German government party stays on course on euro

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Economic Minister and Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler listen to the debate at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. German lawmakers discuss the results of last week's climate summit in Durban. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Economic Minister and Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler listen to the debate at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. German lawmakers discuss the results of last week's climate summit in Durban. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Economic Minister and Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler listen to the debate at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. German lawmakers discuss the results of last week's climate summit in Durban. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Philipp Roesler Vice Chancellor Economic Minister and chairman of Free Democratic Party announces the results of a party's members' bid against the permanent eurozone rescue fund in Berlin, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. The motion was defeated by 10,841 votes to 8,809 and Germany's government junior partner stays on course. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Philipp Roesler Vice Chancellor Economic Minister and chairman of Free Democratic Party announces the results of a party's members' bid against the permanent eurozone rescue fund in Berlin, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. The motion was defeated by 10,841 votes to 8,809 and Germany's government junior partner stays on course. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

BERLIN (AP) ? Rebels in Germany's junior governing party failed on Friday to turn it against eurozone efforts to set up a permanent rescue fund, an outcome that averts a possible political crisis for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Dissenters in the struggling pro-market Free Democratic Party had forced the ballot on whether lawmakers in the party should support the euro500 billion ($650 billion) European Stability Mechanism, which is due to take start work next year.

However, the party's embattled leader, Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler, said that their motion was defeated by 10,841 votes to 8,809. There were 280 abstentions in the ballot, conducted by mail over recent weeks.

"The FDP is, and remains, a party with a clear pro-European direction, with the necessary economic policy good sense," said Roesler, who is also Germany's economy minister.

Leaders of the party have talked tough on Europe's debt crisis but support the rescue fund, a cornerstone of efforts led by Merkel to get the situation under control.

Health Minister Daniel Bahr, an FDP member, questioned earlier this month whether the governing coalition could continue to work if party members voted against the fund. No date has yet been set for a parliamentary vote on it.

Had the ballot gone the other way, rebels would have needed a third of party members, which number 65,000 in all, to participate for the result to be valid. But they also missed that target.

The rebels' failure gives Roesler, 38, a respite after a difficult week in which speculation swirled that his days as party leader were numbered.

Roesler took over only in May, promising that the FDP would "deliver," but he has failed to lift the party out of a poll slump.

Roesler annoyed dissenters by declaring on Sunday, two days before voting ended, that they had failed because it appeared too few votes had been cast in the ballot. A complicated voting system also attracted criticism.

One of the FDP's top officials, general secretary Christian Lindner, quit unexpectedly on Wednesday.

Roesler and the most prominent rebel, backbench lawmaker Frank Schaeffler, sought to put on a show of unity Friday.

"We will now ... look ahead, united and together," Roesler said. "We will now put an end to the internal argument ? we have found our position."

Schaeffler said he wanted to "contribute to the divisions in the party being closed," though he added that "the fact the decision was so close in the end" showed it was right to consult members.

The FDP joined Merkel's conservatives in government in 2009, winning nearly 15 percent of the vote after an election campaign focused heavily on income tax cuts ? a pledge that has been ground down to almost nothing.

The party has attracted much of the blame for frequent infighting in the coalition and has been punished by voters in state elections this year. Nationally, it regularly polls below the 5 percent needed to win seats in parliament.

The main opposition Social Democrats' general secretary, Andrea Nahles, said the euro fund ballot showed that "the FDP's grass roots are deeply divided on the government's course."

"The FDP's days of chaos are far from over," she predicted.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-16-EU-Germany-Financial-Crisis/id-f7705c5a4c12447bb847eac1ac615e36

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Britney Spears And Jason Trawick: A Timeline Of Their Love

The couple started dating in 2009 while Trawick was still Britney's agent.
By Jocelyn Vena

Jason Trawick and Britney Spears
Photo: WireImage

Months ago, rumors began circulating that Britney Spears and longtime boyfriend Jason Trawick were going to tie the knot. And on Friday (December 16), sources close to the pair and a mysterious tweet from the star herself confirmed that the couple is engaged.

Trawick had already been working with the star as her agent at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment when they began dating in 2009. They went public with their romance when they showed up hand-in-hand to the 2010 Grammy Awards. That May, the two decided to separate their business and personal relationships, and it was confirmed that Trawick would no longer be representing Spears.

The pair have always been pretty low-key. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest this March, the pop star opened up about their life together. "We're really normal," she said. "We just like to watch movies; we work out a lot; we take walks." In May, Spears told Harper's Bazaar, "I've thought about both [marriage and kids]," saying that tying the knot with Trawick could happen "if the timing was right."

And in an interview with Us Weekly in April, Spears gushed about life with Trawick. "We have such a great time together! He makes me laugh, and we are so comfortable being ourselves," she said. "Maybe [I'll marry again]. Never say never!"

In August, Spears and Trawick walked the red carpet at the 2011 MTV VMAs, and Britney later thanked Trawick when she took the stage to accept her Moonman for Best Pop Video for "Till the World Ends."

While the two have remained relatively private, they gave fans a peek at their personal life when they played the lead roles in Britney's "Criminal" video. The video focuses on a fictional love affair between their characters, who go on a crime spree that leads to a steamy encounter. Director Chris Marrs Piliero said Trawick "killed it."

This will be Britney's third marriage. She was married to Jason Alexander for 55 hours in 2004. Later that year, she married back-up dancer Kevin Federline; the two divorced in 2006. Federline and Spears have two sons, Jayden James and Sean Preston.

A rep for the singer has yet to confirm the news of this latest engagement to MTV News.

Send your well-wishes to Britney and Jason in the comments.

Related Artists

• Britney Spears

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676167/britney-spears-jason-trawick-engaged-timeline.jhtml

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'Batman' star Bale tries to visit China activist (AP)

BEIJING ? "Batman" star Christian Bale, in the midst of promoting a film he made in China that some critics have called propaganda, was stopped trying to visit a blind activist living under house arrest ? with a CNN crew in tow.

CNN posted footage of a scuffle between Bale and the activist's guards on its website Friday.

The run-in and publicity is likely to cause discomfort in China's government-backed film industry, which hopes Bale's movie "The Flowers of War" will be a creative success at home and abroad. It also raises questions about whether it was prudent to bring the star to see an activist guarded by thugs who have turned away dozens of reporters and fellow activists trying to see him in the past.

Bale was due to leave China on Friday and his representatives could not immediately be reached for comment. A CNN spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about the story, but said a statement would be forthcoming.

Bale, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for last year's "The Fighter," traveled Thursday with a crew from CNN to the village in eastern China where blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng lives with his family in complete isolation.

They were stopped at the entrance to Dongshigu village in Shandong province by unidentified men.

The footage shows Bale asking to see Chen, with a CNN producer providing interpretation, but being ordered by one of the guards to leave. He then asked why he was unable to pass through. The guards responded by trying to grab or punch a small video camera Bale was carrying.

"What I really wanted to do was to meet the man, shake his hand and say what an inspiration he is," Bale was quoted as saying by CNN.

Journalists and scores of Chinese human rights activists have sought to visit Chen in the past, all unsuccessfully. Chen's case has also been raised publicly by U.S. congressmen and diplomats, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, all to no response from China.

CNN said Bale first learned of Chen from news reports when he was in China filming "The Flowers of War," China's official submission for best foreign language film Oscar. It said he "reached out to CNN and invited us to join him on his journey to visit Chen."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_en_mo/as_china_christian_bale

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"Twilight" movie wins slow box office weekend (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? The newest "Twilight" vampire movie ruled the domestic box office for a third time with $16.9 million in ticket sales over one of the slowest movie-going weekends of the year, studio estimates released on Sunday showed.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1" from independent studio Summit Entertainment beat a pack of family films at U.S. and Canadian theaters. The fourth and second-to-last film in one of Hollywood's most lucrative franchises added $40.2 million at international locations.

After three weekends in theaters, "Breaking Dawn" has soaked up $588.3 million in global ticket sales.

The "Twilight" movies are based on best-selling novels by Stephenie Meyer about a human-vampire-werewolf love triangle.

The third domestic win in a row for "Breaking Dawn" came during the post-Thanksgiving weekend, typically one of the bleakest of the year at movie theaters following big releases a week earlier.

This year, total U.S. and Canadian ticket sales rang up at an estimated $82 million for the weekend, making it the year's second slowest, according to Hollywood.com Box Office. Overall sales only slightly edged the $81.5 million take from the September 9 weekend that followed Labor Day.

With no new films released nationwide, sales also slumped 4.8 percent below the same weekend last year.

After "Breaking Dawn," the rest of the weekend's top five belonged to family fare.

Disney's "The Muppets" starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams alongside Kermit, Miss Piggy and their puppet friends, rang up $11.2 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters. The movie represents a comeback for the Muppet characters, last seen in movie theaters in 1999. Worldwide sales for the new film have reached $60.1 million through Sunday.

"Hugo," a 3D family movie about an orphaned boy who lives in a 1930s Paris train station, moved up to third place from its fifth place finish last weekend after expanding to more theaters. The film pulled in $7.6 million domestically, bringing its total after two weekends to $25.2 million.

Animated 3D movie "Arthur Christmas," which explains how Santa delivers presents around the world in one night, pulled in $7.4 million domestically to finish in fourth place. To date, the movie has brought in $70.6 million worldwide.

In fifth place, dancing penguin sequel "Happy Feet Two" earned $6.0 million at domestic theaters. Total global sales reached $85.8 million after three weekends of release.

Walt Disney Co released "The Muppets." Privately held Summit Entertainment released "Breaking Dawn - Part 1." "Arthur Christmas" was distributed by Sony, and Hugo was released by Paramount, a unit of Viacom Inc.. Time Warner unit Warner Bros. distributed "Happy Feet Two."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Sandra Maler)

(Corrects spelling of Meyer's first name to Stephenie from Stephanie in 3rd paragraph)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111204/en_nm/us_boxoffice

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APNewsBreak: Possible scam victim died months ago (AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? An Ohio coroner says a man suspected of being the third fatal victim of a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme died in August, weeks before the suspected killings of two other victims.

The body of Ralph Geiger was discovered Nov. 25 in Noble County in rural southeastern Ohio during an investigation into two other deaths and the wounding of a fourth man.

Noble County Coroner Alan Spencer lists Geiger's date of death as around Aug. 9, according to a copy of Geiger's death certificate obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Authorities believe the other victims were killed in October and November.

Police have identified as suspects a 16-year-old high school student and a 52-year-old self-styled preacher.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_re_us/us_craigslist_jobseekers_killed

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Nikki Reed Reveals Her Favorite Holiday Memory!

From their favorite holiday recipes to stories about Santa, stars share their holiday memories and traditions exclusively with iVillage!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrities-talk-about-holidays/1-b-390052?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrities-talk-about-holidays-390052

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Somber Boeheim apologizes after Orange edge Gators (AP)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. ? Florida's Billy Donovan hasn't won two national championships and been to three Final Fours without knowing a little about the coaching fraternity. So, he certainly can sense when a member of that group is hurting.

Friday night was one of those times.

"I've known him since I was playing," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "And I feel bad for everybody involved up here. I just told him I'm thinking about him. I'm sure it's taken a lot out of him."

It certainly appears to.

On this night, Donovan was referring to his opposition, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, the embattled 67-year-old Hall of Fame coach who appeared like his normal stoic self on the sideline of the No. 4 Orange's 72-68 win over the No. 10 Gators at the Carrier Dome.

But in the postgame press conference, as the focus turned toward an intense federal investigation into his program, it was a different story.

Boeheim, suddenly, was visibly emotional and full of regret.

"I believe I misspoke very badly in my response to the allegations that have been made," a humbled Boeheim said. "I shouldn't have questioned what the accusers expressed or their motives. I am really sorry that I did that and I regret any harm that I caused.

"It was insensitive to the individuals involved and especially to the overall issue of child abuse."

The coach returned to the subject of his fired former assistant coach, Bernie Fine, apologizing for his initial remarks involving the men who accused Fine of molestating them as minors. Two of the three men were former Syracuse ballboys. Fine has maintained his innocence.

Boeheim said it was important that he get involved in terms of raising awareness and promised he would.

"I'm going to do everything I can to do that, whether I'm coaching or not coaching," he said.

Some sex abuse victims' advocates said Boeheim should resign or be fired for his initial disparaging comments about the accusers. Boeheim said he was acting "out of loyalty."

"I acted without thinking. I couldn't believe what I was hearing," he said.

As he did at Tuesday's home win over Eastern Michigan, Boeheim received a warm ovation when he was introduced to a crowd of 24,459. It was the largest on-campus attendance in the nation so far this season, and it included former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony and former Orange assistant Rob Murphy, in his first year at EMU, in front-row seats.

Throughout this process, it's been clear that Boeheim has the support of his players, a unit that is now 8-0.

"Coach Boeheim is our father," Scoop Jardine said. "He's a big part of this team, a big part of this community. He's taught me a lot the five years I've been here. We play hard for him. We play hard for ourselves.

"It's our season and we want to protect it."

So far, so good.

Syracuse breezed to its first seven wins with an average margin of victory of 26 points, but the Gators (5-2), whose only previous loss was by seven at No. 2 Ohio State, figured to provide a stiff challenge and they did in a game that seemed like a midseason encounter in the Big East.

One again, the game was secondary.

"It's been crazy," said Matt Roe, a Syracuse star from the late 1980s who does color on radio broadcasts. "Nonstop for 14 days. What am I going to say? I don't know anything. (Boeheim) is a good man."

He certainly seemed to have the support of the crowd, as well, especially fans in the jammed student section, where one sign said, "In Boeheim We Trust" and another, "In Jim We Trust."

As for the game, Brandon Triche had 20 points and Jardine finished with 16 and seven assists for the Orange. Kenny Boynton led Florida with 22 points and Erving Walker had 17.

Neither team led by more than six points in a first half that was tied six times.

Florida, which entered the game shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and was averaging 12 3-pointers a game, went 3 of 14 from long range in the period ? all by Erving Walker ? while the Orange struggled even more, hitting just 1 of 10.

Syracuse still managed to forge ahead at the break, 31-27, behind seven points each from Kris Joseph, Fab Melo and Triche.

After the Orange built a 39-30 lead early in the second, Boynton led the Gators back with three 3s, the last putting Florida back on top 49-46 with 9:19 to go. Triche tied it for the fourth time in the period 11 seconds later with his first 3 of the game.

Jardine fed Joseph for a one-handed slam to break the tie and Jardine's steal and layup had the Orange up 54-49 with 6:20 to go and the crowd shaking the Carrier Dome.

The roar reached another crescendo when Jardine hit a runner in the lane as the shot clock neared zero, Joseph fed C.J. Fair for a baseline jumper, and Jardine hit a 3 from the left wing in a span of 2:19.

That gave Syracuse a 61-53 lead with 3:52 left and the Gators couldn't rally back.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_florida_syracuse_folo

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