The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday endorsed an upgraded U.N. status for the Palestinian Authority, despite intense opposition from the United States and Israel.
The resolution elevates their status from "non-member observer entity" to "non-member observer state," the same category as the Vatican, which Palestinians hope will provide new leverage in their dealings with Israel.
Explaining the Palestinians' U.N. bid
Palestinian leaders had been working with dozens of supporting nations to develop a formal draft, enlisting the backing of European countries such as France and Spain. Germany abstained from the vote.
FULL STORYJoe Jackson, the Jackson family patriarch, suffered a stroke Thursday morning and is being treated in a Las Vegas hospital, a source close to the Jackson family said.
Jackson, 83, "is in very good spirits" and expects to be sent home from the hospital Friday, said the source, who asked not to be identified.
The "mild" stroke is similar to two others he suffered in the past five years, another source close to Jackson said.
FULL STORYTwo days of mediation have failed to end the National Hockey League’s lockout of its players, the league said Thursday.
Representatives of the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association met Wednesday and Thursday with the Washington-based Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, aiming to break a labor impasse that so far has canceled a third of the NHL’s season.
FULL STORYFormer President George H.W. Bush remains in a Houston hospital Thursday after being treated for bronchitis, his spokesman said. His office said he was in stable condition.
Bush, 88, has been hospitalized at Houston's Methodist Hospital for six days and has a "lingering cough," spokesman Jim McGrath told CNN.
FULL STORYInternet traffic monitor Akamai Technologies says its data supports what another group has reported: That Syria pretty much dropped off the Internet on Thursday morning.
[tweet https://twitter.com/akamai_soti/status/274163048263057408%5D
The other Internet monitoring group, Renesys, said more than 90% of the Internet access in Syria was shut down on Thursday. It was not clear who was behind the latest event, but the government has intermittently cut off Internet access several times in the past two years.
Editor's note: In a long-awaited report sparked by a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World tabloid, a British judge Brian Leveson recommended Thursday that the British press should have an independent regulator, underpinned by law, and with the power to fine.
Below is information from the report and reaction:
[Updated at 3:03 a.m. ET, 8:03 p.m. GMT] News International, a subsidiary of the Murdoch-owned News Corp., has backed British Prime Minister David Cameron's call for regulation without legislation:
"We are grateful to Lord Justice Leveson for his thorough and comprehensive inquiry, and will be studying its recommendations and comments in detail. As a company we are keen to play our full part, with others in our industry, in creating a new body that commands the confidence of the public. We believe that this can be achieved without statutory regulation - and welcome the Prime Minister’s rejection of that proposal. We accept that a new system should be independent, have a standards code, a means of resolving disputes, the power to demand prominent apologies and the ability to levy heavy fines. We have spent 18 months reflecting upon these issues and are determined now to move on as soon as possible with others in our sector to set up a new body that will ensure British journalism is both responsible and robust”.
[Updated at 11:43 a.m. ET, 4:43 p.m. GMT] The Hacked Off campaign, which represents what it says are victims of press abuse, has issued a statement saying Leveson's recommendations need to be implemented:
"What is needed is a regulator which can properly and effectively protect the victims of press misconduct. (Leveson) has recommended that this be backed by legislation to protect the public and the press.
"These proposals are reasonable and proportionate and we call on all parties to get together to implement them as soon as possible.
"The press must be given a deadline. The Inquiry is over. Now is the time for action."
[Updated at 11:30 a.m. ET, 4:30 p.m. GMT] More from Labour Party leader Ed Miliband:
Veteran news producer and former NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker will become the president of CNN Worldwide in January, the network announced Thursday.
"Jeff's experience as a news executive is unmatched for its breadth and success," said Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, CNN's parent company.
Zucker succeeds Jim Walton who has headed CNN Worldwide since 2003. As president, Zucker will oversee 23 branded news and information businesses, including CNN's U.S. television network, CNN International, HLN and CNN Digital. The latter includes CNN.com, one of the world's leading news websites.
FULL STORYBritain's media may learn today if it will be allowed to continue to regulate itself when the recommendations of an independent inquiry are expected to be released.
Prime Minister David Cameron will make a statement to lawmakers following the release of the Leveson report. The prime minister is expected to spell out what action the government plans to take.
FULL STORYIf you are in Missouri or Arizona, check your lottery tickets. You could be filthy rich.
Tickets for the record-breaking estimated $579 million jackpot were purchased in those states, lottery officials said early Thursday morning.
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