Violent clashes mar the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong

HONG KONG — For two months, the sprawling tent-studded demo site outside the main government offices in Hong Kong had been calm, cheerful and jam-packed with impromptu art. That changed dramatically late on Sunday and in the early hours of Monday, when protesters and police clashed in the most violent incidents that the “umbrella movement” has seen since it started in late September.

Dozens of people were arrested, and dozens more injured in the clashes, which began late Sunday after student leaders urged demonstrators to block the city's main government offices in an attempt to press for concessions in their demands for more democracy. Read more...

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ZTE launches the Grand S II in India for Rs. 13,999 ($225)

ZTE has launched the Grand S II in India. The phone will be sold exclusively through Amazon India and is priced at just Rs. 13,999 ($225). The Grand S II has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB memory with microSD support, 13 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front camera, and 3100mAh battery. The only drawback is that the Grand S II runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and ZTE will not be updating to the phone to KitKat, leave alone Lollipop or any future...

Girl Scouts to start selling cookies via the Internet, app and tablets

Samoas and Thin Mints could be coming to your inbox soonGirl Scouts of America announced Digital Cookie on Monday, a new digital platform that allows Girl Scouts to sell cookies through the Internet

It's a move to get girls interested in computers at a young age. Girl Scouts has always touted the cookie program as a way to lay the groundwork for good business and negotiation skills, and the digital program is modernizing those skills

Digital Cookie will not be an online store for cookies, howeverAs a precaution, Girl Scouts will initiate all sales. So you won't be able to order cookies online unless you're directly contacted by a Girl Scout. This does not change typical cookie season timelines, either Read more...

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Everyone is commiserating on Twitter after 'The Walking Dead' midseason finale

WARNING: This story contains spoilers from The Walking Dead's midseason finale. Do not read if you have not watched.

We knew something horrible was going to happen in Sunday night's midseason finale of The Walking Dead. We'd, frankly, be a little disappointed if everything turned a-ok for everyone. (Boring.)

But even with these expectations for terrible events, we weren't quite ready for what transpired.

To recap: This was the episode where the gang was going break Beth and Carol out of Dawn's supermax hospital. And per Tyreese's plan, they staged an exchange — two of Dawn's officers for Beth and Carol Read more...

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Giant sunspot may cause massive solar storms

The largest sunspot to appear on Earth's nearest star in more than two decades is once again pointed at the planet, and it will likely kick-start solar storms, NASA scientists say.

The massive sunspot, previously known as Active Region 12192, was turned toward Earth in October and early November, but rotated out of view. While it was on the Earth-facing side of the sun, the sunspot did not produce any coronal mass ejections — hot bursts of material ejected into space at 4 million mph (6.4 million kilometers/hour) — which have the potential to damage satellites and power grids. Now the active region has rotated back around to face Earth again, and although the sunspot has shrunk in size, it will likely be disruptive, NASA scientist Holly Gilbert told Space.com during a video interview about the massive sunspot Read more...

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Vox takes $46.5 million in funding as media investments stay hot

Vox Media has closed a funding round of $46.5 million, putting it among other digital media companies, including BuzzFeed and Vice, that have attracted major recent investments at sizable valuations

The Series E round values the company at $380 million, according to the New York Times . The investment came from only one firm: General Atlantic. Since the company's first major funding round in 2009, it has raised about $107 million

Content companies have not traditionally attracted much in the way of venture capital. VC firms tend to hunt for companies that have the potential to return investments many times over. Content companies, even very successful ones, don't usually yield the kinds of enormous investment returns software companies, for example, have delivered in recent years Read more...

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Amazon's secret to getting through the holidays: Seniors doing manual labor

Those holiday gifts you’re expecting this year will come from Santa’s workshop, if you still believe in that kind of thing. More than likely, though, you realize they’re shipping out from Amazon

But what you may not know is there’s a dead ringer for Mrs. Claus packing the boxes.

Amazon, which recently fell behind Alibaba to become the world’s second-largest e-commerce company, is in the throes of its annual temporary seasonal worker program that includes a few thousand graying retirees in its giant warehouse facilities around the U.S

The employees live full-time in recreational vehicles, following mostly low-paying, strenuous jobs around the country instead of enjoying those golden years on the golf course. Read more...

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Purported specs of HTC's upcoming M9 flagship emerge

Alleged specs of HTC's next flagship smartphone made the rounds on Chinese social media. The high-end handset will likely debut in the first quarter of next year with the model number M9. HTC One (M9) is tipped to pack Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset and 3GB of RAM. The display of the device is a 5.5" QHD unit. A 16MP camera with optical image stabilization, 3,500mAh battery, and stereo speakers with Bose tech round up the leaked specs. The specs you see above appear legitimate for a flagship smartphone, though we advise you to take a pinch of salt when you read through them. Quite frankly, we will be surprised if the Taiwanese manufacturer's next flagship doesn't ship with 64-bit Snapdragon 810 silicon. A "Prime" version of the upcoming device is also mentioned in the rumor. However, there are no details about it beyond its name. Source (in Chinese) |...

Hong Kong protests escalate as police use pepper spray, water hoses

Pro-democracy protesters clashed with police early Monday as they tried to surround Hong Kong government headquarters, stepping up their movement for genuine democratic reforms after camping out on the city's streets for more than two months.

Repeating scenes that have become familiar since the movement began in late September, protesters carrying umbrellas — which have become symbols of the pro-democracy movement — battled police armed with pepper spray, batons and riot shields as they attempted to clear the roads around the government buildings.

Police push back protesters at Admiralty after students reignite Occupy Central. Live stream: https://t.co/jRttvY5hzC http://ift.tt/1yqS7UV

— Deborah Kan (@debkhk) December 1, 2014 Read more...

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Sony Pictures investigating North Korean links to recent hack, report says

Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly investigating whether the recent hack that downed the company's computer system is linked to North Korea.

The thinking is that the hack may be in response to Sony's upcoming film, The Interview, which is premised on a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Re/code reports.

Citing Sony and "outside security consultants," the report suggests the hackers may be based in China and carried out the attack as retaliation for the movie.

The comedy, which is set to be released on Christmas Day, stars Seth Rogen and James Franco who play entertainment journalists recruited by the CIA to kill Kim after it comes out the two men are planning an interview with the North Korean leader Read more...

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Missing Ohio State football player found dead of an apparent suicide

A missing Ohio State football player was found dead Sunday, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Police tell media outlets the body of 22-year-old Kosta Karageorge was found near the campus after a search since he went missing Wednesday. The senior defensive tackle from Columbus had last been seen at his apartment in Columbus, when his roommates said he left to go on a walk.

Karageorge's parents filed a missing-person report Wednesday evening, and his mother, Susan Karageorge, told police he has had several concussions and a few spells of being extremely confused, according to the report. She said that at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday he texted a message that cited the concussions and said, "I am sorry if I am an embarrassment." Read more...

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10 times science ruled in 2014

There's no denying it: Science is cool, and 2014 was no exception

This year, we discovered that one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, was shooting geysers out of cracks in its surface. We also found a way to make a teeny, tiny radio that requires no battery. The human race is pushing forward into the final frontier — and also the tiniest frontier

Although 2014 was also the year Kim Kardashian's butt broke the internet, let's take some time to remember the actual cool stuff people do. Read more...

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St. Louis Rams players put hands up during game in apparent nod to Ferguson

Five players for the St. Louis Rams came out for pre-game introductions on Sunday with their hands raised to the sky, presumably as a gesture of solidarity with protesters in Ferguson, Missouri

Rams tight end Jared Cook and receivers Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens and Tavon Austin entered the Edward Jones Dome arena Sunday afternoon with their hands raised. Protesters in Ferguson and cities across the United States frequently chant, "Hands up, don’t shoot" during demonstrations, which have been ongoing since last week when a Missouri grand jury did not indict former police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown in August Read more...

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