LeBron James Breaks Royal Protocol By Putting Arm Around Kate Middleton

 When King James touched the future queen of England on the shoulder after a basketball game, royal watchers cried foul.

LeBron James, whose nickname is "King James," met Prince William and his wife Kate at an NBA game between Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets in New York on Monday. The three posed for a photograph and James put his right hand on the Duchess of Cambridge's right shoulder.

According to protocol in Britain, a commoner is not supposed to touch members of the royal family — even if it is an innocent gesture.

 Photos of the meeting appeared throughout the British media, with many outlets highlighting the breach and pointing out James' sweaty post-game shirt.

"He may be known as 'King James' stateside but LeBron James raised more than a few eyebrows when he got up close with Kate, still dressed in a soggy sweater," the Daily Mirror wrote.

Kate, who is five months pregnant with the couple's second child, stood between James and her husband and smiled for the cameras, but the Independent newspaper said she appeared "somewhat awkward as photographers snapped away merrily."

The official website of the British Monarchy says "there are no obligatory codes of behavior" for meeting a member of the royal family, "but many people wish to observe the traditional forms."

"For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy," the website says.

In 2009, the British media criticized another American breach of the "no-touch" rule when Michelle Obama put her arm on Queen Elizabeth II's back at Buckingham Palace.

William, who is the grandson of the queen and second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, was on a three-day visit to the United States with Kate.

During the meeting with James, the American player presented the royals with two Cleveland jerseys. One was yellow and had the name "Cambridge" on the back with the No. 7 under it, and the other was red and much smaller with "George" printed over the No. 1 for their 1-year-old son, Prince George

Malala, Satyarthi receive their Nobel Prizes for child campaigns

Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, shot by the Taliban for refusing to quit school, and Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi received their Nobel Peace Prizes on Wednesday after two days of celebration honoring their work for children's rights.

Malala became by far the youngest laureate, widely praised for her global campaigning since she was shot in the head on her school bus in 2012. Some groups in Pakistan, however, have accused her of being a puppet of the West and violating the tenets of conservative Islam.

"I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not," said Malala, 17, better known by her first name, which is also the title of her book and the name of her foundation.

"It is the story of many girls," she said in Oslo's ornate city hall on the anniversary of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's death.

Although the focus was undoubtedly on Oslo on Wednesday, Nobel Prize winners in literature, chemistry, physics, medicine and economics were gathering in Stockholm, due to receive their prizes from the King of Sweden later in the day.

Satyarthi, who is credited with saving around 80,000 children from slave labor sometimes in violent confrontations, kept a modest profile in Oslo and even conceded to being overshadowed by Malala surrounded by admirers.

"I've lost two of my colleagues," Satyarthi said about his work. "Carrying the dead body of a colleague who is fighting for the protection of children is something I'll never forget, even as I sit here to receive the Nobel Peace Prize."

Arriving in Norway with friends and young activists from Pakistan, Syria and Nigeria, Malala met thousands of children, walked the streets to greet supporters and will open an exhibit where her blood stained dress, worn when her school bus was attacked, was put on display.

"She's very brave and tough, fighting even after the Taliban shot her in the head," said Andrea, 12, who was among thousands of children hoping to greet Malala in downtown Oslo.

The award could also help the Norwegian Nobel Committee repair its reputation, damaged by controversial awards in recent years to the European Union and U.S. President Barack Obama.

"I am pretty certain that I am also the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who still fights with her younger brothers," Malala said. "I want there to be peace everywhere, but my brothers and I are still working on that."

Warren Buffett tops most generous philanthropist ranking

Go big or go home seems to be Warren Buffett's mantra when it comes to philanthropy.

The Berkshire Hathaway CEO and legendary investor made the single biggest charitable donation this year, giving $2.1 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the form of 16.6 million shares of his company, according to Wealth-X's ranking of the 10 largest philanthropic donations of 2014 published on Wednesday.

On Monday, 84-year-old Buffett surpassed Mexican business mogul Carlos Slim to become the world's second richest person as shares of Berkshire Hathaway rallied to an all-time high. Forbes said its real-time ranking of the world's billionaires now estimates Buffett's wealth at $74.4 billion, about $1.5 billion more than Slim's $72.9 billion. Slim is now in third place.

Founder and CEO of GoPro Nicholas Woodman's $497.5 million donation to Silicon Valley Community Foundation ranked second. The Foundation connects corporate and individual donors with Bay Area nonprofits, with a focus on areas such as education, affordable housing and immigrant integration.

HK billionaire brothers set record

Eight of the top 10 donations of 2014 were made by American philanthropists. Hong Kong property tycoons Ronnie and Gerald Chan are the only non-Americans to feature on the list.

The Chan brothers each donated $175 million to Harvard University's School of Public Health, ranking them in third and fourth place. The combined $350 million gift was the largest donation in the University's 378-year history. 

In a rare move for the university, the school was renamed to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. There is only one other school within the university that is named after an individual in modern times, according to the Associate Press: Harvard Kennedy School, named for John F. Kennedy.

Harvard also received a $150 million donation from hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin to support financial aid in what was the fifth largest charitable donation this year.

Universities win big time

The remainder of top 10 donations were also made to education institutions.

Oregon Health & Science University received a $100 million gift from Gert Boyle, chairman of the board for Columbia Sportswear, the outdoor apparel and equipment manufacturer.

University of Wisconsin-Madison was gifted a $100 million donation from American businessman John Morgridge, former chairman of the board of Cisco Systems.

University of Notre Dame received the largest single donation in the school's history from private equity investor John "Jay" Jordan, who donated $75 million this year.

Advertising executive turned investor Edward Meyer gave a $75 million gift to Weill Cornell Medical College. The donation will expand the medical college's cancer care and research programs.

Charles Munger, the vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway known as Warren Buffett's right-hand man, was also very much in the spirit of giving, donating $65 million to University of California Santa Barbara to support the growth of its theoretical physics department.

Culled from CNBC.

Russian jets fly near Western airspace

Russia unexpectedly flew military aircraft into the Baltic Sea region on both Saturday and Sunday, in an action closely monitored by U.S. and NATO intelligence, West wants a regime change

About a dozen Russian aircraft including bombers, and refueling aircraft flew off Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea on Saturday. NATO aircraft as well as aircraft from Sweden and Finland monitored the Russian flights, the official said.

Then on Sunday, the Russians again flew about a dozen aircraft including bombers and transport planes on the same route. The U.S. official noted there have been similar large flights in the past, but it's not been seen in this manner over a two day period. The U.S. and NATO are still assessing what message Moscow may be trying to send, but overall "it's a Putin show of force," the US official said.utin takes aim at West in defiant speech

"This was a large incursion," said Col. Steven Warren, Pentagon spokesman. The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace but did enter an aircraft identification zone at one point.

On Saturday, prior to the second round of flights, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby issued a statement saying, the Saturday flights were "significant." Kirby said the Saturday flight was larger than what they've seen before but not considered threatening. "The overflight is doing nothing to ease tensions. But while it is bigger than what we've seen, it is not raising alarm bells in NATO," Kirby said.

Culled from CNN.

Vancouver-born actress Stephanie Moseley dead in murder-suicide

Stephanie Moseley, a Vancouver-born dancer and aspiring actress best known for starring in the drama series Hit the Floor, died Monday in what police believe was a murder-suicide.

Police in Los Angeles received calls at around 7:30 a.m. about shots fired and a woman screaming inside an apartment complex in the Fairfax neighbourhood.

Officers responded but were prevented from entering the unit. Shortly after, officers heard gunshots and stormed the apartment, where they found the bodies of a man and woman.

The deceased were identified as Moseley, 30, and her husband Earl Hayes, 34. Investigators believe Hayes shot Moseley and then turned the gun on himself.

Autopsy results are expected on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

According to TMZ, boxer Floyd Mayweather was on FaceTime with Hayes at the time of the shootings. The website reported that Hayes was in a rage because he believed Moseley had been unfaithful with singer Trey Songz.

Moseley played Devil Girl on Hit the Floor, a drama series about NBA cheerleaders that airs on U.S. cable network VH1.

“VH1 and the entire Hit the Floorfamily send our thoughts and condolences to her family and friends in this difficult time,” read a statement from the network.

Hit the Floor star Dean Cain said on Twitter he was “stunned and saddened” by Moseley’s death. “A life gone way too soon,” he wrote.

Moseley studied dance at the Pacific DanceArts in Vancouver, Kirkwood Academy of Performing Arts in Nanaimo, and Danzmode Productions in Burnaby.

“All of us at Danzmode Productions send our sincerest and most heartfelt condolences to her family and friends,” read an Instagram post.

Moseley did stunt work on the 2004 Vancouver-shot Halle Berry film Catwoman and played a cheerleader on the short-lived made-in-Vancouver series Hellcats.

Although Moseley’s bio says she moved to Los Angeles in 2004, she mostly worked in her native country.

She appeared as a dancer on episodes of Canadian-made series Cold Case andPsych as well as the 2011 B.C.-filmed movie The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and the 2012 made-in-Montreal feature Mirror, Mirror.

Moseley was active on Twitter and Instagram. Her last tweet, on Dec. 6, read simply: “Flower girl.”

Earlier messages included “I’m so grateful for simple things” and “Always be kind.”

A memorial fund for Moseley’s family, who live on Vancouver’s Lower Mainland, has been set up online.

Crude oil rebounds above $71 in turbulent oil market

Brent rose to $71 a barrel on Wednesday, recovering some of its losses from the previous session as a turbulent market searched for a price floor after a nearly 40 percent fall since June.
Oil has seen choppy trade since the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said last week it would not lower output despite an oversupplied market.
Brent hit a five-year low below $68 a barrel on Monday after averaging around $110 a barrel for the last three years.
"The market's volatility is a result of people working out what's going to happen next," said Jonathan Barratt, chief investment officer at Ayers Alliance Securities.
"Prices should find a volatile low at these levels," he added, arguing oil producers hurt by a drop in revenues may still trim output despite OPEC's formal decision.
Brent for delivery in January LCOc1 rose 62 cents to $71.16 a barrel by 0839 GMT (03:39 a.m. EST) after falling $2 on Tuesday. It was slightly off a day high of $71.46.
U.S. crude for January delivery CLc1 was at $67.54 a barrel, off the day's high of $67.97, but up 66 cents from the previous session when prices dropped more than $2.
OPEC's oil supply fell by 340,000 barrels per day (bpd) in November as a recovery in Libya faltered, a Reuters survey found, although a lack of deliberate cutbacks by Saudi Arabia and other key members underlines their focus on defending market share.
The Kingdom would only consider cutting production if other countries, including non-OPEC producer Russia, also took part in cuts, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki bin Faisal said on Tuesday.
Chart analysts, however, warned that the months-long rout may not be over and U.S. crude could plunge toward $50 per barrel if a handful of tenuous support levels give way after a period of consolidation.
American Petroleum Institute data showing a bigger-than-expected fall in crude stocks in the United States last week provided some support U.S. crude.
The API said crude inventories fell by 6.5 million barrels in the week to Nov. 28 to 373 million, according to API, versus analyst expectations for an increase of 1.3 million barrels. Stocks at the U.S. crude contract's delivery hub of Cushing, Oklahoma, fell 610,000 barrels. [API/S]
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration is due on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. EST.

Woman sues Bill Cosby for alleged sexual assault in 1974, when she was 15

Yet another woman has come forward accusing comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault.

Judy Huth filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress during an incident at the Playboy Mansion, according to the documents posted by Radar Online.

The alleged sexual assault took place in 1974 when Huth was 15 years old.

According to court documents, Huth and a 16-year-old friend met Cosby when he was filming a movie at Lacy Park in Los Angeles.

After talking with the girls, the suit alleges, Cosby invited them to his tennis club the following Saturday, "where he served them alcoholic beverages and played games of billiards."

They then went to the Playboy Mansion where, the lawsuit says, Cosby asked Huth to sit on a bed beside him, after she came out of a bathroom.

"He then proceeded to sexually molest her by attempting to put his hand down her pants, and then taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without her consent."

CNN reached out to Cosby's lawyer Martin D. Singer but was not immediately able to get a response. His camp has repeatedly and vigorously denied previous allegations.

CNN also tried to contact Huth and her attorneys but has not heard back from them.

'Horrible, horrendous allegations'

The suit goes on to call Cosby's alleged actions "malicious, oppressive and fraudulent in nature."

"This traumatic incident, at such a tender age, has caused psychological damage and mental anguish for (Huth) that has caused her significant problems throughout her life since the incident."

The case describes the damage as "substantial and continuing."

Huth is asking for damages and legal fees.

Because four decades have passed since the alleged crime, It wasn't immediately clear if the case falls within the statute of limitations in California for child sex abuse.

It's because of that lag in time that defense attorney Joey Jackson says he thinks Cosby's legal team will ask for the lawsuit to be dismissed.

"It's highly problematic, and it's likely the lawsuit will not stand," he said.

With the allegations mounting, CNN political contributor Van Jones said, now is the time for Cosby to speak up.

"At some point, his silence becomes almost kind of an admission," he said. "These are horrible, horrendous allegations."

Cosby has not commented on the allegations, leaving that to his lawyer.

In a recent statement, Singer said it defies common sense that "so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years."

By CNN's count, at least 17 women have gone public with accusations.

"He owes this country. He owes his fans. He owes the women some kind of statement," said Jones, who is also an attorney. "I think this level of silence for this long is unfair to everybody."

Another allegation

The lawsuit dropped on the same day The Daily Beast published a story in which a man named Tony Hogue alleges he rescued a female friend from Cosby's New York brownstone in 1984.

The article describes Hogue beating on the comedian's front door after receiving a frantic phone call from the woman, who said, "Tony, you've got to come get me."

After Cosby answered the door, the story says, Hogue found his friend on the second floor of the home.

"She looked drugged and in a fog, and she couldn't snap out of it," he said. "She was a mess."

The Daily Beast reports this same woman was a witness in a sex assault lawsuit against Cosby, filed in 2005.

That case was settled before going to trial.

But Cosby does have his supporters.

Comedian Whoopi Goldberg said on November 17 that she was skeptical of the rape claims against him by one of the accusers.

"I have a lot of questions for the lady," Goldberg said on "The View."

Her support may have prompted Tuesday's cryptic tweet from Cosby's Twitter account: "Thank you @WhoopiGoldberg."

Culled from CNN.