PILOT IN CRASH SAID PLANE HAD NO FUEL
medellin, colombia» The pilot of the chartered plane carrying a Brazilian soccer team told air traffic controllers he had run out of fuel and pleaded for permission to land before crashing into the Andes, according to a recording of the final minutes of the doomed flight. In the exchange with the air traffic tower, the pilot of the British-built jet could be heard repeatedly requesting authorization to land because of “fuel problems.” A female controller explained another plane had been diverted with mechanical problems and had priority, instructing the pilot to wait seven minutes.
Russian, Iranian weapons ending up in Yemen.
Weapon shipments intercepted in the Arabian sea by Australian, French and U.S. warships this year contained large quantities of Russian and Iranian weapons, some of which had markings similar to munitions recovered from Houthi fighters in Yemen, according to a new report released by an independent research group.
In October, U.S. officials claimed to have captured five shipments of Iranian weapons bound for Yemen. The report, published by Conflict Armament Research, draws on markings found on rifles, rocket launchers, anti-tank guided missiles and munitions, providing some of the more concrete evidence to date of Iran’s logistical support to Houthis fighting in Yemen’s nearly 2-year-old civil war.
Jurors deliberating in Slager murder trial
B charleston, s.c.» A jury of 11 whites and one black man began deliberations Wednesday in the murder trial of Michael Slager, a fired white police officer who was videotaped killing a black motorist after a traffic stop. Slager was charged with murder, but the judge said Wednesday that the jury could also consider manslaughter in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott, who died after five of the eight bullets Slager fired hit him in the back as he tried to run away.
Prosecutor clears officer in man’s death B
charlotte, n.c.» A prosecutor on Wednesday cleared
Relatives of Chapecoense soccer players who died in a plane crash in Colombia mourn during a memorial inside Arena Condado stadium in Chapeco, Brazil, on Wednesday. Andre Penner, The Associated Press a police officer in the killing of a black man whose death touched off civil unrest, and he presented detailed evidence to rebut assertions that the slain man was unarmed. Officer Brentley Vinson was justified in opening fire on Keith Scott and won’t face charges, District Attorney Andrew Murray said.
Norwegian wins World Chess Championship
B new york» Magnus Carlsen won his third title, defeating Russian challenger Sergey Karjakin after three weeks of grueling play in the World Chess Championship. The grandmasters started Wednesday’s battle with a 6-6 tie after 12 games. They will share a prize of $1.1 million, the winner getting 60 percent.
Victoria’s Secret rocks Paris with $3 million bra
B paris» At the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, a $3 million bra was considered the piéce de rèsistance of the brand’s runway display. The bra was designed by Eddie Borgo and hand-crafted over 700 hours with about 9,000 gems from jeweler AWMouzannar.
Yellowstone braces for more crowds after two years of records B
cody, wyo.» Yellowstone National Park had a record 4,097,711 visitors in 2015 and topped that number by October this year, when the number reached 4,221,782. Attendance might have been higher this year but Yellowstone’s southern entrance was closed in August because of wildfires.
Police threaten drunken drivers with Nickelback
B kensington, prince edward island» A police department in Canada is threatening to impose “the Nickelback treatment” on anyone who drinks and drives. Kensington police shared a social media post during the weekend promising to force any drunk drivers it arrests to listen to the Canadian band while in the back seat of a cruiser.
NBC boss, “Mary Tyler Moore Show” producer Tinker dies B
los angeles» Grant Tinker, who brought new polish to the TV world and beloved shows including “Hill Street Blues” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to the audience as a producer and a network boss, has died. He was 90. Although he had three tours of duty with NBC, the last as its chairman, Tinker was perhaps best-known as the nurturing hand at MTM Enterprises, the production company he ran for a decade.
“Hawaii Five-O” actor Woolford dies B
honolulu» “Hawaii Five-O” actor Keo Woolford has died three days after suffering a stroke. He was 49. Woolford played detective James Chang in CBS’s reboot of “Hawaii Five-O.”
Venezuelan currency to get bigger bills. After
years of soaring prices reduced the value of the largest 100-bolivar bill to just a few U.S. cents, Venezuelan authorities are preparing to issue larger-denomination bank notes. The notes — 500 and 5,000 bolivars — will be released toward the middle of next month, and additional bills of 1,000, 2,000, 10,000 and 20,000 bolivars also will enter circulation.