Ben Haenow wins X Factor 2014 –
Ben Haenow has been named this year’s UK X Factor winner after going head-to-head with Fleur East in the 2014 final at Wembley Arena. The singer from Croydon, south London, was chosen by a public vote with over 10 million votes cast. Mel B the former Spice Girl and one of the four judges, missed the final due to illness. Tulisa Contostavlos stood in as her replacement.
Mel B

FIFA dismiss complaints over report –
A complaint by US lawyer Michael Garcia who spent two years investigating World Cup corruption claims for Fifa has been dismissed by football’s governing body. Garcia’s findings were released as a 42-page summary by FIFA-appointed independent judge Hans-Joachim Eckert. Garcia said his summary was “incomplete and erroneous”. There have been calls to release the full report in the wake of Garcia’s complaint, but FIFA president Sepp Blater has said it cannot do so for legal reasons.
Sepp Blatter at the 2014 FIFA Tournament Announcement in 2007

Indecent proposal –
A Dutchman’s attempt at a romantic wedding proposal using a mobile crane has resulted in the crane falling over and smashing into a neighbour’s roof. The man had rented a crane in the central town of Ijsselstein to descend in front of his girlfriend’s bedroom window, play her a song and ask her to marry him. Despite the disaster, in which no-one was hurt, his girlfriend accepted his offer.

Video of the Day –

Our Streets –

OUR STREETS from Jared Rosenthal on Vimeo.

List of the day –

Host countries of the FIFA World Cup Finals (from Wikipedia)

Year	Host	Continent	Winner
1930	Uruguay	South America	Uruguay
1934	Italy	Europe	Italy
1938	France	Europe	Italy
1942	Cancelled due to World War II	Did not identify because of World War II	No Winner
1946	Cancelled due to World War II	Did not identify because of World War II	No Winner
1950	Brazil	South America	Uruguay
1954	Switzerland	Europe	West Germany
1958	Sweden	Europe	Brazil
1962	Chile	South America	Brazil
1966	England	Europe	England
1970	Mexico	North America	Brazil
1974	West Germany	Europe	West Germany
1978	Argentina	South America	Argentina
1982	Spain	Europe	Italy
1986	Colombia (cancelled)	South America	No Winner
	Mexico (replaced)	North America	Argentina
1990	Italy	Europe	West Germany
1994	United States	North America	Brazil
1998	France	Europe	France
2002	South Korea /  Japan	Asia	Brazil
2006	Germany	Europe	Italy
2010	South Africa	Africa	Spain
2014	Brazil	South America	Germany
2018	Russia	Europe
2022	Qatar	Asia

Top Twitter Trends –

Other News Stories –

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Taliban insurgency
  • Gunmen assassinate Atiqullah Rawoofi, the head of the Secretariat of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan, in the outskirts of Kabul. (AP)
  • Twenty-one people die in attacks across Afghanistan including two American soldiers. (AP via Washington Post)
• Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
  • Iraqi officials claim that ISIL have shot down a military helicopter near Samarra, killing both pilots. (AP)

Arts and culture

• Germany‘s most successful television show, Wetten, dass..?, ends after a 33-year-run. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

• Landslides caused by heavy rain in Java, Indonesia, kill at least 17 people with a hundred still unaccounted for. (AP),(AFP via Channel News Asia), (BBC)

International relations

• Philippines v. China
  • Vietnam files an intervention in the arbitration case about the South China Sea with Vietnam rejecting China‘s claims.(Bloomberg)
• India and Russia sign deals on infrastructure, nuclear energy, and defence. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• The wife of Thailand‘s crown prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Srirasmi, resigns her royal status following a corruption probe of her relatives. The King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej grants her a divorce. (AFP via ABC News Australia), (AAP via SBS)

Science and technology

• The Geminids meteor shower reaches its peak this weekend. (Boing Boing)

Sport

• In American football, Marcus Mariota of the University of Oregon football team wins the 2014 Heisman trophy for the best player in college football. (Fox News)

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