Amnesty claims Russian airstrikes kill 200 civilians
A report by Amnesty says Russian airstrikes have killed at least 200 civilians. The group accuses Russia of using cluster bombs in civilian areas and says such attacks could constitute war crimes.Russia’s defence ministry dismisses the report as containing “fake information” and “trite cliches”.
Iraqis push through Ramadi
Iraqi forces are fighting Islamic State (ISIS) fighters as they try to reach the center of Ramadi. Six hundred to 1,000 Islamic State fighters were said to have been in Ramadi when the overall offensive began two weeks ago, but several hundred of them have been killed in fighting and airstrikes since then. Iraqi forces face heavy fire and are assaulted by car bombs. The Islamic State destroys three bridges over the Euphrates River to slow the security forces’ advance. Iraqi Army:
We went into the center of Ramadi from different axes, and we started clearing residential areas. The city will be cleared within the coming 72 hours.
Joint venture self-driving car
Ford and Google have joined together for a non-exclusive joint venture to create self-driving cars with the technology created by Google. The venture will be legally separate from Ford, in part to shield the automaker from liability concerns.
Turkey criticizes Russia’s Syria involvement
Davutoglu criticizes Russia’s attack on Idlib in north-west Syria,, saying Syrian lands will not be part of “Russian imperialist goals.”
Cast as Hermione Granger
Dumezweni is cast as Hermione Granger in the upcoming play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Christmas kiss
Stefani and Shelton were seen kissing and being affection inside the Gonzalez restaurant in Shelton’s hometown. The couple later sends out a Christmas message.
Merry Christmas 🌲🙏🏻gx pic.twitter.com/n8ePUyLHpK
— Gwen Stefani (@gwenstefani) December 22, 2015
Tests password-free logins
Google is testing a password-free login for users. To login to a Google account, users enter their email address. A notification is then sent to the user’s phone asking them to confirm the sign-in.
Released
Pu is released early from Beijing’s number One Detention Centre after serving 19 months for “inciting ethnic hatred” and “picking quarrels” on social media post. He was originally going to be detained for three years. He is released under “residential surveillance”, and has 10 days to decide whether to appeal against his conviction and sentence.
Headlight recall
Ford recalls 313,000 Crown Victorias and Mercury Grand Marquis after the headlights fail. The headlight problem, caused by cracked solder joints in the lighting control module, has been known to cause 11 crashes. The recall includes vehicles from the 2003-2005 model years.
Admits Hemsworth kiss
Lawrence admits on Watch What Happens Live that she made out with Hemsworth.
Liam and I grew up together. Liam’s real hot. What would you have done? Yeah…
Clinton’s comments ‘terrifying’
In response to Clinton’s debate comments about tech and national security:
I would hope that, given the extraordinary capacities that the tech community has and the legitimate needs and questions from law enforcement, that there could be a Manhattan-like project — something that would bring the government and the tech communities together to see they’re not adversaries, they’ve got to be partners…Maybe the backdoor is the wrong door, and I understand what Apple and others are saying about that. I know that law enforcement needs the tools to keep us safe.
Snowden says:
Aaaaaaaaand Hillary just terrified everyone with an internet connection. #DemDebate
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 20, 2015
Six airmen killed
Six airmen are killed in Afghanistan, including four OSI agents and two security forces, when they are targeted by Taliban forces as they moved through a village near Bagram Airfield. One of the women killed was the first openly lesbian woman in the armed forces. Army spokesperson:
Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of those affected in this tragic incident, especially during this holiday season.
Join to save whales
Cyrus and Anderson join together at Cyrus’s last show on her Milky Milky Milk Tour, holding signs saying “Save The Whales!”
Becomes A&F president
Horowitz is promoted to president of Abercrombie & Fitch. Executive Chairman Martinez:
Fran’s merchandising skills and her exceptional leadership, which has inspired associates to focus all their efforts on an intense understanding and commitment to our customers, has ignited a turnaround at our Hollister brand. This promotion provides Fran the opportunity to play an even greater role in our future success as we focus on building shareholder value by positioning each of our brands for sustainable growth.
Proposes $2 billion Alzheimer’s cure program
Clinton proposes the government spend an extra $2 billion a year to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease before 2025. A briefing on her website says she came up with a proposal to find a cure after consulting with “leading physician-scientists to understand what it would take to rapidly accelerate the progress we are making.”
Top researchers have noted that this is achievable if we make the commitment, marshal the resources, and provide the needed leadership…[Clinton] knows that reaching the goal will involve investments across the drug development cycle, from basic research to applied and translational research to public-private partnerships for clinical research.
Killer whale dies
An 18-year-old killer whale, called Unna, dies in San Antonio Sea World, of a resistant strain of the Candida fungus. Umma is the third whale to die at the location in the past six months.
While there were some indications that the treatment was having a positive effect, Unna had remained in serious condition and under 24/7 care/
Agent’s belongings stolen
A Secret Service agent’s gun, badge, radio, handcuffs, and flash drive are stolen from his car during broad daylight.
3,200 prisoners released prematurely
Governor Inslee announces that over the past 13 years, an estimated 3,200 convicted felons were released early from Washington state prisons because of errors in calculating good time credit. The median number of days that inmates were mistakenly released early is 49 days. The governor has hired two retired federal prosecutors to conduct an independent review of how the error occurred and why it took 13 years to resolve.
That this problem was allowed to continue for 13 years is deeply disappointing to me, totally unacceptable and, frankly, maddening.
Drives car on sidewalk, kills one, injures 37
Holloway kills one person and injures 37 others when she drove through a sidewalk in Las Vegas Strip. Three victims are in critical condition and two other victims in serious but stable condition. Police:
She would not explain why she drove onto the sidewalk but remembered a body bouncing off of her windshield, breaking it.
Not interested in dating Bieber
In an interview on Watch What Happens Live, Lawrence is asked by a caller if she would sleep with Bieber.
Justin Bieber recently told a radio station that you’re so sexy and so cute. So my . . . question for you is, ‘Would you ever tap that?’”
Lawrence:
Uh, I’m gonna say a hard no . . . but thanks.