Fort Carson, Colorado - A weeping Army sergeant on Thursday apologized to the family of a female soldier he admitted killing, after a military panel convicted him of unpremeditated murder and sentenced him to life in prison.

Sgt. Vincinte Jackson said he doesn't know why he killed Spc. Brandy Fonteneaux, 28, of Houston. She was found dead Jan. 8 in her barracks room, stabbed 74 times. A military panel sentenced Jackson to life in prison with the possibility of parole, though prosecutors couldn't immediately say how many years he would serve before becoming eligible.

"I will be forever haunted by what happened," Jackson said. " ... It's only fair that I continue to have nightmares about what I've done."

His testimony came at the end of an emotional sentencing hearing that included statements from the families of Jackson and Fonteneaux.

The same panel of eight soldiers who convicted Jackson decided his sentence. The potential sentence for unpremeditated murder ranged from no punishment to life in prison without parole.

The panel -- the equivalent of a jury in a civilian trial -- convicted Jackson earlier Thursday after 2 1/2 hours of deliberations. It acquitted Jackson of premeditated murder, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors asked for life without parole, while Jackson's defense attorneys asked for 28 years.

A Texas man rang the police to tell them he had carved a pentagram into his six-year-old son's back because it was "a holy day".

Richland Hills police said Brent Troy Bartel faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and has been jailed in lieu of a $500,000 (£309,400) bond.

In the 911 call released by police, Bartel calmly provides the dispatcher with his home address before telling her: "I shed some innocent blood."

When asked why he did it, Bartel replies: "Because it's a holy day."

The incident took place on December 12, 2012 - or 12/12/12 - considered an auspicious date in many communities around the world.

Caracas, Venezuela - President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela experienced complications related to his cancer surgery, resulting in bleeding that required "corrective measures," but he was showing signs of recovery, an official said Thursday.

The surgery, which lasted more than six hours, was done in Havana on Tuesday. Ernesto Villegas, Mr. Chávez's information minister, did not say when doctors detected the bleeding or got it under control. But he said that Mr. Chávez was recuperating in a way that he described as "progressive and favorable."

Given how little information the government has released on Mr. Chávez's health throughout the course of his illness, the recent change in its tone suggests that his condition is extremely serious and that there are doubts about how fully he may recover.

On Wednesday, Mr. Villegas had warned the country that Mr. Chávez, 58, might not be able to return to Venezuela by Jan. 10, when he is scheduled to be sworn in for a new six-year term. In that case, Mr. Villegas wrote in a note posted Wednesday on the Information Ministry's Web site, "the people should be prepared to understand. It would be irresponsible to hide the delicacy of the present moment and the days to come."

Nasa appears so confident about their prediction that he world will not come to an end that they have released the video early


Nasa has released a video ahead of schedule tackling the 'myths' surrounding the belief the world will end on December 21st.

The video, which was clearly intended for release the day after the 21st, begins: "December 22, 2012. If you're watching this video, it means one thing. The world didn't end yesterday."

It goes on to attempt to debunk the ideas surrounding the so-called 'Mayan prophecies', saying the date is based on a misconception.

Making the argument point by point the video sets to put to rest the catastrophic prophecies, including debunking the notion that the sun will irradiate the atmosphere or that another planet will smash into Earth.

Indeed Nasa appears so confident about their prediction that the world will not come to an end that they have released the video early.

Workers from a number of fast food chains around New York City held walkouts and demonstrations calling for a living wage Thursday morning.

According to The Atlantic, the protests, part of the Fast Food Forward campaign, were organized by groups like New York Communities for Change (NYCC), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and community organizations in a push to get them to form a union.

The impetus for the campaign, said NYCC organizing director Jonathan Westin, was his group's discovering that most employees at companies like Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken couldn't cover basic necessities like transit fare or food, or even to be able to make their rent making the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, forcing them to rely on public assistance.

'Doomsday', 'The End of the World', 'The Apocalypse.' Whatever you want to call it, the threat to all life on earth has believers worldwide scrambling to prepare for the inevitable. In fact, a recent rumor that 3 days of darkness will shroud the China prompted locals of the Sichuan provide to raid supplies stores and purchase items such as candles and matches in bulk, according to China Daily.

China's lunar orbiter chief scientist Ouyang Zinyuan responds, stating: "The rumors are a misinterpretation of the Maya calendar and are still going on."

Nanjing Purple Mountain Observatory astronomer Wang Si chao echoes Zinyuan, and asserts that "The sun will still rise on Dec. 21. All reactions to the doomsday prophecy show a strong recognition of the crisis of human existence. However, these reactions should be rooted in science."

Despite scientists worldwide debunking the myths of destruction and death, people are willing to invest in precautionary measures, and business owners are more than happy to meet their demands. China Daily reports that Yang Zongfu of East China's Jiangsu province created his own Noah's Ark and has since sold the device for millions of yuan, the local currency.

Even NASA's Senior Scientist David Morrison took the time to address the issue.

"On the 21st, the date of the winter solstice, a calendar cycle called the 13th b'ak'tun comes to an end. Although Maya scholars agree that the ancient Maya would not have seen this day as apocalyptic, rumors have spread that a cosmic event may end life on Earth on that day."

Cheaper gas drove down a measure of wholesale prices in November for the second straight month, a sign inflation remains in check.

The producer price index fell 0.8 percent last month, the steepest drop since May, the Labor Department said Thursday. That follows a 0.2 percent decline in October. The index measures the cost of goods before they reach the consumer.

Gas prices fell last month by the most in more than three years. Food prices, however, rose by the most in nearly two years, pushed higher by costlier beef and vegetables.

Beef prices jumped 8.2 percent, the biggest gain in four and a half years. Vegetable prices rose nearly 12 percent. Grocery stores may mark up the prices of those products in the coming months, but probably not by as much.

Twinkie-maker Hostess continues to screw over its workers. The company is in the process of complete liquidation and 18,000 unionized workers are set to lose their jobs. More troubling - they could lose their pensions.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Hostess' CEO, Gregory Rayburn, essentially admitted [3] that his company stole employee pension money and put it toward CEO and senior executive pay (aka "operations"). While this isn't technically illegal, it's another sleazy theft by Hostess executives - who've paid themselves handsomely while running their company into the ground. Just last month, a judge agreed to let Hostess executives suck another $1.8 million out of the bankrupt company to pay bonuses to CEOs.

If there's no way to recover the money for the Hostess pension plans for workers, then we the taxpayers - through the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. - will have to foot the bill to make sure workers get the retirement money they paid in.

Hostess shows us clearly what Bain-style predatory capitalism is all about: big bucks for the very few rich executives, layoffs and poverty for the workers and their communities.

And don't mourn the loss of Hostess brands - they'll be back, as the company is currently negotiating with over 100 potential buyers right now to bring Twinkies, Wonder Bread, and Ding Dongs back into the marketplace.

The Hostess story has nothing to do with unions, and everything to do with the Enron-ization and Bain-ization of the American economy.

Portland, Oregon - The gunman who killed two people and himself in a shooting rampage at an Oregon mall was 22 years old and used a stolen rifle from someone he knew, authorities said Wednesday.

Jacob Tyler Roberts had armed himself with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and had several fully loaded magazines when he arrived at a Portland mall on Tuesday, said Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts.

The sheriff said the rifle jammed during the 22-year-old's attack, but he managed to get it working again. He later shot himself. The sheriff said authorities don't yet have a motive.

A law enforcement official has told The Associated Press the shooter did not have a criminal record. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Two people - a 54-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man - were killed, and another, Kristina Shevchenko, whose age could not be confirmed, was wounded and in serious condition on Wednesday.

The shooter, who wore a mask, fired randomly, investigators said. People at the mall were heroic in helping get shoppers out of the building, including off-duty emergency room nurses who rendered aid, Roberts said.

Farmer Liu Qiyuan has built seven pods consisting of a fibreglass shell around a steel frame

He hopes they will be adopted by government departments and international organisations for use in the event of tsunamis and earthquake

The airtight spheres contain oxygen tanks and seatbelts with space for around 14 people, and remain upright when in water

With just ten days to go before the Mayan apocalypse supposedly spells the end of the world, many believers may be looking for ways to dodge doomsday.

But one farmer in China believes he is ready for any eventuality after building seven emergency survival pods.

Liu Qiyuan created the fibreglass shells - dubbed Noah's Ark - after being inspired by the apocalyptic Hollywood movie 2012.