DOJ to issue new Federal rules on profiling
The Justice Department is preparing to release new guidelines for some federal agents that would prohibit them from using such factors as religion or sexual orientation to profile individuals, but the new policy would not apply at airports or border crossings. Under the rules, law enforcement officials cannot consider any of those factors, along with race, during criminal investigations, or during routine immigration cases away from the border. Agencies whose officers make traffic stops, such as the United States Park Police, may not use them as a reason to pull someone over. The rules will apply to local police assigned to federal task forces, but not local police agencies. The rules also eliminate the broad exemption for taking into account those factors in cases involving national security, but F.B.I. agents will still be allowed to map neighborhoods and use that data to recruit informants from specific ethnic groups.
UK High Court rules prison book ban unlawful
The High Court of Justice of England and Wales has declared that the government's ban on sending books to prisoners in England is unlawful. Current rules prevent prisoners from receiving parcels unless there are exceptional circumstances such as a medical condition. Justice Collins called the ban "unnecessary and irrational" and highlighted the importance of books for the prisoners. The book ban was introduced in England last November partly to control the entry of drugs into prisons. The challenge was brought by inmate Barbara Gordon-Jones, who is serving a life sentence.
Dilma picks lose policy choices after commodities bust
When Dilma Rousseff became Brazil's first female president four years ago iron-ore prices were booming, Petroleo Brasileiro SA had just held the world's biggest share sale and Eike Batista was wooing Wall Street. Now, as she appoints new ministers for a second term, the commodities pendulum has swung. Iron's slump is putting some producers out of business, Petrobras faces record debt amid a corruption scandal and plunging crude prices and Batista is trying to avoid going to jail on insider-trading charges. The China-like growth Rousseff leveraged to reduce poverty has evaporated and the first trade deficit in 14 years is looming. For Brazil's natural-resources industries, the end of the commodities super-cycle probably will come with a silver lining in the form of less onerous regulations and policies.
EU to urge Turkey to step up IS fight
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is in Turkey to urge it to participate fully in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria. The EU wants Turkey to stop the flow of foreign fighters across its borders, to help identify foreign fighters, to provide warnings of any danger to aviation security, and back sanctions against Russia, despite the warming relationship between Ankara and Moscow. Turkey argues that EU governments should be working harder to prevent putative fighters from travelling to the region. It argues that it has had to make big sacrifices in accommodating thousands of Syrian refugees. Negotiations over Turkish membership of the EU have been going on since 2005, but have been held up because of disagreements over the divided island of Cyprus and resistance to Turkish EU membership from some member countries.
After a dry spell, a boom in big deals
Low interest rates, strong stock prices and healthy capital balances set the scene for a flurry of large acquisitions, most of them traditional and relatively safe bets.
Japan's third quarter recession deeper than estimated
Japan's economy shrank more than initially estimated in the third quarter of 2014, according to revised gross domestic product (GDP) figures. The economy contracted by 1.9% in annual terms from July to September, well above a preliminary reading of 1.6%. A big fall in business spending plunged the economy into a deeper recession.
US frees six Guantanamo detainees
The US says it has released six men held at Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of ties to al-Qaeda and has sent them to Uruguay for resettlement. All six had been detained as suspected militants with ties to al-Qaeda but were never charged. Around half of the 136 men still in Guantanamo have been cleared for transfer but have nowhere to go because their countries are unstable or unsafe.
France vows to fight anti-Semitism
France's interior minister vows to make the fight against anti-Semitism a "national cause" following an attack on a Jewish couple last week. France has the largest Jewish community in Europe and a recent report said there had been a significant increase in anti-Semitic acts there this year.
Apple's $1bn anti-competition trial might collapse
A court case against Apple, which could see the company facing damages of $1bn, might collapse. Lawyers for Apple have raised a last-minute challenge saying new evidence suggested that the two women named as plaintiffs may not have purchased iPod models covered by the lawsuit. The case is considering whether the hardware giant abused its dominant position in the digital music market. The lawsuit covers iPods purchased between September 2006 and March 2009. During that period Apple used software that meant only rights-protected music purchased from its iTunes store could be played on its devices.
BP quickens job cuts over oil fall
Oil giant BP says it is accelerating plans to cut hundreds of jobs within its back-office departments - many based in the UK and US. The company, which has been downsizing since the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, said it had long planned the cuts, but is speeding up the process due to falling oil prices. Crude prices have fallen by almost 40% this year, reducing oil firms' margins.
'Fewer' Or 'Less?' The express lane language debate
You're ready to check out at the supermarket. There are only eight items in your cart, so you look for the express lane. The sign above says "10 items or less." Do you: (A) Head for the register without a second thought? (B) Rue the decline of the English language because you were taught that the sign should say "10 items or fewer?" Egregious error or silly gripes? It’s a divisive topic. There are the descriptivists, who argued that "or less" has become common, isn't confusing and therefore is fine. There are the prescriptivists, who argue that "fewer" is to be used when objects such as grocery items can be counted, while "less" is to be used when referring to mass amounts. That would make "10 items or less" a glaring grammatical error.
California DNA collection law struck down
California's First District Court of Appeals on Wednesday struck down a California law which requires the collection of DNA from anyone arrested on suspicion of committing a felony. The case had been remanded from the California Supreme Court with orders to affirm the law due to the decision rendered by the US Supreme Court in Maryland v. King. However, the First District Court again ruled in favor of the defendant, characterizing the collection of DNA as a search that does not pass the reasonableness standard. Under the DNA collection law, the sample must be taken as soon as administratively possible, meaning that the arrestee need not be formally charged or detained. The First District Court held that a collection at that point in time is unreasonable because an arrestee that has not had a judicial determination of probable cause has a higher privacy expectation, which the collection of DNA would violate. Furthermore, should the arrestee be released without being charged, the DNA sample would still be on record and would require substantial time and effort to expunge, again further infringing upon privacy rights. Finally, the court held that the law violates the California Constitution on unreasonable searches and seizures, which is more exacting than the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment.
Time
The Man Who Wired the World. Mark Zuckerberg's crusade to put every single human being online
Newsweek
The Kid With the Kalashnikov Isn't Happy
Business Week
85 years. 85 ideas.
The Economist
The new economics of oil. Sheikhs v shale
Der Spiegel
Die Zukunft des Lesens: schneller, besser, sinnlicher
L'Espresso
Alemanni e lanzichenecchi
Syria says Israeli jets hit Damascus
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar
Amr Moussa Considers Election Boycott
Asharq Al-Awsat, Pan-Arab daily, London, England
Jesus: married with children? New book drops bombshell
Haaretz, Liberal daily, Tel Aviv, Israel
'Pay benefits faster' to cut hunger
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
Legislators defend failed rescue
CNN International, London, England
Pixie Lott voted off Strictly Come Dancing in shock elimination
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William arrive in New York
Daily Mail, Conservative daily, London, England
Greece passes 2015 budget plan against backdrop of protests
EuroNews, International news, Ecully Cedex, France
Israel launches airstrikes near Damascus airport, Syrian state TV says
France 24, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Istanbul's Koç Museum presents doll houses
Hurriyet Daily News, (Liberal, English-language), Istanbul, Turkey
Risks of nuclear war rising because of global tensions and insecure stockpiles, warn experts
Independent The, London, England
Major Ukrainian TV provider drops Russian channels
Moscow News The, Independent, Moscow, Russia
Moroccan minster killed in train crash
Telegraph The, Conservative daily, London, England
Is this the blog post that proves Zoella did not write Girl Online?
Telegraph The, Celebrity news, London, England
China imports fall and export growth slows in November
China Post, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
2015 Tipped as a Bumper Year for Car Sales
Chosun Ilbo, Conservative daily, Seoul, South Korea
Watch Paul Rosolie calls off stunt after spendingnbsp1 hour in Anacondas grip
Hindustan Times, New Delhi, India
BJP's Sadhvi to speak at riot-hit Trilokpuri today
India Times, Conservative daily, New Delhi, India
North Korea denies 'righteous' hack of Sony but hints at 'supporters'
Japan Times, Independent centrist, Tokyo, Japan
US, NATO ceremonially end Afghan combat mission
New Zealand Herald, Conservative daily, Auckland, New Zealand
Ukraine President cancels trip over protests in eastern Ukraine
Straits Times, Pro-government, Singapore
When Stella stole the show
Sydney Morning Herald, Centrist daily, Sydney, Australia
IOC opens session on Thomas Bach's reform program
Taiwan News, English-language daily, Taipei, Taiwan
Typhoon Hagupit: Philippines' response shows lessons learnt from last year's Typhoon Haiyan
The Economic Times, Business, Mumbai, India
'Your silence is killing people,' NYC protester lectures police officers
Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Canadian Embassy in Cairo closed due to security concerns
Globe and Mail The, Centrist daily, Toronto, Canada
Liberty Reserve Brought Down By 'Joe Bogus': How The Feds Arrested Arthur Budovsky
International Business Times, Business news organization, New York, U.S
Chilean Activists Change the Rules of the Game
IPS Latin America, International cooperative of journalists, Rome, Italy
Brent weak near $68 after Morgan Stanley cuts price forecast
Reuters, Business News, New York, U.S
Canadian Embassy in Cairo closed due to security concerns
Reuters, World News, New York, U.S
Ottawa pays some sick moms but not others
Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario
Judge ruling on Dewani trial future
BBC News, Centrist newscaster, London, England
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