTC
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 09:19:37 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
37.004°N, 141.183°E
Depth
14.7 km (9.1 miles)
Region
NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Distances
26 km (16 miles) ESE of Iwaki, Japan

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
4.8
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 23:28:04 UTC
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 08:28:04 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
30.672°N, 140.095°E
Depth
136 km (84.5 miles)
Region
IZU ISLANDS, JAPAN REGION
Distances
269 km (167 miles) S of Hachijo-jima, Japan

5.1 Magnitude Earthquake VANUATU - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
5.1
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 23:16:19 UTC
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 10:16:19 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
18.990°S, 167.790°E
Depth
10 km (6.2 miles)
Region
VANUATU
Distances
149 km (92 miles) SSW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu

Malcolm Levesconte After Christmas Cash Goes Missing

British police are hunting for a pub landlord after £30,000 disappeared from a Christmas fund.

Malcolm Levesconte, 59, was last seen on Sunday at the Royal Oak pub in Shrewton, near Salisbury, Wiltshire Police said.

Later that evening, he boarded a ferry at Portsmouth to St Malo in France.

The spokesman said: "Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Mr Levesconte is asked to contact Salisbury CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously."

http://news.sky.com/story/1023989/manhunt-after-christmas-cash-goes-missing

Syrian rebels battle army near Damascus

Syrian rebels clashed with forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad near Damascus airport on Tuesday, battling for the capital's outskirts after 20 months of conflict which the United Nations said has driven half a million people from the country.

Fighting near the airport, 20 km (12 miles) south-east of Damascus city center, is part of a broader confrontation between the army and rebels who hold a near continuous arc of territory from the east to the southwest of Assad's power base.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8AJ1FK20121211

Egypt army seeks national unity as crisis mounts

Egypt's army chief called for talks on national unity to end the country's mounting political crisis after a vital loan from the IMF was delayed and thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators took to the streets.

The meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon was called in response to an increasingly destabilizing series of protests that has unfolded since President Mohamed Mursi awarded himself sweeping powers on November 22 to push through a new constitution shaped by his Islamist allies in a referendum on Saturday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-egypt-politics-idUSBRE8B90RO20121211

Michigan passes public sector "right-to-work" law amid protests

The Republican-majority Michigan legislature gave final approval on Tuesday to "right-to-work" restrictions on public sector unions in a state considered a stronghold of organized labor, as protesters chanted in the gallery and thousands rallied outside.

The House passed the measure making membership and payment of union dues voluntary for public sector employees such as teachers by a 58-51 vote. The Senate approved the same bill last week so it will now go to Republican Governor Rick Snyder, who has promised to sign it into law.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-usa-unions-michigan-idUSBRE8B91AJ20121211

'Storage Wars Fake' star Dave Hester Suing after being Fired

“Storage Wars” may have a real war brewing with one of its stars.

Dave Hester , one of the show’s cast members, has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the show, according to RadarOnline.

In his lawsuit, Hester is claiming the series is fake, and he says when he made complaints to the network about the staged portions of the show he was fired, Radar reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/12/11/torage-wars-star-dave-hester-says-show-is-fake-suing-report-says/

Syrian rebels seize military base, kill 35 soldiers

Syrian rebels including Islamic extremists took full control of a sprawling military base Tuesday after a bloody two-day battle that killed 35 soldiers, activists said. It was the latest gain by opposition forces bolstered by an al-Qaida-linked group that has provided skilled fighters but raised concerns in the West.

The Sheik Suleiman military base was the second major base captured in the north by the rebels, who also are making inroads farther south toward the capital, Damascus.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/syrian-rebels-seize-military-base-kill-35-soldiers-1.1074585

'Bahrain closed society, West on same path'

Hillary Clinton cancels Middle East trip over stomach virus the same day U.S. labels Syrian rebel group terrorists

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has pulled out of a weeklong trip to the Arab world because of a stomach virus, officials said on Monday,
Her scheduled absence comes the same day the Obama administration declared a Syrian rebel group with alleged ties to al-Qaida a terrorist organization, a labelling she was expected to formally announce during her trip.

Mrs Clinton was to travel to North Africa and the Middle East as part of a U.S. effort to enhance cooperation with moderates in the Syrian coalition fighting President Bashar Assad's regime, as well as to isolate extremists in their ranks.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246243/Hillary-Clinton-cancels-Middle-East-trip-stomach-virus-day-U-S-labels-Syrian-rebel-group-terrorists.html

More Than 500 Savile Victims Come Forward

More than 500 people have told police they were victims of abuse by the late DJ and television presenter Jimmy Savile.

More than 200 allegations of sexual assault have been recorded by officers from Operation Yewtree, according to police.

http://news.sky.com/story/1024000/savile-more-than-500-victims-come-forward

John McAfee Expects Release From Jail 'Today' to return to the US

British-born computer software pioneer John McAfee has told Sky News he expects to be released from detention in Central America today.

He told Jeff Randall that he is "100% certain" he will soon be heading for America.

The 67-year-old is currently being held in a Guatemalan detention centre after being arrested for making an illegal entry into the Central American country on December 5.

http://news.sky.com/story/1024003/john-mcafee-expects-release-from-jail-today

Nineteen unmarked graves found at Florida boys' reform school where students were 'beaten with leather straps, raped and murdered'

A cemetery at Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida holds 31 white crosses - many for children who died in a fire and influenza outbreak in the early 1900s - yet researchers have found 50 shafts. And their investigation is not complete, with scientists believing as many as 96 boys died between 1911 and the 1973, including Thomas Varnadoe (right) who school officials claim died of pneumonia 34 days after his arrival.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246378/Dozier-School-Report-reveals-19-unmarked-graves-Florida-boys-reform-school.html

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
4.3
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 16:28:06 UTC
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 04:28:06 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
33.964°S, 179.707°W
Depth
77.3 km (48.0 miles)
Region
SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
Distances
290 km (180 miles) SSW of L'Esperance Rock, New Zealand

'Syrian rebels' Filmed forcing boy to behead captive with sword

It is perhaps the most disturbing piece of video footage to emerge out of the Syrian crisis to date.

A young boy is egged on by a group of older men, believed to be rebel fighters, and filmed hacking the head off a man who is lying on the ground.

An older man is then seen picking up the head before placing it on top of the body like a macabre trophy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246382/Horrific-video-Syrian-rebels-forcing-boy-behead-captive-sword.html

These are the People our Governments want to secure chemical weapon sites?

Iran insists on nuclear "right" ahead of IAEA talks

Iran voiced readiness on Tuesday to address concerns of U.N. nuclear inspectors about its atomic activities in talks this week but said its "right" to refine uranium should be part of any agreement.

The Islamic state's insistence that its uranium enrichment - work which can have both military and civilian purposes - should be recognized may further dampen expectations among Western diplomats of any major progress in Thursday's talks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-nuclear-iran-iaea-idUSBRE8BA0W920121211

US on track to upgrade ties with Syrian opposition as international diplomacy intensifies

The Obama administration is getting ready to tighten its ties to Syria's main opposition group, a step in the intensifying diplomacy that officials hope will craft an end to Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime.

Officials say the administration is on track to recognize the new Syrian opposition council as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people at an international conference on the crisis in Morocco this week.

The move will pave the way for greater U.S. support for those seeking to oust Assad and follows the blacklisting of a militant Syrian rebel group with links to al-Qaida.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/11/us-on-track-to-upgrade-ties-with-syrian-opposition-as-international-diplomacy/

US blacklists al Qaeda-linked Syrian rebel group

The United States on Tuesday designated the radical Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra, an important fighting force in the opposition struggle, as a foreign terrorist organization and said it was trying to hijack the rebellion on behalf of al Qaeda in Iraq.

U.S. officials said the al-Nusra group had claimed responsibility for carrying out nearly 600 attacks in major cities that have killed numerous innocent Syrians during the 20-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-syria-usa-idUSBRE8BA0IB20121211

Gunmen kill civilians in southern Thailand Including a Baby Girl

IMF loan to Egypt delayed as crisis deepens

A vital $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan to Egypt will be delayed until next month, its finance minister said on Tuesday, intensifying the political crisis gripping the Arab world's most populous nation.

As rival factions gathered in Cairo and Alexandria for a new round of demonstrations, Finance Minister Mumtaz al-Said said the delay in the loan agreement was intended to allow time to explain a heavily criticised package of economic austerity measures to the Egyptian people.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-egypt-politics-idUSBRE8B90RO20121211

Shale Gas Drilling 'Huge Boost' To UK Economy

Drilling for shale gas could create "tens of thousands" of jobs in the UK and generate vast sums of money for the Treasury, according to a UK-based exploration company.

Cuadrilla chief executive Francis Egan has told the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee that the controversial process will also reduce Britain's dependency on imported gas.

Opponents say the method of hydraulic fracturing - or 'fracking' - which involves pumping water into rock to push out natural gas, carries numerous environmental risks.

http://news.sky.com/story/1023903/shale-gas-drilling-huge-boost-to-uk-economy

Sex texts epidemic: Experts warn sharing explicit photos is corrupting children

Boys and girls as young as 13 routinely swap explicit pictures of themselves, a disturbing investigation reveals today.

Children are now so sexualised the practice has become ‘mundane and mainstream’. One girl told researchers: ‘I get asked for naked pictures at least two or three times a week.’

A boy said: ‘You would have seen a girl’s breasts before you’ve seen their face’ while another youngster referred to so-called sexting as ‘the new flirting’.

Yesterday censors were forced to announce a crackdown on depraved films amid fears they distort the way teenage boys view women.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246154/Sex-texts-epidemic-Experts-warn-sharing-explicit-photos-corrupting-children.html

Concern that Assad may have passed some chemical weapons to Hizballah

There is growing concern that some of the chemical weapons the Assad regime has been pushing out of the Damascus area in the last few days were sent across the border to Hizballah strongholds in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley to keep them out of rebel hands.

Syrian army officers who recently defected report that containers were last week removed from Syrian bases at Jabal Kalamon and loaded on vehicles camouflaged as commercial trucks. On the Lebanese side, the consignment is thought to have been split up and hidden at different Hizballah bases to make them harder to attack.

Israel’s US Ambassador Michael Oren, asked by a FOX TV interviewer Saturday Dec. 8, if he could confirm this, said he could not, but warned that any evidence of chemical weapons being passed from the Assad regime to extremist groups like Hizballah would be a "game-changer," and a "red line" for Israel. "We have a very clear red line about those chemical weapons passing into the wrong hands. Can you imagine if Hizballah and its 70,000 rockets would get its hands on chemical weapons? That could kill thousands of people."

http://www.debka.com/article/22600/Concern-that-Assad-may-have-passed-some-chemical-weapons-to-Hizballah

Neil Macdonald: The "right" to work for less

The citizens of Michigan will soon be given the right to work. They must be terribly grateful.

On his website, Gov. Rick Snyder declares that the "right to work" legislation headed for his signature as early as today "will improve the lives of countless Michigan families by restoring workplace fairness and equality for all workers."

In fact, calling Michigan's new labour law "right to work" legislation is like calling a bill that strips away hard-fought civil liberties "The Patriot Act," or denying gay Americans the right to wed by passing the "Defence of Marriage Act."

In the late-1940s, George Orwell invented the concept of newspeak to lampoon such oily official euphemisms. He could not have imagined how the skill would be perfected in America decades later.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/12/10/f-rfa-macdonald-right-to-work.html

Shame Old Story: Forced sterilization victims still seek justice in US

Nostradamus 2012 - Mayan 2012 - The End of Cyclic patterns

Brandon Woodard Assassinated in Broad Daylight

Brandon Lincoln Woodard, who was visiting from Los Angeles, was murdered in broad daylight on Monday afternoon by a man who stalked him for 40 minutes in the busy Columbus Circle area of Midtown Manhattan.

The cold-blooded killer simply turned and walked away, then got into a waiting Lincoln MKZ sedan and fled. He is still at large.

'It is one shot right in the back of the head. It is a hit, no question about it,' a police source told WABC-TV.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246098/Brandon-Woodard-Aspiring-rapper-victim-shot-head-New-York-victim-hit.html

Farmer builds survival pod to save him (and 13 lucky others) from tsunami, earthquake... and Mayan doomsday

Liu Qiyuan from Hebei province, south of Beijing, created the fibreglass shells - dubbed Noah's Ark - after being inspired by the apocalyptic Hollywood movie 2012. Liu hopes that his creations consisting of a fibreglass shell around a steel frame will be adopted by government departments and international organisations for use in the event of tsunamis and earthquakes.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246313/Great-ball-China-Farmer-builds-survival-pod-save-13-tsunami-earthquake--Mayan-doomsday.html

Millions of Facebook users locked out of the social network because of technical glitch just hours after Google crashed....Shame!

Facebook says some users were briefly unable to access the site because of a technical glitch.

The social networking site with over 1 billion  (Figure debatable) users worldwide says on Monday it made a change to its domain name system setup.

The change resulted in some users temporarily not being able to reach the site.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246230/Facebook-Billions-locked-social-network-technical-glitch-hours-Google-crash.html

Taxpayer risks losing £1billion under Osborne plan to bribe workers into giving up their rights

Giving workers shares in their companies in return for losing some employee rights could cost £1billion, it emerged today.

George Osborne has been warned his ‘shares for workers rights’ plan will leave a big hole in Treasury coffers at a time when other parts of government are clamping down on tax avoidance.

Critics accused the Chancellor of putting ‘another billion pound lollipop on the table’ which could be used as a tax dodge.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246320/Taxpayer-risks-losing-1billion-Osborne-plan-bribe-workers-giving-rights.html

Serbia Mount Rtanj: Hotels sell out as dooms-dayers flock to ANOTHER mountain which believers say houses an 'alien pyramid with magic powers'

With ten days to go before the Mayan apocalypse supposedly casts Earth into oblivion, time is running out for believers to find alien salvation.

But for those who have failed to book their spot in the shadow of France's Pic de Bugarach - apparently home to an extra-terrestrial mothership that will pluck believers to safety - there is another peak with similar powers.

Nestled deep within Serbia's Carpathian mountain range, Mount Rtanj is thought to house a 'pyramidal' structure left behind by alien visitors thousands of years ago that will emit a powerful force field at the moment of Armageddon, protecting those in its vicinity.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246305/Doomsday-fanatics-flock-Mount-Rtanj-believers-say-houses-alien-pyramid-magic-powers.html

Ibrahim Omar set fire to himself after amassing credit cards debts of more than £150,000 that he kept hidden from wife and children

Ibrahim Omar, 57, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, put family photos and other personal items in his daughter's car and left the car keys outside his house before setting himself alight indoors.

The former petrol station cashier suffered ‘95 to 97 per cent full thickness burning and charring’ to his whole body and was declared dead at the scene, the inquest at Bolton Coroner's Court heard.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246287/Grandfather-57-sets-home-amassing-hidden-debts-150-000.html

Three held in first British arrests over Libor interbank rate rigging probe

Three men were today arrested in connection with an investigation into the rigging of the interbank lending rate Libor, the Serious Fraud Office said.

The British nationals - aged 33, 41 and 47 - were taken to a London police station after searches at a property in Surrey and two premises in Essex.

The SFO opened its investigation into Libor manipulation in July after Barclays was fined £290million by U.S. and UK regulators.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246367/Three-held-British-arrests-Libor-interbank-rate-rigging-probe.html

3 killed in medical helicopter crash in Illinois

Hospital officials say a pilot and two nurses were killed when a medical helicopter crashed in a field while traveling between two northern Illinois hospitals.

Rockford Memorial Hospital identified those killed as pilot Andy Olson and flight nurses Karen Hollis and Jim Dillow. In a news release Tuesday, officials at Rockford Memorial Hospital say they are grieving for "three heroes who dedicated their careers to serving others."

http://news.yahoo.com/3-killed-medical-helicopter-crash-illinois-122906560.html

Noah's biblical flood actually happened, suggests new evidence

An acclaimed underwater archaeologist believes that he has found evidence that the Great Biblical Flood of Noah's time may have actually happened after all.

Robert Ballard, one of the world's best-known underwater archaeologists, told ABC News that his team is probing the depths of the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey in search of traces of an ancient civilization hidden underwater since the time of Noah.

Ballard said some 12,000 years ago, much of the world was covered in ice.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/noahs-biblical-flood-actually-happened-suggests-evidence-070044699.html

Obamacare Pre-Existing Condition Fee To Cost Companies $63 Per Person

Your medical plan is facing an unexpected expense, so you probably are, too. It's a new, $63-per-head fee to cushion the cost of covering people with pre-existing conditions under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

The charge, buried in a recent regulation, works out to tens of millions of dollars for the largest companies, employers say. Most of that is likely to be passed on to workers.

Employee benefits lawyer Chantel Sheaks calls it a "sleeper issue" with significant financial consequences, particularly for large employers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/10/obamacare-pre-existing-condition-fee_n_2273005.html

The Mother of All Collapses

'Chemical weapons hysteria pretext for West to frame Assad & intervene'

Render unto Caesar...not: UK corporations 'avoid taxes legally'

Concerns rise over Mandela's health

Tunisian mob beats union members

Leon Panetta says Syria is not showing any new signs that it's preparing to use chemical weapons

Inside Story - Is the Nobel Peace Prize losing its prestige?

5.2 Magnitude Earthquake VANUATU REGION - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
5.2
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 12:18:20 UTC
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 11:18:20 PM at epicenter
Location
19.094°S, 167.624°E
Depth
28.2 km (17.5 miles)
Region
VANUATU REGION
Distances
166 km (103 miles) SSW (205°) from PORT-VILA, Vanuatu

Intervention in jeopardy after Mali PM's arrest

Mali's prime minister announced his resignation on Tuesday, hours after being arrested by soldiers while trying to leave the divided and unstable West African nation for France.

The development in the Sahel state, whose desert north was occupied by al Qaeda-linked Islamists following a March coup, seemed likely to complicate African and international efforts to organise a military intervention to reunite the country.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-mali-primeminister-idUSBRE8BA03V20121211

Syria rebels hope arms will flow to new fighter command

Syrian rebels expect greater military help from Gulf Arab states after they announced a new command structure which aims finally to unite President Bashar al-Assad's armed opponents, rebel commanders said on Monday.

Rebel fighters have made gains across the country in the last month, seizing military bases and taking on Assad's better-armed forces on the fringes of his powerbase in Damascus.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE8AJ1FK20121211

Dorice Moore Found Guilty of the Murder of Lottery Winner Abraham Shakespeare

A woman has been convicted of murdering a lottery winner and then burying his body underneath a concrete slab at her home in central Florida.

Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore showed no emotion as the verdict was read out and the judge sent her to jail for life for shooting dead Abraham Shakespeare, who had won $17m (£10.5m) in 2006.

Prosecutors said Moore befriended him in late 2008, claiming she was writing a book about how people were taking advantage of him.

http://news.sky.com/story/1023698/lottery-winner-murder-dorice-moore-found-guilty

4.4 Magnitude Earthquake TAIWAN - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
4.4
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 10:32:04 UTC
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 06:32:04 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
24.005°N, 121.661°E
Depth
27 km (16.8 miles)
Region
TAIWAN
Distances
6 km (3 miles) ENE of Hualian, Taiwan

4.4 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE GUATEMALA - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
4.4
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 10:28:23 UTC
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 04:28:23 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
13.852°N, 91.554°W
Depth
35.1 km (21.8 miles)
Region
OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
Distances
47 km (29 miles) SW of Nueva Concepcion, Guatemala

Syria to UN: 'Serious fear' it will be framed for the use of chemical weapons

After hearing from al-Khatib, the foreign ministers released a statement saying, "The EU is seriously concerned about the potential use and transfer of chemical weapons in Syria and reminds the Syrian regime and other parties that, in case of their use, those responsible will be held accountable."

Syria has accused the United States of working to falsely accuse the country of using chemical weapons, Syrian state-run media said Monday.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/10/world/meast/syria-civil-war/

US Labels Syrian Rebel Group as Terrorists

The United States has declared a Syrian rebel group as a terrorist organization, while Western powers push to rally international support for Syria's new opposition coalition.

The State Department has not formally announced designating Jabhat al-Nusra as a terror group, but a government document scheduled to be published Tuesday lists it as an alias of al-Qaida in Iraq.

At a briefing Monday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. has had concerns about Jabhat al-Nusra being "little more than a front" for the terror group, whose operations had spilled over into neighboring Syria.

http://www.voanews.com/content/us-labels-syrian-rebel-group-as-terrorists/1562475.html

Banking giant HSBC to pay £1.2bn to settle U.S. probe into money-laundering for Mexican drug cartels

British banking giant HSBC will pay £1.2billion ($1.9billion) to settle a money-laundering probe by federal and state authorities in the United States, a law enforcement official said on Monday.

The probe of the bank - Europe’s largest by market value - has focused on the transfer of billions of dollars on behalf of nations like Iran and North Korea, which are under international sanctions, and the transfer of money through the U.S. financial system from Mexican drug cartels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246215/HSBC-pay-1-2bn-settle-money-money-laundering-Mexican-drug-cartels-case.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Man shot dead in Midtown Manhattan

Jenni Rivera's remains recovered from crash site

Israel raids Palestinian NGO offices amid heightened tension

Israeli soldiers raided the offices of three civil society organizations on Tuesday in the heart of Ramallah, the de facto Palestinian capital in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Entering before dawn, troops wrenched open the doors of the Women's Union, the Palestinian NGO Network and Addameer, an advocate for Palestinians in Israeli jails, confiscating five computers from the latter group.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-israel-palestinians-raids-idUSBRE8BA09F20121211

Australian Defence Force Academy Hacked by Anonymous

The private details of thousands of staff and students at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) have been hacked and released online.

The details include the name, rank, birth dates and passwords of up to 20,000 people.

A member of the infamous Anonymous group, known as Darwinaire, is claiming responsibility for the theft.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/15605756/anonymous-member-claims-massive-adfa-hack/

Waterfalls of lava on Hawaii's Big Island

One of the world's most incredible spectacles is taking place in Hawaii, for a limited time only.

Much to the delight of tourists, lava from Kilauea Volcano's Puu Oo vent has been spilling into the ocean since late November - creating spectacular 40ft waterfalls of molten lava.

http://au.totaltravel.yahoo.com/travel-ideas/news-opinions/news/a/-/15596780/waterfalls-of-lava-on-hawaiis-big-island/?src=y7homepage

$65 MILLION AID APPEAL FOR THE PHILIPPINES

The United Nations has launched a global aid appeal to raise USD $65 million to help an estimated five million people affected by Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines.

The typhoon hit the country's south last week, killing more than 600 people.

Another 800 are still missing.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/15599646/65-million-aid-appeal-for-the-philippines/

4.1 Magnitude Earthquake OFFSHORE GUATEMALA - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
4.1
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 08:02:02 UTC
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 02:02:02 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
13.954°N, 92.165°W
Depth
35 km (21.7 miles)
Region
OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
Distances
46 km (28 miles) SW of Champerico, Guatemala

Dramatic rise in foreign-born residents living in England and Wales

There has been a large rise in the number of migrants living in England and Wales, according to results of the 2011 census.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the population of England and Wales is now 56.1 million people - a rise of 3.7 million since 2001.

Some 55% of the growth - around 2.1 million people - was due to migration from outside the country.

http://news.sky.com/story/1023763/census-rise-in-immigrants-boosts-population

Police car petrol-bombed opposite MP Naomi Long's East Belfast office

A policewoman has escaped injury after a masked gang threw a petrol bomb inside an unmarked police car, opposite Alliance Party MP Naomi Long's east Belfast office.

The gang of six men smashed the car's back window before throwing the bomb inside.

Police are treating the attack on the Upper Newtownards Road, at about 19:35 GMT on Monday, as attempted murder.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20671528

North Korea seen taking down part of rocket to fix glitch: media

North Korea has taken down part of a controversial long-range rocket on its launch pad in an apparent move to fix a technical problem, South Korean news reports said on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear whether scientists were simply trying to fix a problem discovered during preparations or whether they were considering cancelling the operation altogether, Yonhap news agency quoted a government source as saying.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-korea-north-rocket-idUSBRE8BA07220121211

Italy's Berlusconi attacks "Germano-centric" Monti

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi accused the technocrat government of Mario Monti on Tuesday of pursuing economic policies dictated by Germany that had dragged Italy into recession.

In remarks that point to a bitter election campaign fought over European issues, Berlusconi said Germany had taken advantage of the financial crisis to lower its own borrowing costs at the expense of other states.

He said Monti's government had been compliant in following a harmful austerity policies set by other European countries.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-italy-vote-idUSBRE8B907420121211

Unknown attackers fire at Cairo protesters, nine hurt

Nine people were hurt when unknown attackers fired at protesters camping at Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Egyptian media, as opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Mursi's plans to vote on a new constitution geared up for a day of street demonstrations.

Police cars surrounded the square, the first time they had appeared in the area since November 23, shortly after a decree by the Islamist president giving himself sweeping temporary powers touched off widespread protests.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-egypt-politics-idUSBRE8B90RO20121211

Starbucks Effect? Costa Coffee Sales Shoot Up

Sales at Costa Coffee have shot up by over 25%, the chain's owner Whitbread has reported.

Like-for-like sales at its coffee shops increased by 7.1%, while total sales were up by 25.5% in the three months to November 29.

It comes amid an ongoing row about the way that some companies - including its rival Starbucks - pay tax in the UK.

http://news.sky.com/story/1023686/starbucks-effect-costa-coffee-sales-shoot-up

6.0 Magnitude Earthquake MOLUCCA SEA - 11th December 2012

Magnitude mb 6.0
Region MOLUCCA SEA
Date time 2012-12-11 06:18:27.0 UTC
Location 0.61 N ; 126.29 E
Depth 30 km
Distances 130 km (80 miles) W of Ternate, Indonesia

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
4.8
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 05:37:02 UTC
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 09:37:02 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
14.530°N, 56.231°E
Depth
10 km (6.2 miles)
Region
OWEN FRACTURE ZONE REGION
Distances
315 km (195 miles) NE of Tamrida, Yemen

Unexplained Light Formation Spotted Above San Francisco Mission

A viewer wrote in to CBS 5 with some surprising video captured early Sunday morning in San Francisco’s Mission District.

In the video, a series of lights fly in formation above the city before appearing to take a diamond shape and eventually disappearing.

Go full screen to see it all. Bizarre, especially when it forms into a triangle.

5.2 Magnitude Earthquake NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA - 11th December 2012

Magnitude
5.2 (Preliminary magnitude — update expected within 15 minutes)
Date-Time
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 05:12:19 UTC
Monday, December 10, 2012 at 09:12:19 PM at epicenter
Location
68.149°N, 136.240°W
Depth
12 km (7.5 miles) set by location program
Region
NORTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA
Distances
107 km (66 miles) W (264°) from Inuvik, NWT, Canada

Kieren Smith Guilty and facing life in prison for murdering his mother by stabbing her 94 times and severing her spine

A 17-year-old youth has been found guilty of the murder of his mother who he stabbed to death after losing his temper.

Kieren Smith killed 42-year-old Leah Whittle at her home in Benville Road, Weymouth, Dorset, on July 21.

A jury found him guilty of murder at Winchester Crown Court today following an eight-day trial.
Smith is due to be sentenced at the same court tomorrow.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246018/Kieren-Smith-facing-life-prison-murdering-mother-stabbing-94-times-severing-spine.html

Abu Qatada moves to new home-and guess who's paying?

A few weeks ago the hate preacher returned to his £400,000 family home with a big smirk on his face. Yesterday the taxpayer funded a move to a new home. Removal men were seen outside the radical cleric's North-West London home, loading possessions - including a large satellite dish and what looked like a personal cross-trainer - into a van.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246124/Abu-Qatada-moves-new-home--guess-s-paying-Removal-men-seen-loading-van-satellite-dish-cross-trainer.html

EU's 'crazy' pension rules would spell end for final salary pensions and cost 180,000 British workers their jobs

‘Crazy’ pensions rules from Brussels could spell disaster for millions of savers and the economy, the CBI warns today.

In a hard-hitting report, the business lobby group said the proposed changes would land British firms with a £350billion bill and cost 180,000 workers their jobs by the middle of the next decade.

Campaigners warned that the European diktat could seal the demise of rapidly disappearing final salary pensions. It comes as the funding black hole in final salary schemes swelled to £61billion, its highest point this year.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246171/EUs-crazy-pension-rules-spell-end-final-salary-pensions-cost-180-000-British-workers-jobs.html

We risk being like Norway if we quit EU, says Cameron: PM warns Britain will be 'unable to influence laws'.....We can't even Influence our own Laws as Part of the EU

At a lunch in Westminster David Cameron insisted he did not want Britain to leave the EU. And he warned the 'Norway option' of simply having access to the single market would lead to 'government by fax'.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246192/We-risk-like-Norway-quit-EU-says-Cameron--PM-warns-Britain-unable-influence-laws.html

U.S., France weigh approach to "explosive" Mali

Northern Mali, plagued by Islamist extremists and gripped by an aid disaster, is "one of the potentially most explosive corners of the world," the United Nations warned on Monday, as the United States and France differed over how to tackle the crisis.

Almost 350,000 Malians have fled their homes, with about 40 percent of those sheltering in neighboring countries, said the United Nations. This has exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in the Sahel - a belt of drought-stricken land spanning nearly a dozen impoverished countries on the southern rim of the Sahara from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-mali-crisis-sahel-un-idUSBRE8B91A720121210

Israel behind bogus Iran nuclear data leak - reports

Israel may be behind a series of leaks implicating Iran in nuclear weapons experiments, Western diplomats say, stressing that in doing so Tel Aviv could have compromised the ongoing UN investigation into Tehran's nuclear activities and ambitions.

In its efforts to raise international pressure on Tehran, Israel supposedly carried out leaks of several documents from an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) investigation, The Guardian reported on Monday citing Western diplomats.

The latest leak, published by the Associated Press last month, showed a diagram representing the results of a computer modeling of a 50-kiloton nuclear device. The chart was leaked by an unnamed official from “a country critical of Iran's atomic program," AP said.

http://rt.com/news/israel-leaked-graph-iran-773/