Monthly Archives: December 2012

News

NEW REPORT URGES FOR MORE LGBT’S TO BE SEEN ON TV

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In the UK, the BBC commissioned a report into the portrayal of homosexuals and lesbians on television. The report found that only 50% of the population were comfortable with same-sex relationships within programming.

The report recommends that more programs feature lesbian and gay relationships, as well as suggesting children’s programs should be used to familiarise audiences to same-sex couples.

The study found that heterosexual men believed that there were already too many gay and lesbian people on television, but gay and lesbian people surveyed said they believed they were under represented.

It also suggested that drama was a “powerful tool” to educate people, but that comedy could pose a problem as LGBT people are often the focus of jokes.

Read More: The Telegraph

News

EUROPEAN UNION AGREES ON NEW BANKING SUPERVISION DEAL AHEAD OF THE EU SUMMIT

The European Union has agreed the terms of a deal which will see centralized supervision of the eurozone banks.

The deal is expected to come into effect in March 2014, and will see the European Central Bank (ECB) acting as supervisor-in-chief of the eurozone banks. The deal will affect financial institutions with assets greater than 30bn euros ($39bn; £24bn) or with 20% of national GDP.

Around 80% of Europe’s banking transactions are conducted through the City of London, though UK banks will not be included in the deal. UK Chancellor George Osborne has stressed that he has worked hard to ensure the deal will protect the City.

The deal is a crucial step towards a full banking union. This is believed by many to be necessary and inevitable, in order to solve the eurozone crisis.

The deal has been reached ahead of the next EU summit, which is about to begin.

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News

UFOS SPOTTED OVER SAN FRANCISCO, BROOKLYN

The Mayan apocalypse believed by some to be taking place on Dec. 21, 2012, has apparently been preceded by multiple sightings of UFOs hovering over major U.S. cities. In the past week, San Francisco and Brooklyn were both treated to the sight of mysterious illuminated objects floating in the sky.

On Dec. 3, in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, an amateur video captured a slow-moving parade of lights overhead. The trio of lights appeared to move in a coordinated fashion, slowing down and then moving again in roughly the same direction and at the same speed.

A similarly choreographed ballet of lights, reported by some as a UFO sighting, danced over the Mission district of San Francisco in the wee hours of Dec. 9. As in the Brooklyn sighting, the lights seemed to hover calmly above the city, then slowly drift away in unison, as seen in this amateur video .ufosoverSanFRan

At least one astronomer was stumped by the San Francisco sighting. “Its not a planet, its not a constellation, its not meteors, it’s not the moon,” Bing Quock, assistant director of the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences, told CBS San Francisco. “It looks to me like it could have been balloons, carrying lights.” [Infographic: Where to Spot UFOs]

more at  UFOs spotted over San Francisco, Brooklyn | Fox News.

 

News

MAN BRUTALLY SHOT IN HEAD IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IN MIDTOWN

A man was fatally shot in the head in broad daylight on West 58th Street and Broadway this afternoon in a shocking act of violence, authorities said.

The incident occurred about a block from Carnegie Hall, in front of the St. Thomas Choir School located at 202 W. 58th St. around 1:50 p.m., the FDNY said.

The victim, Brandon Lincoln Woodard, 31, of Los Angeles, was approached from behind by his killer and shot once in the back of the head, according to NYPD spokesman Paul Browne. He was pronounced dead at St. Lukes Hospital.

“The victim was walking westbound on West 58th street in front of St. Thomas Choir School when a male black, unknown age, in a dark coat, dark hood and khaki pants began walking westbound behind the victim,” said Browne. “The shooter came up at close range and shot the victim one time in the back of the head.”

The street was crowded with passers-by at the time of the shooting.After the shooting, stunned witnesses ran over to a nearby fire house and said Woodard had been shot in the face, sources said.The firefighters then rushed over to Woodard and tried to aid him, sources said.

The suspect, described as a black male wearing a dark coat, dark hood and khaki pants, hopped into the passenger side of a light-colored Lincoln MKZ sedan, Browne said.

“The shooter got into the passenger front seat of that awaiting vehicle, which had the driver in it and they drove out of the parking space and proceeded eastbound toward Seventh Avenue on West 58th street,” Browne said.

“The gun was a silver semiautomatic pistol and a shell casing was recovered at scene,” Browne added. “Were canvassing for videos and witnesses.

 

 

“The shooter appeared calm and determined to carry out the execution-style shooting, according to cops.”There was no rush,” Browne said. “He just walked up, shot him and walked away.”The NYPD has obtained video of the shooting.

View 2012 NYC deaths in a larger map

View 2012 NYC deaths in a larger map
more  Man brutally shot in head in broad daylight in Midtown – NYPOST.com.

News

DEADLY SHOOTING AT OREGON MALL

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A masked gun man wearing camouflage opened fire in a busy shopping mall in Portland, Oregon, killing two before turning the gun on himself.

The mall was busy with Christmas shoppers, witnesses say he fired around 60 shots. Another woman was shot, and is recovering in hospital.

Police believe they have identified the gun man, but have not yet released details. Witnessed described the man as wearing what appeared to be, white body armour.

Read More at Fox News

News

PANIC SPREADS ACROSS GLOBE AS MANY BELIEVE DECEMBER 21 WILL SEE THE MAYAN APOCALYPSE

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December 21 marks the end of the Mayan Long Calendar, many believe this will mark the end of the world.

The internet is awash with doomsday predictions, ranging from a celestral collision between earth and a mythical planet Nibiru, a massive electromagnetic pulse event, a gigantic solar storm, or the flipping of the earth’s magnetic field.

In nations across the globe many are taking the predictions very seriously. Modern day Mayan priests have been performing rituals in preparation for December 21. Mayans are quick to explain the end of their calendar does not mark the end of the world, but the end of a cycle. December 21 will mark the beginning of a new age upon the earth.

In Russia and parts of China there has been panic buying of essentials, and in America there has been a surge in sales of survival shelters. In the Russian town of Omutninsk, in Kirov region, there was a rush to stoke up on fuel after a newspaper article by a Tibetan monk, supposedly confirmed the end of the world was upon us. The fear and panic became so bad the Russian Prime Minister had to address the situation.

In France the small town of Bugarach is bracing itself for the influx of new agers who are expected to descend on the town, believing it is the place aliens will come to save them from the apocalypse.

NASA has been working hard to calm peoples fears that the planet will be hit by Nibiru, saying there is no evidence of it’s existence.

David Morrison, an astronomer at Nasa, said: “At least once a week I get a message from a young person, as young as 11, who says they are ill and/or contemplating suicide because of the coming doomsday. I think it’s evil for people to propagate rumours on the internet to frighten children.”

In China, which has no history of preoccupation with the end of the world, a wave of paranoia about the apocalypse can be traced to the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster “2012”.

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News

PARIS HIT BY WAVE OF STREET MUGGINGS AND GRAVE ROBBERIES – TELEGRAPH

Paris hit by wave of street muggings and grave robberies – Telegraph.

The record high price of precious metals and austerity in Paris have led to a wave of street muggings and grave robberies across the French capital.

Pantin cemetery, northern Paris, has seen a number of graves dug up and gold teeth and jewellery stolen. Pantin cemetery is the largest in Paris, with a million graves.

As well as the grave robbers and muggers, precious metal thieves have caused extensive damage and led to long delays on the French rail network. Thieves have been stealing the copper cables used along the railways.

 

 

News

UN CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AGREES TO EXTEND THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

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After days of tense negotiations the delegates at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Doha, were able to reach a deal on a package of agreements, as well as extending the Kyoto protocol until 2020.

Kyoto is still the only legally binding agreement on green house gas emissions. The nations who are signed up to Kyoto produce 15% of the total green house gas emissions. The protocol locks in only developed nations, excluding major developing polluters such as China and India, as well as the United States which refuses to ratify it.

The major stumbling block was over climate funding for poorer nations. Delegates agreed that developed countries would increase their contributions from $30 billion in 2010-2012, to $100 billion (76 billion euros) per year by 2020. The fund will be used to help poorer nations deal with the impact of climate change, and switch to greener energy sources.

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News

ITALY’S PM MONTI ‘TO RESIGN”. SILVIO BERLUSCONI TO RETURN TO POLITICS

Italian PM Mario Monti has said he intends to step down as Prime Minister, after he lost the support of the parliament, earlier this week.

Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right party People of Freedom withdrew their support for the Prime Minister, making him feel as though he no longer has the support of the Parliament.

Monti has said he will resign immediately if he can quickly pass next year’s budget through parliament. Some believe the withdrawal of support by the People of Freedom Party was an attempt to undermine Monti’s ambitious debt reducing budget.

Disgraced former PM Silvio Berlusconi has said he will run in elections early next year. The media tycoon is still facing charges of underage sex, and was convicted for tax fraud earlier this year. He is currently appealing his conviction.

Read More: Italy’s PM Monti “to resign” France 24
Silvio Berlusconi confirms return to politics France 24

News

UK GOVERNMENT BEGINS PUSH TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, along with other senior members of the Conservative Party have come out in support of same-sex marriage. They are uniting under the slogan “Freedom to Marry”.

The move has angered many within the Conservative party, who hold to a traditional view of marriage. Prime Minister David Cameron would like to legalize gay marriage, and allow marriage ceremonies to take place in churches, but also let churches who do not want to conduct same-sex marriages, the right to refuse.

The UK already allows civil partnerships for gay couples, but the group of 19 senior Tories has said, “We recognise that civil partnerships were an important step forward in giving legal recognition to same sex couples. But civil partnerships are not marriages, which express a particular and universally understood commitment.”

Sources within the coalition say that the government is keen to have a bill voted on before Easter next year. Conservative backbenchers are calling for any such vote to be a free vote.

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FYI, News

SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN WINS SEAT ON BANKING COMMITTEE

Elizabeth Warren is widely regarded as one of the strongest progressive voices in the Senate. She received widespread praise from Democrates at the Democratic Convention and went on to win Massachusetts from Republican Sen. Scott Brown.

The fight became the most expensive to be fought over in the election. Wall Street donated heavily to Scott Brown’s campaign, keen to stop Warren from winning. Now Wall Street will have Sen Warren on the banking committee. The powerful committee has the job of overseeing the implementation of the Dodd-Frank bill and other banking regulations.

Read More from The Huffington Post

FYI, News

SYRIA: ASSAD COULD BE GETTING READY TO USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS

As the civil war continues in Syria, there are renewed fears that Bashar al-Assad may use Chemical Weapons against his own people.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said at a press conference after a meeting with NATO leaders, “Our concerns are that an increasingly desperate Assad regime might turn to chemical weapons, or might lose control of them to one of the many groups that are now operating within Syria… And so as part of the absolute unity that we all have on this issue we have sent an unmistakable message that this would cross a red line and those responsible would be held to account.”

The United States has pledged support for the Syrian opposition. There will be a meeting in Morocco next week to discuss what further steps need to be undertaken to help resolve the conflict in Syria.

Read More ‘Desperate’ Assad could use chemical weapons in Syria, says Hillary Clinton- The Telegraph

News

MAN PUSHED TO DEATH ON SUBWAY TRACKS

A 58-year-old subway passenger was killed on Monday after he was pushed onto the tracks of an onrushing train in Manhattan by a man who had been mumbling to himself as he walked along the platform, the police said.

The passenger, identified by the police as Ki-Suck Han of 52nd Avenue in Queens, tried to climb back onto the platform but did not make it; he was struck by a southbound Q train in the 49th Street station. He was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, the police said.

The assailant fled and remained at large on Monday night, the police said. Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, described the attacker as a black man in his mid-20s in a tan shirt and black pants who was carrying a black jacket and wearing a woolen hat.

On Monday night, two police officials and a priest were seen escorting a woman believed to be the victim’s wife from a Queens apartment to a van. They made no comment to reporters outside.

Courtesy New York Police Department

A still from a surveillance camera video in which the attacker is seen confronting the victim.

more at  Man Pushed to Death on Subway Tracks – NYTimes.com.