National and International news

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Car bomb at politician's home kills 9 in Pakistan

Eyewitness NewsQUETTA, Pakistan -- Police say a car bomb has exploded outside the home of a local politician in southwest Pakistan, killing at least nine people.

Police officer Nazir Ahmed Kurd says Friday's blast in an upscale neighborhood in Quetta also wounded 21 people. It was unclear if the politician, Shafique Mengal, was home at the time.

Mengal is the son of Naseer Mengal, a prominent politician who had served as oil minister during the tenure of former President Pervez Musharraf.

The surrounding province of Baluchistan has experienced a violent insurgency for decades by nationalists who demand more autonomy and a greater share of the province's natural resources.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Rescued hiker: 'I thought I was going to die'

The California hiker who clung to the side of a cliff for more than 90 minutes Thursday before being rescued said he thought he was going to die.

“When I was going halfway down, that’s when I thought that was the end for myself,” Ivan Salas, 19, said today on “Good Morning America.” ”I was going too fast and I couldn’t stop.”

Salas, his father and two dogs were hiking along a 300-foot-high ridge in the northeast San Fernando Valley outside of Los Angeles Thursday afternoon when his father threw a water bottle off the cliff’s edge.

Salas’ 1-year-old German Shepherd mix, Lola, chased after the bottle but lost her balance and tumbled over. Salas tried to rescue her, but instead became trapped, clinging for life alongside Lola, 100 feet down the steep hillside.

“Once I was sliding down, I was just trying to hold onto whatever I could,” said Salas, who appeared on “GMA” with Lola and two of their rescuers from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“I managed to hold onto a rock that was stable inside the dirt and from there I just got Lola and stayed with her,” he said. “Any little mistake, I could have just gone straight down.”

Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene, alerted by 911 callers and a police helicopter. A first attempt at a helicopter rescue had to be diverted because of loose dirt and debris on the cliff.

“When the helicopter didn’t rescue me, that’s when I thought I was going to die because the dog was getting nervous,” Salas said. “She was shaking a lot and I was sliding down as well.”

Firefighters instead went with what they termed their “Plan B” option of using an on-the-ground rescue team to help. Two firefighters rappelled down the cliff and used a rope and harness to bring Salas and Lola, both uninjured in the fall, to stable ground.

“When I got down to them to assist to make sure Ivan was secure, the dog was very nervous, scared, and was basically just clinging on,” rescuer Robert Macinnes said on “GMA.”

The entire rescue took about 90 minutes.

“To be honest, maybe 20 minutes more,” Salas said of how much longer he could have held on. “I was tired and exhausted.”

Salas said his father, whose throwing of the water bottle started the episode of scary events for his son and family pet, was waiting for him on the ground with a hug, and a reward.

“He gave me money because he knew it was his fault,” said Salas, who also said he would hike with his dog again, but not his dad. “I was happy with that,” he said.

ABC News’ Ellen Tumposky contributed to this report.

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Team National Marketing Tips - Build Your Team National Business Fast, Even If You're On A Budget

sexta-feira, 30 de dezembro de 2011

2 dead, 61 hurt in 40-vehicle New Orleans pileup

By JANET McCONNAUGHEYNEW ORLEANS -- Two men died and 61 other people were injured Thursday in a pre-dawn pileup involving about 40 cars, vans and other vehicles on a busy interstate that crosses New Orleans, closing the route for hours both ways, police said.

Drivers said they drove into thick smoke or fog that abruptly limited visibility on westbound lanes of Interstate 10 heading across eastern New Orleans. Those who came upon the scene said they heard injured motorists pleading for assistance.

"You just hear all kinds of calls and people screaming for help," tow truck driver Wesley Ratcliff told local broadcaster WWL-TV. In 13 years responding to wrecks, he added, "this is the worst I've ever seen it."

Officer Garry Flot, a police spokesman, would not talk about possible causes, including whether those may have included smoke or fog.

All lanes were reopened late Thursday afternoon as the investigation continued, letting commuters head home at rush hour.

The highway is heavily trafficked, a major corridor for thousands of commuters who enter New Orleans each day from its eastern suburbs and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Those driving the route at the time of the wrecks said they suddenly found themselves in utter darkness, unable to see the lights of cars ahead.

"I thought it was fog; my husband thought it was smoke," Stacie Williams told WWL-TV (http://bit.ly/sLHWVx ). "Cars were driving in front of us and before you know it, it seemed as if they had dropped off the face of the Earth."

Seven people were taken to south Louisiana's top trauma center, where several were in critical condition, said Marvin McGraw, spokesman for the Interim LSU Public Hospital.

Flot said 25 people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical. He said they included a 62nd injured person - a firefighter whose face was cut while working at the scene. Flot said 37 others refused treatment for minor injuries.

The police spokesman wouldn't say whether police believe smoke or fog contributed to the wreck, noting the investigation is ongoing.

He said the dead were a pickup truck driver and a 54-year-old passenger in another pickup, both from Louisiana. He wouldn't say whether their pickup trucks were among the first vehicles to crash or part of the pileup that followed.

Cars, tractor-trailers, vans and other vehicles collided on lanes approaching the city's business district. Eastbound lanes were closed to let emergency vehicles get in, and traffic was detoured off the highway through morning rush hour and well into the afternoon.

Interstate 10 stretches from Florida to California and is a major corridor for commercial truck traffic.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more U.S. & World News »

u.s. & world news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

At least 13 killed in Venezuela tanker truck fire

Eyewitness NewsCARACAS, Venezuela -- A tanker truck filled with gasoline crashed and burst into flames on Thursday in Venezuela, engulfing several cars and a bus and killing at least 13 people.

The tanker truck tipped over and spilled gasoline, which ignited and burned seven vehicles, Caracas fire chief William Martinez said.

Rescue workers pulled victims' bodies from the blackened vehicles.

Martinez said the tanker truck driver apparently lost control on the highway in Caracas but the cause of the accident was unclear.

At least 16 people were injured in the accident, national police chief Luis Fernandez said.

The 30-year-old truck driver, Tulio Estenique, was unhurt and was arrested, prosecutors said in a statement. He is to be arraigned and is under investigation for his responsibility in causing the accident.

Prosecutors said that according to witnesses the truck was speeding.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Firefighters chase arson fires in Hollywood area

By MICHAEL R. BLOODLOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles officials urged continued public vigilance Friday, saying they'll pay at least $35,000 in rewards for information leading to the conviction of an arsonist or arsonists who torched more than a dozen locations in the Hollywood area early Friday.

County supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky says the county is offering a $25,000 reward and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is adding another $10,000 to the reward.

The city council is drafting a motion to add to that sum, but councilman Tom LaBonge urges citizens to come forward with any information they have immediately.

Firefighters from all over Los Angeles County responded to fires during a four-hour onslaught that started shortly after midnight in Hollywood and the neighboring city of West Hollywood.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more U.S. & World News »

california, arson, fire, u.s. & world news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

---
GET MORE POLITICAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Newt Gingrich weeps, Mitt Romney attacks Ron Paul

By DAVID ESPO and SHANNON MCCAFFREYDES MOINES, Iowa -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wept Friday as he recalled his late mother's end-of-life illnesses, a moment of poignancy in a notably negative Republican presidential Iowa caucus campaign with four unpredictable days yet to run.

"I do policy much easier than I do personal," Gingrich told an audience of women as he tried to regain his composure. The tears flowed as the former speaker was responding to questions about his mother from a pollster and longtime political ally.

Gingrich's emotional moment came as his rivals engaged in traditional campaign tactics, and as polls suggested large numbers of Iowa Republicans could change their minds before caucuses Tuesday night provide the first test of the 2012 campaign.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney sought to marginalize his closest pursuer in most polls, saying, "I don't think Ron Paul represents the mainstream of Republican thought with regards to issues, particularly in foreign policy."

Paul gave no ground. "I really can't conceive" of intervening militarily to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he said, unequivocally restating his position on an issue on which he differs with Romney and his other rivals.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, claiming momentum based on recent polls, told reporters he recently had the best fundraising day of his candidacy. Yet he also drew criticism from Texas Gov. Rick Perry for advocating earmarks during two terms in the Senate.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann became the latest presidential hopeful to hold a campaign event with Iowa Rep. Steve King - and the latest to hear him say he wasn't ready to give his endorsement.

Whatever the impact of Gingrich's tears on the race for the White House, the episode seemed destined to be replayed endlessly on televisions, personal computers and hand-held devices.

That was the case nearly four years ago, when Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to choke back tears while campaigning in New Hampshire a few days before the state's Democratic presidential primary. The episode also became the subject of intense political analysis. Clinton won the primary in an upset a few days later.

Gingrich was surging in the polls a little more than a week ago, but was hit by a barrage of negative ads and has been struggling in recent days. Normally a combative politician, he shed tears as he appeared before a group of mothers and responded to a question from Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster and longtime ally of the former speaker.

Asked about his mother and an event in his life that influenced his policies and views, Gingrich recalled her as happy and having friends before she ended up in a long-term care facility suffering from bipolar disease, depression and physical ailments.

"My whole emphasis on brain science comes in directly from dealing with the real problems of real people," he said, his face distorting as he began to cry. "And so it's not a theory. It's, in fact, my mother," he said.

Kathleen "Kit" Gingrich died in 2003. She was 77.

Romney, who leads in most polls in Iowa, criticized Paul in an interview with Fox News Channel.

"I don't think Ron Paul represents the mainstream of Republican thought with regards to issues, particularly in foreign policy," he said, referring to the Texan's statement that he would oppose military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

At the same time he said Paul was outside the GOP mainstream, Romney pledged to support whoever wins the party's nomination to oppose President Barack Obama in the fall.

Campaigning later in western Iowa, Paul said he would probably have difficulty voting for any of the other Republicans in the race if they win the party nomination. "They all are part of the status quo," he said.

After months of campaigning and millions of dollars in television commercials, the polls depicted a race as unsettled and unpredictable as any in the four decades since Iowa's caucuses became the kickoff event in presidential campaigns.

A pair of surveys in the last five days suggested upwards of a third of all potential caucus-goers had not firmly settled on a candidate of choice.

The same polls made Romney the front-runner, and his decision to leave for a quick trip to New Hampshire and then return to Iowa and stay through caucus night projected optimism.

Paul views on Iran have been called into question this week by numerous other contenders, and Gingrich went so far as to say he would not vote for the Texan.

To some extent, Paul stands alone in the field because of his libertarian-leaning views. He does not want the government to have the power to ban abortions, for example, and has called for the legalization of some drugs that are now outlawed.

That has left Santorum, Gingrich, Perry and Bachmann to vie for standing as Romney's chief opponent in the competition for evangelical voters and other conservatives.

Even before the caucuses, Romney and the rest of the field were looking ahead to New Hampshire's primary on Jan. 10 and the first two Southern contests later in the month, in South Carolina and Florida.

But there was maneuvering yet to come in the state that precedes them all.

Allies of Gingrich announced they were airing a 30-minute program in Iowa produced by Newsmax, a conservative media outlet.

It features Michael Reagan, son of the former president, who calls the former speaker "a person who we believe will help continue my father's legacy."

---
Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont and Kasie Hunt in Des Moines, Brian Bakst in Early and Mike Glover in Ames contributed to this report.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

2012 presidential election, politics & elections

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

National Center for the Performance Arts

Some crew still aboard burning Russian nuclear sub

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOVMOSCOW -- Some of the crew of a burning Russian nuclear submarine were still inside and seven others had been evacuated to hospitals after inhaling toxic fumes, officials said Friday.

The Defense Ministry said there has been no radiation leak from the fire, which began Thursday at an Arctic shipyard where the submarine Yekaterinburg was in drydock. Fire brigades are still struggling to put out the fire.

The military says the fire began on wooden scaffolding and then engulfed the submarine's rubber-coated outer hull. It said the sub's nuclear reactor had been shut down and its nuclear-tipped missiles and other weapons had been unloaded before the repairs.

An unspecified number of crew have remained inside the submarine, Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. He said they have reported that the condition on board has remained normal and insisted there was no danger of fire spreading inside the submarine.

Konashenkov's statement left it unclear whether the crew were trapped there or ordered to stay inside.

Toxic fumes from the blaze had spread to the town of Roslyakovo where the shipyard is located, but officials said there was no need to evacuate local residents.

It would take a few more hours to fully extinguish the smoldering outer hull, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said. He said seven members of the submarine crew have been hospitalized after inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide fumes from the fire.

The Yekaterinburg is a Delta-IV-class nuclear-powered submarine that normally carries 16 nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles. It was built in 1984.

Most modern submarines' outer hulls are covered with rubber to make them less noisy and more difficult for an enemy to detect.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more U.S. & World News »

u.s. & world news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

---
GET MORE POLITICAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Obama lays wreath at Pearl Harbor memorial

Eyewitness NewsPEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- President Barack Obama has laid a wreath at a memorial honoring those killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The president was joined at the USS Arizona Memorial by his wife, Michelle, late Thursday afternoon. After a moment of silence, the Obamas scattered flower petals in the water.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attacks, which claimed the lives of 2,390 Americans and brought the United States into World War II.

The president is in Hawaii for his annual Christmas vacation.

Several White House staffers who traveled to the Honolulu area with Obama joined the president at the Pearl Harbor memorial.

Earlier Thursday, Obama took his family to the beach, then stopped for shave ice, a Hawaiian version of the snow cone.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

barack obama, politics & elections

Avastin disappoints against ovarian cancer

This undated photo provided Jan. 31, 2011, by California-based Genentech Inc., shows the blockbuster cancer drug Avastin. (AP Photo / AP Photo/Genentech Inc.)

By MARILYNN MARCHIONEWASHIINGTON -- Avastin, the blockbuster drug that just lost approval for treating breast cancer, now looks disappointing against ovarian cancer, too. Two studies found it did not improve survival for most of these patients and kept their disease from worsening for only a few months, with more side effects.

The Genentech drug won approval in Europe last week for advanced ovarian cancer. But its maker has no immediate plans to seek the same approval in the United States. After talking with the Food and Drug Administration, "we do not believe the data will support approval" although no final decision has been made, said Charlotte Arnold, a spokeswoman for Genentech, part of the Swiss company Roche.

Results of the studies are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

In November, the FDA revoked Avastin's approval for breast cancer because it did not meaningfully extend life and can have serious side effects. Without approval, doctors can prescribe the drug but insurers may not pay. Treatment with it can cost $100,000 a year.

Avastin can still be sold for some colon, lung, kidney and brain cancers. The new research was aimed at adding ovarian cancer to the list.

One study, led by Dr. Robert Burger of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, involved nearly 1,900 women with advanced ovarian cancer given one of three treatment combinations. The time until the disease got worse was a median of 10 months in those given just chemotherapy; adding Avastin improved that by just one to four months for the other two groups.

Survival was similar among the groups, and side effects were higher among those on Avastin - mostly high blood pressure but also some stomach and gut problems that needed treatment.

In the other study, led by researchers from England, more than 1,500 ovarian cancer patients were given chemo with or without Avastin. The drug kept cancer at bay just one to two months longer than chemo alone did, with more cases of high blood pressure. There was a trend toward improved survival for those on Avastin, but the difference was too small to say the drug was responsible.

Genentech helped pay for the studies and some of the researchers consult for the company.

Dr. Gary Lyman, a Duke University researcher who was on the FDA advisory panel that recommended revoking Avastin's approval for breast cancer, wrote in an email that he agreed with the company's decision not to seek approval for ovarian cancer.

"The situation is very similar" to the results in breast cancer, and approval is unlikely unless a biological marker or test can show which patients might benefit, he wrote.

About 220,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed each year around the world, and it causes 140,000 deaths. In the United States, the National Cancer Institute estimates 22,000 new cases and 15,000 deaths each year.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

health news

North Korea calls Kim Jong Un 'supreme leader'

PYONGYANG, North Korea -- North Korea's power brokers publicly declared Kim Jong Un the supreme leader for the first time at Thursday's massive public memorial for his father Kim Jong Il, cementing the family's hold on power for another generation.

The son, dubbed North Korea's Great Successor, stood with his head bowed and somber in a dark overcoat on a balcony at the Grand People's Study House overlooking Kim Il Sung Square and watched the memorial that doubled as a show of support for his burgeoning role as leader.

The unequivocal public backing for Kim Jong Un at his father's memorial provides a strong signal that government and military officials have unified around him in the wake of Kim Jong Il's death Dec. 17.

As he stood overlooking a sea of humanity gathered below him in Pyongyang's main square, Kim Jong Un was flanked by top party and military officials, including Kim Jong Il's younger sister, Kim Kyong Hui, and her husband Jang Song Thaek, who are expected to serve as mentors of their young nephew.

"The father's plan is being implemented," Ralph Cossa, president of Pacific Forum CSIS, a Hawaii-based think tank, said of the transfer of power. "All of these guys have a vested interest in the system and a vested interest in demonstrating stability. The last thing they want to do is create havoc."

Given Kim Jong Un's inexperience and age - he is in his late 20s - there are questions outside North Korea about whether he is equipped to lead a nation engaged in long-stalled negotiations over its nuclear program and grappling with decades of economic hardship and chronic food shortages.

But support among North Korea's power brokers was clear at the memorial service, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people filling Kim Il Sung Square and other plazas in central Pyongyang.

"The fact that he completely resolved the succession matter is Great Comrade Kim Jong Il's most noble achievement," Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, told the massive audience at the square.

"Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un is our party, military and country's supreme leader who inherits great comrade Kim Jong Il's ideology, leadership, character, virtues, grit and courage," said Kim, considered North Korea's ceremonial head of state.

Thursday's memorial "was an event to publicly reconfirm and solidify" Kim Jong Un's status, said Jeung Young-tae, an analyst with the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, South Korea.

Life in the North Korean capital came to a standstill as mourners dressed in thick, dark colored jackets blanketed the plaza from the Grand People's Study House to the Taedong River for the second day of funeral ceremonies for the late leader. A giant red placard hanging on the front of a building facing Kim Il Sung Square urged the country to rally around Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Il, who led his 24 million people with absolute power for 17 years, died of a heart attack Dec. 17 at age 69, according to state media. He inherited power from his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, who died of a heart attack in 1994, in what was the communist world's first hereditary succession.

Attention turned to Kim Jong Un after he was revealed last year as his father's choice among three known sons to carry the Kim dynasty into a third generation.

The process to groom him was rushed compared to the 20 years Kim Jong Il had to prepare to take over from his father, and relied heavily on the Kim family bloodline and legacy as guerrilla fighters and the nation's founders.

Kim Il Sung is North Korea's first and only president; he retains the title "Eternal President" even after his death.

Kim Jong Il held three main positions: chairman of the National Defense Commission, general secretary of the Workers' Party and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army.

According to the constitution, his position as chairman of the National Defense Commission makes him "supreme leader" of North Korea.

Kim Jong Un was made a four-star general last year and appointed a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party. Since his father's death, state media have bestowed on him a series of new titles signaling that his succession campaign was gaining momentum: Great Successor, Supreme Leader and Sagacious Leader.

"Kim Jong Il laid a red silk carpet, and Kim Jong Un only needs to walk on it," Jeung said.

Last weekend, the Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, called on the younger Kim to step into his father's role as supreme commander of the armed forces.

Kim also is expected to formally assume command of the Workers' Party and become chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, said Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor at Korea University in South Korea.

He may be officially named supreme commander of the military ahead of Jan. 8, which is believed to be his birthday, said Cheong Seong-chang at the Sejong Institute in South Korea.

The aftermath of Kim Jong Il's death has been watched closely for clues about who in the military and Workers' Party will form Kim's inner circle of trusted aides during the sensitive transition to leadership.

Following right behind Kim during a Wednesday funeral procession through Pyongyang streets with Kim Jong Il's hearse was his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who is a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission and has family ties to the military.

For Thursday's memorial, North Koreans packed the main square as well as the plaza in front of a Workers' Party monument of a hammer, sickle and writing brush.

Flags at half-staff fluttered in the wind on the cold winter's day, and people were bundled up in parkas. State TV showed a delegation of foreigners attending the memorial.

They bowed their heads as eight artillery guns fired; military officers removed their hats while the booms resonated across Kim Il Sung Square.

The streets went still again for a three-minute period of silence. Heads bowed, workers paused next to a green train and bystanders stopped where they were, some standing next to their bicycles, as trains and boats sirens blew their horns, according to state media.

---
Associated Press Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee and writers Hyung-jin Kim, Foster Klug, Scott McDonald and Sam Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. Follow AP's North Korea coverage at twitter.com/newsjean, twitter.com/APklug and twitter.com/samkim-ap.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

kim jong il, u.s. & world news

Woman jumps fence to play with elephants

John Antalek, Eyewitness NewsLOS ANGELES (WABC) -- A visitor to the Los Angeles Zoo jumped over the fence to play a dangerous game of "chicken" with a couple of elephants.

It was all caught on camera.

The woman hopped several barriers to get a closer look at the elephants, getting close enough to pet the pachyderms.

The spectacle stunned onlookers.

She spent five minutes in the sanctuary before retreating.

Police took the woman to a mental health facility.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

animals, strange news

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Protesters breastfeed in Targets across America

Eyewitness NewsHOUSTON (WABC) -- Across America, outraged moms have descended upon Target stores with nursing babies in tow.

It's a show of support for one mom from Texas who says she was bullied by Target employees for breastfeeding in a store.

It's not a sit-in as much as a nurse-in. The group Mothers Across America protested at more than 100 Target stores around the country. Their message is that breastfeeding in public is only an issue for the people that make it an issue.

Michelle Hickman started the national protest through a Facebook page, now with almost 7,000 members, after she sat down at her local Target near Houston to feed her blanket-covered infant in a remote part of the store. But she was asked to go to a fitting room.

"It's not about me," Hickman said. "It's not about Target. It's about women everywhere all over the world, that this is having an effect all over the world on a daily basis, and them standing up for their rights."

Hickman never dreamed the protest would go viral, but thousands of mothers came out with their babies in solidarity. Target says they welcomed the demonstrators.

"Target is a family-oriented company," Chicago Target manager Ashley Krehoff said. "So if a guest chooses to breastfeed in our store, Target supports it 100 percent."

Not all shoppers were completely comfortable with the protest.

"As long as they're covered up, I feel that, you know, they're not bothering anybody else," one shopper at a Target in California said.

But the protesters believe breastfeeding is nothing to be ashamed of.

"It's best for baby, best for mom," one protester said.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more U.S. & World News »

u.s. & world news
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Samoa and Tokelau to cross international date line

By KENI LESAAPIA, Samoa -- The tiny South Pacific nation of Samoa and its neighbor Tokelau will jump forward in time on Thursday, crossing westward over the international date line to align themselves with their other 21st century trading partners throughout the region.

At the stroke of midnight on Dec. 29, time in Samoa and Tokelau will leap forward to Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve. For Samoa's 186,000 citizens, and the 1,500 in Tokelau, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, will simply cease to exist.

The time jump back to the future comes 119 years after some U.S. traders persuaded local Samoan authorities to align their islands' time with nearby U.S.-controlled American Samoa and the U.S. to assist their trading with California.

But the time zone has proved problematic in recent years, putting Samoa and Tokelau nearly a full day behind neighboring Australia and New Zealand, increasingly important trading partners.

In a bid to remedy that, the Samoan government passed a law in June that will move Samoa west of the international date line, which separates one calendar day from the next and runs roughly north-to-south through the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Under a government decree, all those scheduled to work on the nonexistent Friday will be given full pay for the missed day of labor.

The time shift will be marked by the ringing of church bells across Samoa's two main islands, and prayer services in all the main churches of the devoutly Christian nation.

The government will also host a service for invited guests and dignitaries.

Nearby Tokelau, a three-atoll United Nations dependency, said it will join its neighbor in the date line dance to maintain its alignment with Samoa, three sailing days away, where its administration is based.

Tokelau's parliament, the Tokelau General Fono, recently voted to go ahead with the change, although it still has to complete all formalities for the date line switch, a New Zealand foreign ministry official said in Wellington on Thursday.

"They're going ahead and doing it ... the same as Samoa," ministry spokeswoman Susan Budd said. The territory is administered by New Zealand on behalf of the U.N.

Initially strongly opposed by Samoa's opposition Tautua Samoa Party, the law to make the date line switch won its support after leader A'eau Peniamina told the nation's Parliament, "It's a change that benefits the people."

Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi earlier said it would strengthen trade and economic links with Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Being a day behind the region has meant that when it's dawn Sunday in Samoa, it's already dawn Monday in adjacent Tonga and nearly dawn Monday in nearby New Zealand, Australia and increasingly prominent east Asian trade partners such as China.

"In doing business with New Zealand and Australia, we're losing out on two working days a week," Tuila'epa said in a statement.

"While it's Friday here, it's Saturday in New Zealand, and when we're at church on Sunday, they're already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane."

"Today we do a lot more business with New Zealand and Australia, China and Pacific Rim countries such as Singapore," the prime minister said, adding that his latest idea will make commerce with the region "far, far easier."

Like many small Pacific island states, more of Samoa's people live permanently overseas than on its islands. Around 180,000 Samoans live in New Zealand, 15,000 in Australia and tens of thousands more in the U.S.

Other island groups with more of their citizens living offshore than on include Tuvalu, Niue, Tonga, Cook Islands and tiny Tokelau.

The Ulu, or chief, of Tokelau, Foua Toloa, said Thursday that the New Zealand government had given its blessing for Tokelau to make the change.

"The General Fono (parliament) decision has been endorsed, and we hope that the people will go to sleep on Thursday night and wake up the next day, Saturday, the 31st of December, without any huge changes," he told Radio New Zealand International.

For Samoa, it's the second big economic modernizing move by the governing Human Rights Protection Party in recent years, following its switch to driving on the left side of the country's roads in 2009, another move to align it with the two regional powers.

Tuila'epa said at the time the change made it easier for Samoans in Australia and New Zealand to send used cars home to their relatives. Opponents predicted major traffic problems, but they never happened.

So far, only Samoa's small Seventh Day Adventist Church has indicated a major problem for its congregation, which traditionally begins celebrations for the Sabbath on Friday night and continues through Saturday.

The Seventh Day Adventist parish in Samoa's Samatau village has decided it will continue to observe the Sabbath day on Saturdays despite changes forced on the church by the westward switch of the date line.

The original shift to the east side of the line was made in 1892, when Samoa celebrated July 4 twice, giving a nod to Independence Day in the U.S.

The date line drawn by mapmakers is not mandated by any international body. By tradition, it runs roughly through the 180-degree line of longitude, but it zigzags to accommodate the choices of Pacific nations on how to align their calendars.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Delta launches app to track luggage

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Delta Airlines has created a high-tech way to keep track of your luggage after it's dropped off at the airport.

The airline launched a new app that allows travelers to follow their bags' progress through their smart phone.

The app also tells passengers at which carousel they can retrieve their luggage.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

science & technology

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Iran says it recorded video of US aircraft carrier

By NASSER KARIMITEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian surveillance plane has recorded video and photographed a U.S. aircraft carrier during Iran's ongoing navy drill near a strategic waterway in the Persian Gulf, the official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday.

The report did not provide details and it was unclear what information the Iranian military could glean from such footage. But the announcement is an indication Iran is seeking to cast its navy as having a powerful role in the region's waters.

IRNA quoted Iran's navy chief, Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, as saying the action shows that Iran has "control over the moves by foreign forces" in the area where Tehran is holding a 10-day military exercise.

"An Iranian vessel and surveillance plane have tracked, filmed and photographed a U.S. aircraft carrier as it was entering the Gulf of Oman from the Persian Gulf," Sayyari said.

He added that the "foreign fleet will be warned by Iranian forces if it enters the area of the drill."

State TV showed what appeared to be the reported video, but it was not possible to make out the details of the carrier because the footage was filmed from far away.

The Iranian exercise is taking place in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz - the passageway for one-sixth of the world's oil supply.

Beyond it lie vast bodies of water, including the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet is also active in the area, as are warships of several other countries that patrol for pirates there.

Lt. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. 5th Fleet, said the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay headed out from the Gulf and through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, after a visit to Dubai's Jebel Ali port.

She described the passage through the strait as "a pre-planned, routine transit" for the carrier, which is providing air support from the north Arabian Sea to troops in Afghanistan.

Rebarich did not directly address Iranian claims of possessing the reported footage but said the 5th Fleet's "interaction with the regular Iranian Navy continues to be within the standards of maritime practice, well known, routine and professional."

Thursday's report follows U.S. warnings over Iranian threats to choke off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz if Washington imposes sanctions targeting Iran's crude exports. On Wednesday, Rebarich said the Navy was "always ready to counter malevolent actions to ensure freedom of navigation."

Gen. Hossein Salami, the acting commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard rejected the warning.

"The U.S. is not in a position" to affect Iran's decisions, Salami told the semi-official Fars news agency Thursday. "Iran does not ask permission to implement its own defensive strategies."

---
Associated Press Writer Adam Schreck contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

---
GET MORE POLITICAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Republicans battle over undecided voters in Iowa

By THOMAS BEAUMONTDES MOINES, Iowa -- With time running short, Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich battled Thursday to win over a pivotal crop of undecided conservative voters. Of all the candidates, only Mitt Romney seemed to largely escape attack as he worked to win a state that long seemed out of reach until this week.

"Don't settle for what's not good enough to save the country," the newly ascendant Santorum implored Iowans at city hall in Coralville, urging voters to put conservative principles above everything else and suggesting that his rivals, and specifically Ron Paul, lacked them.

For the first time, though, the former Pennsylvania senator became a target.

"When he talks about fiscal conservatism, every now and then it leaves me scratching my head because he was a prolific earmarker," Perry, the Texas governor, said of Santorum as the day began, referring to special spending projects members of Congress seek. "He loaded up his bill with Pennsylvania pork."'

Santorum defended the practice as part of lawmakers' constitutional role as appropriators, telling CNBC that he owed it to Pennsylvanians to bring money to the state. He said earmarking became abused and that he would support a ban on them if he were president.

Perry also slapped at Santorum in a radio ad and in a new TV commercial that lumps him in with Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Paul and says: "The fox guarding the henhouse is like asking a congressman to fix Washington: bad idea."

The maneuvering underscored the fluid - if not convoluted - state of the GOP presidential race as Tuesday's caucuses loom while cultural conservatives and evangelical Republicans, who make up the base of the electorate here, continue to be divided. That lack of unity paves the way for someone who is seen as less consistently conservative.

Five days out, public and private polling show Romney and Paul in strong contention to win the caucuses, with coalitions of support cobbled together from across the Republican political spectrum and their get-out-the-vote operations - beefed up from their failed 2008 bids - at the ready. They're the only two with the money and the organizations necessary to ensure big turnouts on Tuesday.

Three others - Santorum, Perry and Gingrich - will have to rely largely on momentum to carry supporters to precinct caucuses. Each was working to convince fickle conservatives that he alone would satisfy those who yearn for a nominee who would adhere strictly to GOP orthodoxy.

Bachmann, meanwhile, worked to convince backers that her cash-strapped campaign was not in disarray after a top supporter in Iowa abandoned her to back Paul.

After state Sen. Kent Sorenson bolted as her Iowa campaign chairman, Bachmann continued to bleed staff, losing her Iowa political director, Wes Enos, on Thursday. Some evangelical pastors have said they've urged her to quit the race.

Bachmann condemned Sorenson for quitting, and defiantly vowed to continue in the race.

"Iowans aren't told who to vote for. Iowans are independent and they're going to make their decisions," Bachmann said in Des Moines, on the last day of a 10-day tour of Iowa's 99 counties.

Ads, mostly negative, flooded television and radio. They filled mailboxes, too.

No less than five new TV ads were rolled out Thursday, with Romney, for one, releasing a 60-second, optimistic commercial promoting his vision for America and illustrating his confidence with his standing in the primary race. He was staying far from the fray and looking toward the general election.

"In the campaign to come, the American ideals of economic freedom and opportunity need a clear and unapologetic defense. And I intend to make it because I have lived it," Romney says in the commercial that includes patriotic images and scenes from his June campaign announcement in New Hampshire.

He's in the midst of a four-day trek that he hopes will seal victory here and give him momentum heading into the Jan. 10 New Hampshire primary, the closest thing to a must-win state for the former Massachusetts governor.

On the second day of his bus tour, Romney turned out big crowds at stops in northern and eastern Iowa, focusing on more populous areas and counties he won four years ago.

"We have a choice in this coming election of what kind of America we're going to have," Romney said at J's Home Cooking in Cedar Falls, before meeting a crowd of 500 in Mason City. "It's not just about replacing a president. It's about saving the soul of America."

He didn't acknowledge his rivals but an outside group aligned with him rolled out a new ad against Gingrich that asks, "Haven't we had enough mistakes?" and notes the former House speaker's past admissions of judgment lapses.

As Romney sailed above it all, the fight raged among his rivals elsewhere in the state, where all six candidates competing in the caucuses are spending almost all their time for the next five days.

Looking to capitalize on his burst of support in new polls, Santorum made a play for tea party backers lining up behind Paul by arguing that the Texas congressman is longer on promising sweeping change than enacting it. "The guy has passed one bill in 20 years.

What makes you think he can do any of these things?" Santorum said.

He added: "We need someone who has the bold, sharp contrast not just to win the election but govern the country, not somebody who is just a little better."

And, Bachmann castigated Paul's opposition to military intervention in Iran as "dangerous." She also suggested that his opposition to the federal war on drugs amounted to supporting the legalization of cocaine and heroin.

Perry focused his criticism on all the others on the right, saying: "There are other conservatives in this contest. I readily agree. But their records don't always square with the rhetoric."

And, as he argued that he was the only true outsider in the race, Perry noted that four of his rivals - Gingrich, Paul, Santorum and Bachmann - have a combined 63 years of experience in Washington.

"I am asking you to vote your conservative values," Perry implored.

The closest anyone got to criticizing Romney directly was when Perry was asked in Cedar Rapids about family dynasties and cited, among other families, the Romneys.

In response, Perry mentioned his own modest upbringing and said: "I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to reflect my differences with Mitt."

The worst Romney faced from his rivals were veiled shots.

Santorum said Republicans must draw a clear contrast with Obama, rather than nominate a Republican with moderate tendencies out of political expedience.

"We need someone who has the bold, sharp contrasts, not just to win the election but to govern the country. Not just someone who is a little bit better," Santorum told supporters.

Perry was asked about family dynasties and the questioner cited, among other families, the Romneys. Perry stopped short of criticizing Romney's privileged upbringing. He mentioned his own humble beginning in small-town Texas before adding: "I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to reflect my differences with Mitt."

Gingrich, for his part, spent the day trying to wrap himself in President Ronald Reagan's cloak, announcing the backing of the late president's son, Michael, and, a day earlier, support from Reagan economic adviser Arthur Laffer.

Even as the polls show him sliding, Gingrich projected an upbeat image.

"The strategy of focusing on jobs and economic growth, staying positive and being pretty relentless in answering questions at every meeting is working," he insisted.

---
Associated Press writers Philip Elliott, Mike Glover, Kasie Hunt, Brian Bakst and Shannon McCaffrey contributed to this report.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

2012 presidential election, politics & elections

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

quinta-feira, 29 de dezembro de 2011

Kim Jong Il's funeral picture photoshopped

Patrick Becker, Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- The historic record on the passing of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il may not be telling the whole story, thanks to Photoshop.

In an image taken by a Japanese photo crew during Kim's funeral this week, you can see a camera crew on the left side behind the line of mourners.

But in the official photo released by the North Korean government, there's no crew and everyone is perfectly in line.

Even their footprints were covered up to create a perfect image of order.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

kim jong il, u.s. & world news

Some 'Build-a-Bear' animals recalled

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- There is a huge international recall for a popular stuffed animal.

The Build-a-Bear Workshop Company is recalling nearly 300,000 "colorful hearts teddy bears" sold in the US and Canada.

This comes after the federal government says the toys' eyes can loosen and fall out, creating a choking hazard.

So far, no injuries have been reported.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

(Copyright ©2011 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Get more Recalls »

recalls
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

History Of The Aintree Grand National Race Course

Gold falls to its lowest level since July

Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK -- Gold closed on Wednesday at the lowest level in more than five months.

Gold for February delivery fell almost 2 percent, losing $31.40 to end at $1,564.10 an ounce. That's the lowest closing price since July 12. Silver fell even more sharply, by 5 percent.

Gold has been dropping for the last month, partly because of signs the U.S. economy is growing more strongly than had been expected. Many traders bought gold out of fear of weakness in the U.S., but now money is flowing into riskier investments like stocks.

Gold is down 10 percent from the beginning of December.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

business
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

Federal judge ends BP's probation for Alaska spill

By MARK THIESSENANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed prosecutors' argument that a BP subsidiary violated its probation after an oil spill because of another spill on Alaska's North Slope.

Judge Ralph Beistline also lifted BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.'s probation altogether.

BP had been convicted of negligent discharge of oil in 2007 for a 200,000-gallon spill on the North Slope a year earlier. There was another spill of 13,500 gallons in 2009.

Last month, government lawyers sought to have BP's probation revoked for the latest spill, meaning the probation period could have been lengthened or the company could have faced additional penalties.

In his ruling, Beistline said the government failed to prove the company committed criminal negligence.

"We are pleased with the decision and appreciate the court's attention," BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said in an email to The Associated Press. "We know that the privilege of working in Alaska comes with a responsibility to maintain high standards. We will continue our commitment to running safe and compliant operations."

Emails seeking comment from the U.S. attorney's office in Anchorage were not immediately returned.

Prosecutors said BP's history of environmental crimes in Alaska began in February 2001 when it pleaded guilty to releasing hazardous materials at its Endicott facility on the North Slope.

The company was fined $500,000, placed on probation for five years and ordered to create a nationwide environmental management program, prosecutors said.

The March 2006 spill of 200,000 gallons of crude was caused by corrosion, and BP's leak detection system failed to notice it, they said.

The company's guilty plea to a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act in 2007 resulted in three years' probation, a $12 million fine, and restitution and community service payments totaling $8 million to the state of Alaska and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Prosecutors contended BP violated the conditions of its probation by allowing the 2009 spill from an 18-inch pipe that moved oil, water and gas from drill pads to BP's Lisburne Processing Center. That spill, prosecutors said, leaked 13,500 gallons of oil onto tundra and wetlands.

The government said it was similar to the 2006 spill because BP ignored alarms that warned of the pipe's eventual rupture and leak.

The 2009 spill also came after a similar pipe froze and ruptured in 2001, they said, and BP failed to put in place preventative measures that their own experts recommended.

But in his ruling, Beistline wrote: "The investigation concluded, based on the metallurgy report, that the pipeline rupture was not caused by corrosion or improper maintenance, but was caused by a sequence of circumstances, including cooling and warming of ambient temperature after the flow stopped, which led to the freezing of both water and hydrates. This ultimately resulted in increased gas pressure within the pipeline that caused the rupture. Why the flow slowed initially remains a mystery to all."

Beistline said BP followed "accepted industry practices at all relevant times and could not have reasonably expected a blowout similar to the one that occurred on November 29, 2009. Further, the court concludes that once the freeze up was discovered, BP acted reasonably in addressing the problem."

He also said BP's efforts to return the spill site to pre-spill conditions were "impressive."

"An untrained observer would likely be unable to find any indication that a spill had occurred," he wrote, adding there was no evidence that contaminants reached any nearby lakes or Prudhoe Bay.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

business
// perform JavaScript after the document is scriptable.OTV.common.modules.promoCarousel.promoCarouselInit("/wabc/xml?id=5758260&ptnr=promoCarousel");

---
GET THE LATEST NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS FROM ABCNEWS.COM

Fire kills 17 in Myanmar's main city of Yangon

By AYE AYE WINYANGON, Myanmar -- A fire followed by several explosions engulfed state warehouses and neighboring homes in Myanmar's main city of Yangon on Thursday, killing at least 17 people and injuring 108.

The blasts occurred as firefighters were putting out the fire that had started in a state-owned warehouse before spreading to other warehouses and nearby homes and buildings before dawn.

Six of the dead were firefighters, a home ministry source said.

He did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

He added the fire and blasts destroyed 16 warehouses, a Buddhist monastery and 76 homes in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township in eastern Yangon.

A total of 108 injured people were brought to Yangon General Hospital, said a senior nurse. The nurse did not want to be identified because she is not authorized to speak to the media.

"Many of the dead were hit by flying debris of broken walls and stone slabs that were flung on to the streets due to the explosions," Maung Win, a 45-year-old resident, told the Associated Press.

The explosions rocked the entire city, jolting residents from sleep. A 20-foot (6-meter) -wide and 15-foot (4.5-meter) -deep crater was visible at the site. Black smoke was seen billowing from the rubble Thursday morning.

Firefighters were searching for bodies from among the debris.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, but the home ministry official said the explosions were due to chemicals, including ammonia and potassium nitrate, stored in one of the warehouses.

Residents said the fire started in a warehouse that stored electronic goods then spread to other warehouses and houses.

---
Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Watch "The Year With Katie Couric" now and click here for more on "The Year" from People magazine.

Top breakout stars of 2011

2011: Top 11 Breakout Stars of Film, TV and Music - ABC News

Hot Topics: Rick Santorum?Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy?Strait of Hormuz

Home Video Blogs News Politics Investigative Health Entertainment Money Tech Good Morning America 20/20 This Week Nightline World NewsMore Entertainment: Golden Globes Kate Middleton J. R. Martinez In the Spotlight Lindsay Lohan Lady Gaga Star Scandals Celebrity Photos Home> U.S.>USTop 11 Breakout Stars of 2011By KATIE MORISONDec. 15, 2011

Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty1. Ryan Gosling

Leading the charge among the breakout stars of the year was 31-year-old Ryan Gosling: leading man, musician, and major heartthrob. He looked buff in the buff in the comedy "Crazy Stupid Love," played a power-hungry press secretary in George Clooney's political thriller "Ides of March" and drove his Chevy to the levy in "Drive." Plus, he drives the ladies wild.

"Hot. Ryan Gosling is insanely hot!" said People Magazine's assistant managing editor Kate Coyne. "But he additionally has a red hot career."

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars PHOTO: Emma Stone attends the Museum of Modern Art's 4th Annual Film benefit

Eugene Gologursky/WireImage/Getty Images2. Emma Stone

Emma Stone emerged as a star in 2011 in "The Help," the film based on the sensational best-selling book that was the summer's sleeper hit. Stone, 23, starred as a white writer exposing the treatment of black maids in 1960's Mississippi.

"In 'The Help,' Emma Stone made the transition from that funny girl in the teen movies, like 'Easy A' and 'Superbad,' to a person you could actually take seriously in a real film," said Current TV host and writer Brett Erlich.

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars Emma Stone Feels 'The Help' Pressure PHOTO: Octavia Spencer attends the premiere of

Christopher Polk/WireImage/Getty Images3. Octavia Spencer

Emma Stone got some help in "The Help" from one of Hollywood's best kept secrets: Octavia Spencer, a breakout star at 41. Spencer's memorable performance as maid Minny Jackson is already generating awards show buzz.

"This was a huge year for Octavia Spencer, and really for the movie 'The Help,'" said Jen Garcia, People Magazine assistant editor."There is early Oscar talk for her, and I really think she has a chance to walk away with it."

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars 'The Help,' Bestselling Book, Hits Big Screen PHOTO: Melissa McCarthy attends the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 3rd annual Governors Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in this Nov. 12, 2011 file photo in Hollywood, Cali.

PHOTO: Melissa McCarthy attends the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 3rd annual Governors Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in this Nov. 12, 2011 file photo in Hollywood, Cali.

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images4. Melissa McCarthy

Actress Melissa McCarthy was bold, brash and unabashed in this year's blockbuster comedy "Bridesmaids." The 41-year-old comedienne made a name for herself on the small screen this year as well, winning her first Emmy for outstanding lead actress on the sitcom "Mike and Molly."

"Triumphant!" said Coyne of the moment. "She literally was crowned the new queen of television. And finally, the nice girl finishes first."

"Here's the thing about Melissa McCarthy," said Peter Castro, deputy managing editor at People Magazine. "A lot of people compare her to Roseanne Barr. I think we should be comparing her to John Belushi. And I mean that in a good way. Because you know if you can belch, pass wind, have diarrhea in a sink, and be funny -- that's talent."

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars "Mike & Molly" Star on Her Emmy Win PHOTO: Kristen Wiig attends the 2011 American Museum of Natural History gala at the American Museum of Natural History in this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo in New York City.

PHOTO: Kristen Wiig attends the 2011 American Museum of Natural History gala at the American Museum of Natural History in this Nov. 10, 2011 file photo in New York City.

Jim Spellman/WireImage/Getty Images5. Kristen Wiig

"Bridesmaids" was the brainchild of another breakout star -- 38-year-old Kristen Wiig -- who co-wrote the script about a sometimes rude and often crude, miserable maid of honor. Even before "Bridesmaids," Wiig was a standout on "Saturday Night Live," where for seven seasons she's poked fun at everyone from Nancy Pelosi to Kathie Lee Gifford. Next, she'll be getting in touch with her serious side, starring opposite Robert De Niro in a drama ironically called "The Comedian."

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars Seriously Funny: Kristen Wiig PHOTO: Zooey Deschanel attends the GQ

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images6. Zooey Deschanel

From the "It Girl" to "The New Girl." On the quirky Fox comedy, Zooey Deschanel plays a woman who moves in with a trio of single guys she found on Craigslist. It's a modern take on "Three's Company," turned on its head.

"'The New Girl' is one of the most popular shows of the new primetime season," said Erlich. "So Zooey went from being the object of affection for a lot of nerdy guys in movies, to being the object of a lot of nerdy guys on television."

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars Top 11 Breakout Stars of 2011 PHOTO: Emily VanCamp arrives at the 16th Annual GQ

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic/Getty Images7. Emily VanCamp

"Revenge" might be a dish best served cold, but the star of this ABC drama is on this year's hot list. Emily VanCamp plays Emily Thorne, a vengeful vigilante out to seek retribution on the people who caused the destruction of her family and the death of her father. VanCamp, 25, previously starred on "Brothers and Sisters" and "Everwood."

"She popped up in this incredible show 'Revenge,' and it's been really a breakout hit of the year," said Garcia.

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars 'Brothers and Sisters' Star Seeks 'Revenge' PHOTO: American Idol winner Scotty McCreery performs during the 2011

Janette Pellegrini/Getty Images8. Scotty McCreery

"American Idol" champ Scotty McCreery's debut album, "Clear As Day," has sold more than a half million copies and has been at the top of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart since its October release. In 2012, McCreery will head out on tour with Brad Paisley.

"You're going from reality TV star, and you have to cross that bridge to country music singer," McCreery told Robin Roberts earlier this year. "So I've gotta work hard and try to make that bridge and try to go across to being that country music singer and staying on the charts and staying around for awhile to make music."

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars Scotty McCreery: 'I'm a Normal Dude' PHOTO: Nicki Minaj performs during the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory Nov. 9, 2011 in New York City.

PHOTO: Nicki Minaj performs during the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory Nov. 9, 2011 in New York City.

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty9. Nicki Minaj

"Super Bass" hip hop artist Nicki Minaj's over the top get-ups were the most-Googled Halloween costumes this year, complete with YouTube tutorials on how to best resemble the 29-year-old rapper.

"If you put Katy Perry and 'Lil Kim into a blender, Nicki Minaj would come out of it," said Castro.

"She's the first artist to have seven singles in the hot 100, and the first female artist to have a number one song in the hot 100 rap list, since 2002," said Erlich.

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars Hip-Hop Superwoman Nicki Minaj PHOTO: Rooney Mara poses during a photocall in Stockholm in this Nov. 21, 2011 file photo.

Claudio Bresciani/AFP/Getty Images10. Rooney Mara

Rooney Mara's breakout role is coming at the very end of 2011, but is sure to make the young actress a household name. Mara stars as Lisbeth Salandar in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," the firm film based on Stieg Larsson's blockbuster "Millennium Trilogy" books.

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars Top 10 Holiday Season Movies PHOTO: Adele arrives for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2011 at Grosvenor House in this Sept. 6, 2011 file photo in London.

PHOTO: Adele arrives for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2011 at Grosvenor House in this Sept. 6, 2011 file photo in London.

Dave Hogan/Getty Images11. Adele

And British pop star Adele is rolling in dough thanks to her Grammy-nominated hit "Rolling in the Deeo" off the quadruple-platinum selling album "21."

"I think her record is one of those rare, rare records that hipsters and grandmothers both like and probably for the same reason," said Larry Hackett, People Magazine's managing editor. "I think the songs are incredibly well crafted, her voice is incredibly pure, and every single song is great."

But that pure voice might have been pushed too far during a grueling world tour, forcing the 23-year-old singer to undergo surgery last month for a vocal hemorrhage.

"It was terrible luck, because she was white hot, and then she got these throat problems, and had to cancel shows, and just when she was gaining this momentum, you know, this thing happened. But she's so young. We are going to see so much more of her," said Castro.

It's a safe bet we'll be seeing much more of all these fresh faces and breakout stars in 2012.

More on "The Year" from People magazine.

MORE COVERAGE

The Year: Breakout Stars Top 11 Breakout Stars of 2011 More from ABC News Top 11 TV Moments of 2011 Year in Movies: Great Films of 2011 Who Are 2011's Most Fascinating People?Top 11 Scandals of 2011 The Year: Breakout Stars The Year: Scandals and Meltdowns More Video » Comment & ContributeDo you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News. Watch Mornings on ABC VIDEO:The GOP Race to Iowa Intensifies.

Watch the Full Episode GMA 12/29: The GOP Race to Iowa... Robin Roberts Recommends robin

Exclusive Deals, Just for 'GMA' Viewers!A Look Back at News, Trends and More PHOTOS: Middleton Dazzles in New Earrings Most Viewed >

Texas Teen Posted Videos Before Christmas Death Teen Gives Birth, Loses Cancer Fight Man, 99, Divorcing Wife Over Affair 60 Years Ago Photos: Solo Katy Perry Shows Off Bod Photos: Chimp Victim Charla Nash's New Face Photos: Steven Tyler Engaged, Jeweler Says More Popular News » ABC News on Facebook Follow Us ABC News NewslettersMore Newsletters » More you'll love on

Karaoke Battle USA Who is ABC's at home Karaoke King and Queen? Vote now

The Lying Game Watch ALL NEW Mondays at 8/7c. Get a sneak peek now. Click here.

Today in ABC NewsABC News Home »

Sections

News Politics Investigative Health Entertainment Money Technology Travel Recipes Behind the Scenes News Topics

Shows

Good Morning America World News with Diane Sawyer Nightline This Week with Christiane Amanpour 20/20 Primetime What Would You Do?ABC News Now ABC.com

Tools

iPad App Mobile Register Sign In Facebook Twitter Blogs Emails & News Alerts Message Boards RSS Headlines

About

Contact Us Feedback Advertising Privacy Policy Interest-Based Ads Terms of Use ABC News Store Site Map Site Index Authors List function fbInit(){if(!window.fbLoaded || window.fbLoaded == undefined){FB.init({ appId : 'fa71b3ce3ced40d47a4850f185b245d9', channelUrl: 'http://a.abcnews.go.com/assets/static/perm_cache/channel.html', cookie: true, xfbml : true // parse XFBML});fbLoaded = true;}}