| By Derek Caney
German authorities believe that the truck that barreled into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people, was a terrorist attack. Police arrested a 23-year-old man from Pakistan. But German newspaper Die Welt is reporting they may have the wrong man. Quote of the day "I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that (the) person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum." – German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, who was shot in the back while he gave a speech. The shooter shouted "Don't forget Aleppo," after the shots rang out. He was eventually killed by special forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the killing was intended to disrupt the Syrian peace process. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the motivation was to undermine relations between the two countries. A senior Turkish security official said there were "very strong signs" the gunman belonged to the network of the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in July. Gulen denied the link.
Digit of the day: 4 It's official. Donald Trump won the electoral vote in the presidential election. For all the talk of "faithless electors" trying to deny Trump the White House, in the end, there were more Democrats who opposed their party's nominee, Hillary Clinton. Four Democrats broke ranks, all of them from Washington state. Three of them voted for Colin Powell, the secretary of state under George W. Bush, while one voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder and oil pipeline protester. It was the largest number of Democratic defectors since 1872. Two Texas Republicans broke ranks. One voted for Ron Paul. The other voted for John Kasich.
Taking what they can carry 
Women wait to be evacuated from a rebel-held sector of eastern Aleppo, Syria, Dec. 18, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail
Around the world - The gunman who stormed into a Zurich mosque wounding three worshippers was found dead near the scene, police said.
- The Taliban released a new video showing a kidnapped American-Canadian family, including two young boys born in captivity in Afghanistan. Caitlan Coleman, a U.S. citizen, was pregnant when she and Canadian Joshua Boyle were kidnapped in 2012 while on a backpacking trip. In the video, Coleman begs for an end to their "Kafkaesque nightmare."
- Japan's top court ruled in favor of a government plan to relocate a U.S. military base on the island of Okinawa. The decision handed a defeat to local islanders who wanted to get rid of the base altogether. Residents believe they bear an unfair burden in supporting the U.S. military presence in Japan. It also didn't help that an American civilian working for the military was arrested in May in connection with the murder of a local Japanese woman.
Around Wall Street - Boeing’s commercial airplane unit plans more job cuts next year after slashing its workforce by 8 percent in 2016, as it struggles to sell planes in the face of a strong dollar. Boeing and its archrival Airbus are battling especially slow demand for their long-range twin-aisle jetliners, such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330.
- Walt Disney and five other retailers will tighten up on-call scheduling of hourly employees as part of an agreement with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The scheduling practice requires employees to check whether they are still needed for work and risk having their schedules canceled with little notice. The other companies are Aeropostale, Carter's, David's Tea, Pacsun and Zumiez.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating about 1 million newer Fiat Chrysler Ram pickup trucks and SUVs after receiving complaints the vehicles rolled away after being parked.
Around the country - The California judge who gave Stanford swimmer Brock Turner a six-month sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman was cleared by the state's judicial oversight commission. "There is not clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority, or other basis to conclude that Judge Persky engaged in judicial misconduct warranting discipline," commission director and chief counsel Victoria B. Henley wrote in the panel's report. Turner faced up to 14 years in prison. Prosecutors asked for 6 years.
- President Barack Obama shortened prison sentences for 153 convicts, mainly low-level drug offenders, and pardoned 78 others. He has commuted the sentences of 1,176 federal prisoners, as part of a push to reduce the number of people serving long sentences for non-violent drug offenses.
Today's reason to live Mark Eitzel – The Last Ten Years |
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