December 20, 2013 Edition

The phone hacking trials in Britain revealed that voicemails left for Kate Middleton by her then boyfriend Prince William were hacked by the top UK newspaper News of the World. In one message William used the pet name “babykins” and in another told her he had almost been shot with blanks. Prince William was undergoing officer training in 2006 when he said he “nearly got shot” with blank rounds during a training exercise. When the story was reported in the NoW, the paper said the prince had been shot with blanks, even though this did not actually happen. Former NoW editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson with then royal editor Clive Goodman and four others are charged with conspiracy to illegally intercept voicemails among other offences. They all deny the accusations. News of the World was among the highest circulating newspapers at the time of its closure. The paper is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s media firm.

Read the full story on BBC.

Samantha Power, former journalist and Pulitzer prize-winning author, is the highest level official to visit the Central African Republic (CAR), urging those involved to end brutal sectarian violence which killed hundreds and forced about 400,000 people to flee their homes.  The CAR spiralled into anarchy after a March coup in which the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group overthrew President Francois Bozize.  Power, the US envoy to the United Nations warned the people were “in profound danger.”  She added, “We all have a responsibility which we must meet to help them move away from the abyss.”  The United States pledged about $100 million (73 million euros) in peacekeeping efforts.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Attackers stormed a UN base where civilians took refuge in South Sudan on Thursday, killing 3 Indian peacekeepers with other deaths feared. India’s UN envoy Asoke Mukerji said the 3 were “targeted and killed” during an attack by ethnic Nuer youths on a base at Akobo in Jonglei state.  UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told AFP more than 30 ethnic Dinka civilians sought shelter in the UN base and their fate remains unknown. The UN Security Council called for emergency consultations on the mounting crisis in South Sudan where hundreds have been killed this week in battles between government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and rebel troops led by former vice president Riek Machar. International observers fear the world’s youngest state is sliding towards civil war.

Read the full story on Rappler.

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and leading Democrat for the 2016 presidential race said she will make a decision whether to run or not “sometime next year.” Huffington Post reported that Clinton, in a Wednesday interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters, said an official announcement was premature. Speculations about Clinton’s candidacy persists since she lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in 2008. Supporters laid the foundation for her run in a quickly growing campaign called “Ready for Hillary.” Clinton told Walters her husband, former President Bill Clinton said he wants her “to do what I think is right.” This prompted Walters to ask what America would call him if she were to win. “I have no idea,” Clinton laughed. “First mate, I don’t know.”

Read the full story on Huffington Post.

The ceiling of a packed London theater collapsed on the audience during a performance Thursday, wounding 78 people including children and leaving terrified theatergoers covered in blood and dust. 7 were seriously wounded. The Apollo Theatre was showing West End’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” when the incident happened. The week before Christmas is a traditionally busy time for London’s theaters. Witnesses heard creaking noises in the 112-year-old theater before the collapse but thought it was part of the show. Rescuers said there were no fatalities and all those trapped had now been freed.

Read the full story on Rappler.

North Dakota’s top attorney said a man married to another man in a state that allows same-sex marriage could wed a woman in North Dakota without breaking state laws. Reuters reported the issue came to light when a man married to another man in another state inquired if he could marry a woman in North Dakota. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said in an opinion dated December 12 that since the state would not recognize the man’s same-sex marriage, he could also marry a woman in North Dakota without breaking state laws. Experts warn complex issues about Social Security and death benefits, tax exemptions and even possible prosecutions for bigamy or polygamy may arise from the problem. 16 states plus the District of Columbia now recognize same-sex marriage in the United States.

Read the full story on Yahoo News.

An Indian owner of a billboard dedicated to Nelson Mandela was red-faced Thursday, after discovering that a photo of actor Morgan Freeman was used instead of the democracy icon. The billboard was erected in the city of Coimbatore as part of memorials across India and the world to Mandela, who died December 5.  Freeman’s face loomed large in the billboard over small images of rights icons Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. The Tamil-language message read: “We should be proud that we were part of an era when they lived.” The billboard owner said it was a mistake by the designer. Morgan Freeman played Mandela in the 2009 film “Invictus”. Several people on Twitter also committed the same mistake.

Read more on Rappler.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks up against gender discrimination in the workplace and what can be done to ensure equality. Cook made the remarks after receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Auburn University in a ceremony held at the United Nations. The Alabama native recounted how he witnessed aggressive acts of hatred against minorities. He also said Apple’s innovative technologies help pave the way for a more open-minded society. The company supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that protects employees from prejudice against their sexual orientation or gender identity. Cook is openly gay. In his speech, he challenged the audience, “If you believe as I do, push with all your might to influence your representatives to vote against discrimination. Never allow the majority to limit the rights of the minority.”

Read the full story on Rappler.

It will amuse or annoy you, but using stickers to chat can also be used for social good. The Japanese multi-platform messaging app that started the mobile app sticker craze in 2012 announced on Thursday it raised more than ¥57.4 million or about P24.5 million ($552,000) in its charity sticker campaign for the Philippines.  Launched globally on November 15, the “Pray for the Philippines” sticker pack sold for $0.99 and benefits the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan). The typhoon ravaged central Philippines last month and left more than 6,000 dead and thousands more missing.

Read the full story on Rappler.

A billion-pixel camera aims to map the galaxy in greater detail than ever before. Built by Astrium for the European Space Agency, the camera — attached to the Gaia telescope — is so sensitive that it can detect the width of a human hair from 1,000 km away. Scientists hoped to learn more about the origin of the universe through the camera’s three-dimensional picture of the Milky Way, which would measure the distances to a billion stars. Scientists said astronomers have relied on very indirect methods to estimate distances to most stars. The Gaia telescope’s camera will be used to build the first accurate charts of the galaxy and to help look for exoplanets, or new planets beyond our solar system.

Read the full story on CNN.