Walt Disney Co.'s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dominated the box office in its debut weekend, making an estimated $155 million in the U.S. and Canada. The take amounted to the second biggest December opening ever, behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year. That film smashed a host of records, bringing in $248 million domestically in its first weekend. Rogue One, Disney's first spinoff since it bought Lucasfilm in 2012, was never expected to best The Force Awakens. The new movie tells the story of a band of rebel fighters in the lead up to the events involving central characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo in the original 1977 Star Wars.
Source: MarketWatch A car bomb in Kayseri, Turkey, on Saturday killed 13 off-duty soldiers and injured 56 other people traveling on a bus. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the attack on Kurdish militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). "The style and goals of the attacks clearly show the aim of the separatist terrorist organization is to trip up Turkey, cut its strength and have it focus its energy and forces elsewhere," he said. "We know that these attacks we are being subjected to are not independent from the developments in our region, especially in Iraq and Syria." Seven people have been arrested in connection to the bombing.
Source: Reuters, Associated Press A federal jury in South Carolina on Thursday found self-declared white supremacist Dylann Roof, 22, guilty of 33 federal charges in the killing of nine black parishioners at Charleston's historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church during a weekly Bible study last year. The charges include deadly hate crimes, obstruction of religion, and firearms violations. Felicia Sanders, one of two survivors of the attack, said she never doubted how the trial would end. "I knew it was going to be guilty, guilty, guilty, all the way through," she said. Roof reiterated his plan to represent himself when the court reconvenes on Jan. 3 to consider whether he should be sentenced to death, or life without parole. He also faces murder charges in state court.
Source: The Post and Courier, NBC News NBA sideline reporter Craig Sager died Thursday at the age of 65 after a years-long battle with leukemia. Sager, a longtime Turner Sports broadcaster, was known for his unique, colorful suits over a career that spanned more than 40 years. He publicly announced his leukemia diagnosis in 2014, and at the 2016 ESPY awards he emotionally expressed that "over the last two years, I've done everything in my power to live my life as normally as possible but at times, you need support. And I'm so thankful to everyone who has been there for me."
Source: ESPN Two schoolgirl suicide bombers killed 56 people and wounded dozens more in a coordinated attack on a crowded market in the northeastern Nigerian town of Madagali on Friday, a local official said. The bombings bore the hallmark of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has been waging an insurgency to set up a state adhering to a strict interpretation of Muslim laws in the northeast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Yusuf Mohammed, chairman of the local district government, said the bombings left 56 people dead and wounded 57.
Source: Reuters President-elect Donald Trump's deal with air conditioning company Carrier traded the manufacturer millions of dollars in special tax incentives in exchange for maintaining factory jobs in Indiana, but it also led the company to automate some of those very positions to cut costs. "We're going to make a $16 million investment in that factory in Indianapolis to automate, to drive the cost down so that we can continue to be competitive," said Greg Hayes, the CEO of Carrier's parent company. "Is it as cheap as moving to Mexico with lower-cost labor? No. But we will make that plant competitive just because we'll make the capital investments there. But what that ultimately means is there will be fewer jobs." Trump claimed the deal would save roughly 1,100 jobs, but the actual number looks to be closer to 800, not including any lost to future automation.
Source: CNN Money, CNBC Charleston church massacre suspect Dylann Roof on Sunday submitted a handwritten letter to the judge in his murder and hate-crime trial, asking to have his lawyers back after receiving permission last week to represent himself. Roof, 22, asked to have the attorneys represent him during the guilt phase of the trial, scheduled to begin Wednesday, then, if he is found guilty, to let Roof represent himself during the phase when jurors would decide whether to sentence him to death, or life in prison. The self-professed white supremacist is accused of gunning down nine black parishioners at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Church last year.
Source: New York Daily News The death toll from a massive fire that rushed through a warehouse in Oakland, California, during a concert rose to 33 on Sunday, and authorities said it could still go higher as search crews continued to search the scorched structure. Only about 40 percent of the building had been searched by Sunday afternoon, and crews are moving slowly due to the building's instability. The fire is already one of the deadliest in modern California history. "The number will go up," County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ray Kelly said. "Firefighters are tired, exhausted. This is very emotional."
Source: USA Today, Los Angeles Times At least nine people were killed and 25 more are missing after a massive fire broke out in a warehouse hosting a dance party Friday night in Oakland, California. The fire started around 11:30 p.m. and may be the deadliest blaze in city history. Crowded with a "maze" of artists' workspaces and illegal dwellings, the building had no sprinkler system and smoke detectors did not activate, firefighters said. "It was too hot, too much smoke, I had to get out of there," said Bob Mule, a photographer who escaped the fire with minor burns. "I literally felt my skin peeling and my lungs being suffocated by smoke. I couldn't get the fire extinguisher to work." Authorities say as many as 40 people may be dead, and investigation is slow going thanks to structural instabilities in the warehouse.
Source: East Bay Times, Reuters The Ohio State University student who carried out a knife attack on campus Monday said in a Facebook post he was "sick and tired" of seeing fellow Muslims "killed and tortured," according to federal law enforcement officials. Investigators are examining Abdul Razak Ali Artan's Facebook page to determine whether the attack was terrorism, though law enforcement officials said it will take time to ascertain motive.
Source: CNN |
About This BlogCertain numerology has a strong connection with occultism. Various numbers from time-to-time appear in news articles, and one has to wonder if there isn't some occult significance behind this story. Archives
May 2021
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