News Headlines - 31 December 2011

▽North Korea names Kim Jong Un Supreme Commander - CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57350390/north-korea-names-kim-jong-un-supreme-commander/
North Korea said Saturday that it has officially named Kim Jong Un as Supreme Commander, giving formal approval to his control of the country's 1.2 million-strong military and further strengthening his authority in the wake of Kim Jong Il's death.

▽Seventeen dead as Syrians stage mass protests - Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/30/us-syria-idUSTRE7BO0B620111230
Syrian security forces, undaunted by the presence of Arab League observers, have killed at least 12 protesters as hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, opposition activists said.

▽Fukushima nuclear cleanup could take 30 years - Deutsche Welle
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15636914,00.html
When the magnitude-9.3 earthquake hit Japan on March 11, it set off a nuclear disaster that will leave Japan suffering for decades from the consequences of meltdowns and radiation exposure.

▽New Year Honours for the great, the good – and the Tory donors - The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/new-year-honours-for-the-great-the-good--and-the-tory-donors-6283148.html
A Conservative donor who made millions by short-selling banking shares and a property developer who was jailed for his part in one of Britain's largest stock exchange frauds today both receive awards in the New Year Honours list.

▽iPhone Siri software tells boy, 12, to 'shut up' in Tesco - Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/8984155/iPhone-Siri-software-tells-boy-12-to-shut-up-in-Tesco.html
Charlie Le Quesne was trying out the iPhone 4S at a Tesco store in Coventry when it told him: "Shut the f*** up, you ugly t***."
The boy had been using the phone's Siri system – which answers spoken questions – and had asked it: "How many people are there in the world?"