Fenninger beats Maze; Shiffrin of US 8th in GS

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) -- Anna Fenninger of Austria had two near-perfect runs to win a World Cup giant slalom on Friday, while second-place Tina Maze of Slovenia extended her lead in the overall standings.

In difficult conditions because of snowfall, Fenninger posted the fastest time in both runs on the Panorama course and finished in a combined time of 2 minutes, 13.09 seconds to beat Maze by 1.10. Tessa Worley of France, who was second after the opening run, was third.

American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin, who won her first World Cup race last week, was eighth for the best GS result in her career. She's now 10th in the overall standings.

Shiffrin had several mistakes in her final run but used a blistering second to finish2.68 seconds off Fenninger's winning time.

US new home sales jump to fastest rate in 2 1/2 years

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans bought new homes last month at the fastest pace in more than two and a half years, further evidence of a sustained housing recovery.

Sales of new homes rose 4.4 percent in November from October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 377,000, the Commerce Department said Thursday. That's the fastest pace since April 2010, when a federal tax credit boosted sales.

New-home sales have also increased 15.3 percent over the past year, although the improvement comes from depressed levels. Sales remain below the 700,000 that economists consider healthy.

Atty: Hobby Lobby won't offer morning-after pill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An attorney for Hobby Lobby Stores said Thursday that the arts and crafts chain plans to defy a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill, despite risking potential fines of up to $1.3 million per day.

Hobby Lobby and religious book-seller Mardel Inc., which are owned by the same conservative Christian family, are suing to block part of the federal health care law that requires employee health-care plans to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills.

Fireworks warehouse in Nigeria explodes, killing 1

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) -- A massive explosion ripped through a warehouse full of fireworks in Nigeria's largest city on Wednesday, sparking a fire that threatened surrounding city blocks and sending a plume of thick smoke high into the sky. At least one person died and 15 others were wounded, emergency officials said.

The blast occurred around 9 a.m. in the Jankara area of Lagos Island, a neighborhood of narrow streets and tall cement buildings holding shops and housing people sometimes a dozen to a room in the megacity of Lagos. The force of the explosion echoed miles away and shook windows.

An Associated Press journalist saw members of the Nigerian Red Cross treating people with minor cuts and bruises a few blocks from the site. Later, rescuers pulled out a badly charred corpse from the still-smoldering structure.

Plane crash-lands on Myanmar road, 2 killed

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- A flight packed with Christmas tourists crash-landed on a road in central Myanmar on Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring 11, officials said.

Four foreigners were among the injured on the Air Bagan flight. The Information Ministry initially identified the fatalities as three Myanmar citizens: a tour guide and an 11-year-old child on board the plane, and a man riding a motorcycle on the road where the plane came down. A later report from the airline mentioned only two deaths.

The flight was carrying 71 people, including 48 foreign passengers, from the city of Mandalay to Heho airport in Shan State, the gateway to a popular tourist destination, Inle Lake, Air Bagan said in a statement Tuesday evening that revised earlier figures.

Texas Rep. Hall to be oldest US House member ever

DALLAS (AP) -- When Ralph Hall was elected to the U.S. House in 1980 at the age of 57, he had already served in the Navy in World War II, built a successful business career and served in Texas' state government for many years.

On Christmas Day, the North Texas congressman will become the oldest person ever to serve in the U.S. House, surpassing the record of North Carolina Rep. Charles Manly Stedman, who died in office in 1930 at age 89 years, 7 months and 25 days.

Hall, who turns 90 on May 3, became the oldest House member to ever cast a vote this year. Those close to the Rockwall Republican say he remains active. Voters re-elected him last month to a 17th term, and Hall told the Dallas Morning News he may even run again.

Coalition 'not trusted' to tackle housing crisis, survey shows

Poll of 600 housing experts reveals 6% believe Tories can deliver on housing pledges, with trust falling to 4% for Lib Dems

Housing experts do not trust the coalition government to tackle the UK's housing crisis, a survey of 600 experienced managers and strategists has revealed.

Labour and Conservative policymakers have identified housing as a key battleground at the next election, fighting to win the support of Generation Rent – young people who are struggling to get on the housing ladder and may never afford a home of their own.

Heavy rain raises threat of Christmas Day flooding

Rail chiefs urge people not to travel in south-west and steer clear of floodwater after several stranded motorists are rescued

Heavy rain late on Monday could bring more flooding on Christmas Day as the bad weather continues to threaten homes, businesses, roads and railways.

Rail bosses urged people not to travel in the south-west of England with the main rail route into Devon and Cornwall blocked until Friday at least by floodwaters from the River Exe between Tiverton and Exeter.

Emergency services also warned people not to walk or drive near floodwater. A disabled woman had to be rescued when her car stalled at Saul, near Frampton on Severn, Gloucestershire, on Monday, while Devon and Cornwall police released video footage of a rescue of a woman at Umberleigh, near Barnstaple, Devon.

Richard Adams, early figure in gay marriage, dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Richard Adams, who used both the altar and the courtroom to help begin the push for gay marriage four decades before it reached the center of the national consciousness, has died, his attorney said Sunday.

After a brief illness, Adams died Dec. 17 at age 65 in the Hollywood home he shared with Tony Sullivan, his partner of 43 years, attorney Lavi Soloway told The Associated Press.

Adams and Sullivan met at a Los Angeles gay bar called "The Closet" in 1971, but their life and relationship would soon be on display for a worldwide audience.

They were granted a marriage license in 1975, but for years fought in vain to see it recognized by governments and a population for whom the idea of two married men was still strange and foreign. They were subjected to anti-gay slurs even from government agencies.

'Malaria is not going away because we are getting fake treatment'

China suspected as source of counterfeit drugs that are holding back fight against malaria in Africa

The life-saving medicine arrives on cargo trucks and in suitcases, crossing borders to be put on sale in pharmacies, shops and hospitals. There is just one problem: it isn't life-saving at all.

To look at the packaging, you would never know. It is usually a dead ringer for the real thing. Only on closer inspection will you find a watermark missing or notice the crumbling edges of a tablet that to well-trained inspectors can be the telltale signs of fakery. Even health professionals are routinely fooled.

"I have taken them myself," said Dr Mechtlida Luhaga, who has been both doctor and patient in Africa's long battle against malaria. "I took Alu and nothing happened. I had another blood test to recheck and still had the same parasites. The drugs were fake."

Christmas shoppers flood high streets in last-minute gift hunt

Retail groups predict festive splurge of around £5bn this weekend, but say overall footfall appears down on last year

Consumers are massing for a final pre-Christmas assault on the shops, with retailers around the country reporting strong last-minute sales despite the prevailing economic gloom.

With retail groups predicting a combined festive splurge of around £5bn this weekend, the second wave was necessarily more focused given Sunday opening hours, with the big retailers limited to six hours of selling time.

Bethlehem Christians feel the squeeze as Israeli settlements spread

Near a biblical landscape of donkeys and olive trees, homes are being built and Palestinian Christians fear for their future

Amid plastic bags snagged on gorse bushes, rusting hulks of cars in a breakers yard and a few shabby trailers, traces of a biblical landscape are still to be found on a hillside between the ancient cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. A couple of donkeys are tethered to a gnarled olive tree; nearby, sheep and goats bleat as they huddle against the chill December air.

But this terrain will soon be covered in concrete after the authorisation last week of the construction of more than 2,600 homes in Givat Hamatos, the first new Israeli settlement to be built since 1997.

Pharmacy linked to deadly meningitis outbreak files for chapter 11 bankruptcy

New England Compounding Center's filing shields company from creditors while it sets up compensation fund for victims

A pharmacy blamed for causing a deadly nationwide meningitis outbreak has filed for bankruptcy protection and said it is seeking to set up a fund to pay victims.

Contaminated steroid injections from the New England Compounding Center are thought to have been responsible for 39 deaths and 620 illnesses.

The chapter 11 filing in US bankruptcy court on Friday shields the company from the threat of creditor lawsuits while it establishes the fund.

From the archive, 22 December 1920: Immovable boxer and kinema 'king'

The middle-aged bald little man is the US boxer Johnny Coulon, who is mystifying Paris by his uncanny power to stay on his legs

PARIS, TUESDAY

The mysterious grip of Johnny Coulon, the boxer, and the financial adventures of a young man of 23 named Himmelfarb among kinema producers are the main topics of conversation in the cafés of the Grands Boulevards. Wherever one sits to take the many-coloured apéritif, by one's side is a gesticulating couple with a photo on the table in front of them of a middle-aged, bald little man engaged in a complicated effort with some giant or other in fighting attire. The little man so illustrated is the American boxer Coulon, who is mystifying Paris and such eminent scientists as he can get interested by his uncanny power to stay on his legs.

My first Christmas… in a B&B

Latvian immigrant Erika Rudasha on how she feels spending her first Christmas in emergency B&B accommodation in Sussex with her four-year-old daughter

This time last year, I had just moved to the UK from Latvia. I have a four-year-old daughter, Evelina, and there's discrimination against single mothers there. I hadn't been able to get a permanent job and I don't have any family, so we'd been homeless and moving between crisis centres.

I've studied PR and journalism, and worked as an artist. The plan was to come to the UK, find a good job – or start my own business – and make a home for my daughter. It hasn't worked out like that. I stayed with a friend for three months before being offered accommodation. However, the landlord had drinking problems, turned violent and tried to sexually abuse me. We had to return to my friend's flat. Finally, in June, I found a room to rent, borrowed money, and stayed there until November, when we were given notice.

Putin Backs Proposed Ban on US Adoptions

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin touched on many topics in his end-of-year address, including U.S.-Russian relations, the conflict in Syria and his health. One topic, however, seemed to garner particular attention from the Russian leader - a law passed by Washington that punishes Russians who abuse human rights. 

In his speech, Putin expressed anger over the U.S. Congress' recent passage of the so-called Magnitsky Act. The legislation requires Washington to freeze the assets of and bar entry to anyone who was allegedly involved in the 2009 death of Russian anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

Magnitsky worked for Russia’s largest Western investment fund and claimed to have uncovered a scheme used by Russian officials to embezzle more than $230 million in taxes paid by that firm. He was later arrested by the same officials he had accused of the tax fraud. He died in prison awaiting trial on corruption charges.

On abortion, both Britain and Ireland need to rediscover the spirit of 67 | Zoe Williams

We pander to the anti-abortion lobby, and are too willing to settle for a few scraps of reproductive rights

When, this week, you read a headline saying, Ireland to legalise abortion; or see a statement from the Catholic church saying "Irish abortion reform is a 'licence to kill innocent babies'", you should treat it with great scepticism. For a start, nobody has suggested changing the law, nobody's legalising anything, and innocent babies have more to fear, as ever, from the Catholic church, than from any Irish abortion providers.

Nobody has suggested, even out of respect for the recently killed Savita Halappanavar, the slightest modification in the law, so that an abortion might be permitted in a case where the mother would probably die without it, and the foetus would probably die regardless. There are no new ideas, and no concessions to anybody – all that's been mooted is the codification of a supreme court ruling, so that the abortion provision they do have is no longer just precedent, it's actually enshrined in law.

Wade, James carry Heat past Timberwolves, 103-92

MIAMI (AP) -- The Miami Heat were outrebounded by 28, matching the second-largest margin in team history. They finished with only 24 boards, matching the second-lowest total in any game over the franchise's quarter-century of existence.

Somehow, none of that mattered.

Dwyane Wade scored 24 points, LeBron James added 22 points and 11 assists and the Heat survived a strangely one-sided night on the glass to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 103-92 on Tuesday night - becoming the first team since 1994 to be outrebounded by such a wide margin and still win, according to STATS LLC.

Seattle police loosens pot rules for applicants

SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle police department says it is loosening rules on past marijuana use by applicants.

Police officials say the change in policy comes because voters legalized the recreational use of pot by approving Initiative 502.

The department says that until this week, applicants were immediately disqualified if they had smoked marijuana within three years of applying for a position. The new rule lowers that to a year.

Turkey, Iran Relations Remain Strained

ISTANBUL, TURKEY — Turkey's foreign minister has criticized Iran for its reaction to a NATO decision to deploy Patriot missiles on the border between Turkey and Syria. The NATO decision has added to tensions between Iran and Turkey, whose relations are already strained over the Syrian crisis.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday dismissed Iran's concerns about the decision by NATO to deploy batteries of the Patriot anti-missile defense system along Turkey’s border with Syria.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Davutoglu said that instead of criticizing the Patriot system, Iran should tell the Syrian government to halt its oppression against its own people, and provoking Turkey through border violations.

The day Comet plunged to earth

The electrical retail giant finally closed its doors yesterday – but not before shoppers descended on branches looking for one final bargain

It's the last day of trading for Comet, the electrical retail giant that went into administration last month after almost 80 years on the British high street.

Opening hours at the 49 remaining stores, according to their customer service hotline, are from 9am until they sell out. At the Tottenham Hale branch in north London it's barely 11am but the pickings are already looking slim. Shop assistants stand around looking bewildered. "Twenty-five minutes left," one staff member shouts. "Ninety per cent off everything!"

Newtown victim's mom delivers moving remembrance

The mother and uncle of 6-year-old Noah Pozner delivered messages at his funeral reflecting on the life of the little boy killed in Friday's school shooting, and lessons to draw from his loss. People identifying themselves as reporters were not allowed into the service, but the family made transcripts available to The Associated Press. Here they are, in full:

From mother, Veronique Pozner:

The sky is crying, and the flags are at half-mast. It is a sad, sad day. But it is also your day, Noah, my little man. I will miss your forceful and purposeful little steps stomping through our house. I will miss your perpetual smile, the twinkle in your dark blue eyes, framed by eyelashes that would be the envy of any lady in this room.

Ethiopia Drops One Charge in Muslim Case

ADDIS ABABA — The Ethiopian High Federal Court has dropped one charge in the terror case against 29 Muslims.  Terrorism charges were not dropped, although defense lawyers had argued those charges are unconstitutional.

The 29 Muslims who were arrested in July on terrorism charges and accused of trying to overthrow the government appeared in court.  Their defense lawyer Tamam Ababulga says the charge of attempting to destroy the government and creating a Muslim state was dropped.

“Charges dropped, because the element that constitutes the two charges are the same.  Therefore, they may end up in double jeopardy," Ababulga said. "This is very significant because, if the case is continued in such a way, it may double the punishment.”

Christmas can be very Zen

Not all new rituals sit in shallow soil. I was raised an atheist but have no problem matching Christmas traditions with Buddhism

People either insist on repeating the traditions they had as children, or they detach and reject tradition altogether. On occasion they create new ones, particularly if they start new families or enter a new culture. But new rituals, even after years of diligent practice, will always sit in shallower soil. My childhood was spent in Sweden, and so to me Christmas must always be snowy, dark and eerily quiet. You must have candles in your window, gingerbread men and a real pine tree. There are the stranger Swedish traditions too such as compulsory viewing of Donald Duck re-runs, and opening all the presents on Christmas Eve; but we won't go into that right now.

Barcelona 4-1 Atlético Madrid | La Liga match report

Lionel Messi scored twice for Barcelona, who recovered from a 31st-minute goal by Radamel Falcao to beat second-placed Atlético Madrid and open up a nine-point lead at the top.

Falcao opened the scoring in the battle of La Liga's hottest forwards after being played through, by chipping the Barcelona goalkeeper with his left foot.

Adriano drew Barcelona level with a magnificent strike before Sergio Busquets put the home side in front on half-time. Messi scored his first with a fine left-foot shot placed in the corner and added his second, and 90th of the calendar year, after the Atlético defence dithered and the Argentinian poached the ball.

Pentagon front-runner has strong Obama ties

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel is a contrarian Republican moderate and decorated Vietnam combat veteran who is likely to support a more rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

As President Barack Obama's top candidate for defense secretary, Hagel has another credential important to the president: a personal relationship with Obama, forged when they were in the Senate and strengthened during overseas trips they took together.

Hagel, 66, emerged last week as the front-runner for the Pentagon's top job, four years after leaving behind a Senate career in which he carved out a reputation as an independent thinker and blunt speaker.

Broadcasting in 2013: BBC must get back on track in a fully digital TV world

It's likely to be a tricky year for linear channels as catch-up TV surges ahead

One thing is for sure. Well, probably. The BBC will have fewer director generals in 2013 than it did in 2012.

Lord (Tony) Hall, the former BBC News chief turned chief executive of the Royal Opera House, will take up the role in March. His task is nothing less than to piece together the corporation's shattered reputation – and restore morale – in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal and Newsnight's catastrophic report libelling Lord McAlpine.

Sebastian Coe to be honoured at BBC Sports Personality of the Year show

• Coe will receive Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday
• Previous winners include David Beckham and Alex Ferguson

Sebastian Coe is to be honoured for his achievements on and off the track by being given the Lifetime Achievement Award at Sunday's BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. The broadcaster says Lord Coe's recognition comes not only for his efforts in leading the bid to bring, and subsequent successful staging of, the Olympic and Paralympic Games to London, but also for his career as a middle-distance runner. The 56-year-old, who was last month appointed as the new chairman of the British Olympic Association, won 1500m golds at successive Games in 1980 and 1984. Coe became chairman of the London 2012 bid team in 2004 and played a key role in securing the vote ahead of a bid from Paris. A 12-time world record-holder, he retired in 1990 and became Conservative MP for Falmouth and Camborne. In 2002 he was made a peer, Lord Coe of Ranmore, and was knighted in 2006.

Father of Newtown victim extends 'love and support' to gunman's family

Robbie Parker, 30, the father of six-year-old Emilie, discusses 'horrific tragedy' and tells of 'beautiful, blonde, smiling' daughter

Relatives of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shootings have been speaking about their grief, as the names of the victims were officially published on Saturday.

Robbie Parker, 30, father of six-year-old Emilie Parker, showed remarkable compassion in remarks in which he extended his support to the family of the man who took his daughter's life.

"It is a horrific tragedy and I want everyone to know that our hearts and prayers go out to them. This includes the family of the shooter," Parker said.

Militants attack airport in NW Pakistan; 9 killed

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- Suicide bombers armed with rockets attacked the military side of a Pakistani airport in the northwestern city of Peshawar Saturday, killing four civilians and wounding more than 30, officials said. Five militants also were killed.

Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's tribal region, the main sanctuary for al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the country. The city has frequently been attacked in the past few years, but Saturday was the first strike against the airport, which is jointly used by the air force and civilian authorities.

The militants fired three rockets at the airport, two of which hit a wall ringing the premises, said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Peshawar is the capital. The third landed near a government building outside the wall, Hussain said.

2 dead after shooting at Las Vegas Strip hotel

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A man shot and fatally wounded a woman, then killed himself Friday at the Excalibur hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, sending many patrons fleeing in fear.

It happened at about 8:30 p.m. near the high-rise hotel's front entrance, Las Vegas Metro Police Lt. Ray Steiber said.

The man died at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after shooting the woman, who was a vendor at Excalibur's concierge desk, Steiber said. The woman was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.

US: Recognizing Syrian Opposition Strengthens Fight Against Assad

STATE DEPARTMENT — Official U.S. recognition for a coalition of Syrian opposition groups is meant to isolate extremists and increase pressure on embattled President Bashar al-Assad.

With Syrian rebels gaining ground on Assad forces, the Obama administration says recognizing political opponents strengthens the fight against him.

"We have said all along that in the absence of any moves by the regime to end this, in the absence of any commitment to any kind of a transition, we are going to continue to support the opposition as we can," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Man charged in 1996 WA murder appears in court

HAMILTON, Mont. (AP) -- A 59-year-old western Montana man charged with killing a Washington state woman who disappeared in 1996 is still fighting extradition, but he did confirm his identity to a state judge.

Clifford Everell Reed of Victor faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of his co-worker, Sandi Johnson of Kirkland, Wash. Court records indicate he had a romantic interest in her that she did not reciprocate.

Bengals beat Eagles 34-13

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- So long, Eagles.

Up ahead for the Cincinnati Bengals, the only Pennsylvania team that truly matters.

Andy Dalton threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score, an opportunistic defense forced five turnovers and Cincinnati beat the Philadelphia Eagles 34-13 on Thursday night.

The Bengals (8-6) took a half-game lead over the Steelers for the last playoff spot in the AFC. But their game at Pittsburgh next week is far more important in the standings than this one.

US holiday sales slowly pick up after Sandy

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. consumers shook off Superstorm Sandy last month and stepped up holiday shopping, helped by a steady job market and lower gas prices.

Retail sales rose 0.3 percent in November from October, reversing the previous month's decline. Sales increased mostly because Americans spent more online, bought more electronics and began to replace cars and rebuild after the storm.

And a sharp drop in gas prices lowered the overall increase. Excluding gas stations, retail sales rose a solid 0.8 percent, according to the Commerce Department report released Thursday.

Boehner: White House risks fiscal cliff stalemate

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Speaker John Boehner says the White House is so resistant to cutting spending that it is risking pushing the country off the "fiscal cliff."

In remarks he prepared to deliver to reporters on Thursday, the Ohio Republican says President Barack Obama has not been serious about controlling spending, which Republicans say is the source of government's budget deficit problems. Boehner says Obama wants far more in tax increases than on spending reductions, and says the president's refusal to control spending is why talks between the two men have failed to reach an agreement so far.

NY agency voting on using smartphones to hail cabs

NEW YORK (AP) -- Every New Yorker knows how to hail a yellow cab.

The next step for some might be to "e-hail" a cab using a smartphone.

Members of the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission are to vote Thursday on whether to allow people to nab a ride electronically. Downloaded apps would link customers with drivers.

Virgin Galactic future at Spaceport uncertain

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- The deal was sold to New Mexicans in classic Richard Branson fashion. If taxpayers would build the colorful British businessman a $209 million futuristic spaceport, he would make New Mexico the launching point for a space tourism business catering to the rich and famous.

Now, with Spaceport America nearly complete but still mostly empty, a Virgin Galactic official says the company will reassess its agreement if lawmakers don't pass liability exemption laws for its suppliers, raising the possibility it could take its spacecraft elsewhere.

US economy could withstand brief fall off 'cliff'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's the scenario that's been spooking employers and investors and slowing the U.S. economy:

Congress and the White House fail to strike a budget deal by New Year's Day. Their stalemate triggers sharp tax increases and spending cuts. Those measures shrink consumer spending, stifle job growth, topple stock prices and push the economy off a "fiscal cliff" and into recession.

The reality may be a lot less bleak.

Even if New Year's passed with no deal, few businesses or consumers would likely panic as long as an agreement seemed likely soon. The tax increases and spending cuts could be retroactively repealed after Jan. 1.

US economy could withstand brief fall off 'cliff'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's the scenario that's been spooking employers and investors and slowing the U.S. economy:

Congress and the White House fail to strike a budget deal by New Year's Day. Their stalemate triggers sharp tax increases and spending cuts. Those measures shrink consumer spending, stifle job growth, topple stock prices and push the economy off a "fiscal cliff" and into recession.

The reality may be a lot less bleak.

Even if New Year's passed with no deal, few businesses or consumers would likely panic as long as an agreement seemed likely soon. The tax increases and spending cuts could be retroactively repealed after Jan. 1.

Record Number of Journalists Are Jailed in 2012

A record number of journalists were imprisoned in 2012, and there are concerns it could be even worse in the New Year. The Committee to Protect Journalists has released its annual report listing the top jailers of members of the media. VOA’s Joe De Capua reports.

CPJ’s Mohamed Keita says attacks on the press have steadily grown.

“232 journalists were jailed in 27 nations around the world as of December 1st, 2012, surpassing the 1996 record of 185. And out of all these journalists, only three were international journalists. The vast majority were local journalists,” he said.

Worry Grows Over Rising Sectarian Attacks in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Sunni-dominated Pakistan has seen an unprecedented spike in religious violence this year, with at least 375 minority Shi'ite Muslims killed across the country. Government critics say the violent conflict is likely to intensify if authorities do not do more to improve local governance and punish those who carry out sectarian attacks.

Sectarian bloodshed in Pakistan had peaked in the 1990s, and the violence subsided after the country joined with the U.S.-led coalition 10 years ago to fight terrorist and extremist groups.

Under pressure from the United States and other allies, Pakistan banned several Shi'ite and Sunni militant groups for having links to al-Qaida and Taliban extremists fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan.

USDA to allow more meat, grains in school lunches

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department is responding to criticism over new school lunch rules by allowing more grains and meat in children’s meals.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told members of Congress in a letter Friday that the department will do away with daily and weekly limits of meats and grains. Several lawmakers wrote the department after the new rules went into effect in September saying kids aren’t getting enough to eat.

School administrators also complained, saying set maximums on grains and meats are too limiting as they try to plan daily meals.

“This flexibility is being provided to allow more time for the development of products that fit within the new standards while granting schools additional weekly menu planning options to help ensure that children receive a wholesome, nutritious meal every day of the week,” Mr. Vilsack said in a letter to Sen. John Hoeven, North Dakota Republican.

Google teaming with Israeli high-tech startups

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- Google is searching for promising Israeli high-tech companies.

The international technology giant on Monday launched its "Campus Tel Aviv," a 1,500 square foot (140 square meter) space that will hold regular events for local entrepreneurs and offer access to Google staff and other industry experts.

The facility will also host "Launchpad," a selective, free two-week boot camp for early stage startups. It plans to help 100 promising Israeli startups there each year.

McDonald's November sales figure rises

NEW YORK (AP) -- McDonald's Corp. said Monday that a key sales figure rose in November, as U.S. customers snapped up the world's biggest hamburger chain's breakfast offerings and limited-time Cheddar Bacon Onion sandwiches.

The increase follows a decline in October, the first drop in McDonald's key monthly sales gauge in nearly a decade.

Investors sent McDonald's shares up 2.2 percent in premarket trading on Monday.

Obamas attend annual holiday concert in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A holiday concert attended Sunday by President Barack Obama and his family included some non-traditional entertainment this year: a performance by South Korean rapper and Internet sensation PSY.

PSY- wearing an all-red outfit including a sparkling, sequined top- was backed by dancers wearing reindeer antlers as he performed his popular "Gangnam Style" dance, which mimics riding a horse.

The rapper, born Park Jae-sang, had apologized Friday for using what he called "inflammatory and inappropriate language" during anti-U.S. protests at concerts in 2002 and 2004. The flak from his remarks didn't dampen the festive holiday mood Sunday.

Syrian Rebels Set Sights on Damascus Airport

Syrian rebels say they plan to seize Damascus International Airport, declaring it a legitimate target in their fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

A rebel commander said Friday attacks on the airport are justified because it is being used as a military zone. He said civilians should avoid the area. It was unclear just how close to the airport the battles had reached.

Fighting has intensified in the past week in the southern districts of the Syrian capital and its suburbs.

Earlier Friday, Syrian activists said the army had bombed two Damascus suburbs and increased reinforcements in an effort to try to reclaim territory controlled by rebels.

LAPD apologizes to Notorious B.I.G.'s family

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Police detectives apologized to the family of Notorious B.I.G. for failing to warn them about the planned release of his autopsy report more than 15 years after he died in a drive-by shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department said Saturday.

The detectives had intended to notify the rapper's family, but the report was released prematurely "due to an administrative error," the department said in a statement.

"Our detectives personally spoke with the Wallace family (Friday) night, and apologized for not notifying them prior to the release" said Capt. Billy Hayes, who heads LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division, which is investigating the killing. "Obviously this has been a challenging case for us to solve. We hope that witnesses or other people with information will come forward and give us the clues we need to solve this case."

Astronaut, Cosmonaut Plan for a Year in Orbit

Think of where you were and what you were doing six months ago. Now think about where you were and what you were doing 12 months ago.

Veteran NASA astronaut Scott Kelly said that might give you a better idea of what is in store for him and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. They are the two space travelers selected for a one-year stay aboard the International Space Station - more than twice as long as the usual mission.  

South African icon Nelson Mandela hospitalized

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela was admitted to a military hospital Saturday for medical tests, though the nation's president told the public there was "no cause for alarm" over the 94-year-old icon's health.

The statement issued by President Jacob Zuma's spokesman said that Mandela was doing well and was receiving medical care "which is consistent for his age." The statement offered no other details.

Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term. He later retired from public life to live in his village of Qunu, and last made a public appearance when his country hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

Crist considers another run for Florida governor as a Democrat; GOP says 'bring it on'

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Now that former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist is a Democrat, pretty much everyone in Florida's political world expects him to seek his old seat.

"I will consider it, and I will think about it," Crist said by phone while boating off of Miami and before a planned dinner with former Democratic governor and Sen. Bob Graham.

Crist revealed his long-anticipated conversion Friday that after more than two years as an independent. He made the announcement on Twitter and included a photo of his new voter registration form that he filled out at the White House.

Brazil remembers famed architect with vigil, samba

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The city where architect Oscar Niemeyer was born 104 years ago said goodbye Friday with a public vigil, flowers and, yes, samba.

After a viewing in Brasilia, in the presidential palace he himself designed, Niemeyer's body was flown to Rio for a vigil. Men and women filed by his wooden casket covered by a Brazilian flag and three red roses in the City Palace, paying their respects before his burial.

At the Sao Joao Batista Cemetery, a few hundred mourners easily pushed their way into what was supposed to be a closed ceremony, following the funeral procession through the front gates, squeezing into the mazelike space tightly packed with mausoleums and statues.

George Zimmerman sues NBC and reporters

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- George Zimmerman sued NBC on Thursday, claiming he was defamed when the network edited his 911 call to police after the shooting of Trayvon Martin to make it sound like he was racist.

The former neighborhood watch volunteer filed the lawsuit seeking an undisclosed amount of money in Seminole County, outside Orlando. Also named in the complaint were three reporters covering the story for NBC or an NBC-owned television station.

The complaint said the airing of the edited call has inflicted emotional distress on Zimmerman, making him fear for his life and causing him to suffer nausea, insomnia and anxiety.

The lawsuit claims NBC edited his phone call to a dispatcher in February. In the call, Zimmerman describes following Martin in the gated community where he lived, just moments before he fatally shot the 17-year-old teen during a confrontation.

Pot smokers celebrate in streets as Wash. State legalizes marijuana

SEATTLE (AP) -- The crowds of happy people lighting joints under Seattle's Space Needle early Thursday morning with nary a police officer in sight bespoke the new reality: Marijuana is legal under Washington state law.

Hundreds gathered at Seattle Center for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to 12 a.m., when the legalization measure passed by voters last month took effect. When the clock struck, they cheered and sparked up in unison.

A few dozen people gathered on a sidewalk outside the north Seattle headquarters of the annual Hempfest celebration and did the same, offering joints to reporters and blowing smoke into television news cameras.

Bosnia's capital becomes safe haven for stray dogs

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- It's past midnight and a van stops on a hilly Sarajevo street. The side door slides open quietly and four dogs jump out. The van makes a U-turn and disappears into the dark.

A few moments later, animal protection activist Amela Turalic is awoken by a phone call, and a female voice informs her that another "delivery" has just been made.

The city that was the scene of some of the worst warfare during the Balkans wars has unexpectedly become a safe haven - for stray dogs facing death elsewhere in the country.

Sandy is thought to have slowed US hiring in Nov.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Superstorm Sandy is widely thought to have slowed U.S. job growth last month. The only question is how much - an answer that's expected to emerge Friday in the government's jobs report for November.

Yet once the storm's impact is cleared away, the report may reveal that the job market is strengthening.

Many economists predict employers added fewer than 100,000 jobs last month, and some think it was fewer than 50,000. That would be far below the 171,000 created in October and normally a sign of a weak market. The unemployment rate is expected to remain 7.9 percent.

Merriam-Webster look-up hawks choose 2 2012 words of the year: capitalism and socialism

NEW YORK (AP) -- Thanks to the election, socialism and capitalism are forever wed as Merriam-Webster's most looked-up words of 2012.

Traffic for the unlikely pair on the company's website about doubled this year from the year before as the health care debate heated up and discussion intensified over "American capitalism" versus "European socialism," said the editor at large, Peter Sokolowski.

The choice revealed Wednesday was "kind of a no-brainer," he said. The side-by-side interest among political candidates and around kitchen tables prompted the dictionary folk to settle on two words of the year rather than one for the first time since the accolade began in 2003.

Serbia ambassador to NATO leaps to death from parking garage platform at Brussels airport

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Serbia's ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when he suddenly strolled to a barrier, climbed over and flung himself to the ground below, a diplomat said.

By the time his shocked colleagues reached him, Branislav Milinkovic was dead.

His motives are a mystery. Three diplomats who knew Milinkovic said he did not appear distraught in the hours leading up to his death Tuesday night. He seemed to be going about his regular business, they said, picking up an arriving delegation of six Serbian officials who were to hold talks with NATO, the alliance that went to war with his country just 13 years ago.

World Bank: Arab World hit hard by climate change

DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- The Middle East and North Africa will be especially hard hit by climate change in the coming decades, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday, saying the region will see less rainfall, more recording-breaking temperatures and rising sea levels.

Should temperatures rise as expected, the hotter conditions are likely to hit the region's $50 billion ((EURO)38.2 billion) tourism industry and further worsen its food security since many countries in the region - especially Gulf states - depend heavily on imports to feed their populations. Crop failures will also increase while yields will decrease and household incomes will fall, the report said.

Police searching desperately for sick girl with open catheter in heart after mom takes her

PHOENIX (AP) -- Emily has leukemia. She just underwent a month of chemotherapy and had her right arm amputated after suffering complications. Doctors say she is at risk of dying from an infection.

But the sick 11-year-old isn't in a hospital.

Her mother last week inexplicably unhooked a tube that had been carrying vital medication through the girl's heart, got her out of bed and changed her clothes. Then she did something police say is even more baffling - she walked the child out of the hospital, the tiny tube still protruding from her chest.

New search engine connects literary dots

NEW YORK (AP) -- Author Jennifer Gilmore is reading a biography of the late David Foster Wallace. She's curious about his most famous book, the novel "Infinite Jest," and wants to poke around on the Internet to learn more.

Her destination is Small Demons, smalldemons.com , an encyclopedia and "Storyverse" that catalogues names, places, songs, products and other categories for thousands of books.

CDC says US flu season arrives early, could be bad, but one-third of Americans are vaccinated

NEW YORK (AP) -- Flu season in the U.S. is off to its earliest start in nearly a decade - and it could be a bad one.

Health officials on Monday said suspected flu cases have jumped in five Southern states, and the primary strain circulating tends to make people sicker than other types. It is particularly hard on the elderly.

"It looks like it's shaping up to be a bad flu season, but only time will tell," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

US slams Israel on new settlement plan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration on Monday harshly criticized its top Mideast ally, Israel, over new settlement construction plans in areas the Palestinians claim for a future state and urged it to rethink them.

The White House and State Department said the plans run counter to longstanding U.S. policy, particularly as they relate to a sensitive piece of land outside Jerusalem known as E1.

"We reiterate our long standing opposition to Israeli settlement activity and East Jerusalem construction," White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters. "We oppose all unilateral actions, including settlement activity and housing construction as they complicate efforts to resume direct, bilateral negotiations and risk prejudging the outcome of those negotiations and this including building in the so called E-1 area."

Bangladesh fire victims want old jobs back

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- As 112 of her co-workers died in a garment-factory fire, Dipa Akter got out by jumping from the third floor through a hole made by breaking apart an exhaust fan. Her left leg is wrapped in bandages and she has trouble walking.

Now she wants back in.

"If the factory owner reopens the factory sometime soon, we will work again here," the 19-year-old said. "If it's closed for long, we have to think of alternatives."

Major retailers whose products were found in the fire have disavowed the Tazreen Fashions Ltd. factory, but workers who survived have not. They can't afford to.

Spain's king leaves hospital after hip operation

MADRID (AP) -- King Juan Carlos has been discharged from a hospital in Madrid nine days after entering to undergo reconstructive surgery on his left hip joint.

The 74-year-old Spanish monarch joked with journalists as he left a hospital Sunday in the front passenger seat of a chauffeur-driven car, promising to "take things very easy" during his recuperation.

A hospital statement says the king had "very satisfactorily completed the first phase of his rehabilitation."

In April, the head of state was flown back from a controversial elephant hunting safari in Botswana, after fracturing his right hip joint.

The king has had several health issues in the past two years, including knee surgery and the removal of a benign lung tumor.

Ap.

Chinese AIDS patients fight hospital rejections

BEIJING (AP) -- Wang Pinghe wants the tumor in his liver removed before it becomes life-threatening. But the 28-year-old Chinese villager knows it will be hard to find a hospital that will do the operation - because he has AIDS.

In China, hospitals routinely reject people with HIV for surgery out of fear of exposure to the virus or harm to their reputations. After years of denying AIDS was a problem in China, the country has significantly improved care for patients, but the lingering stigma sets back those advances.