Turkey’s President Wants to Be More Like Adolf Hitler

Umit Bektas—ReutersTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during his meeting with mukhtars at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on Nov. 26, 2015.

(ANKARA, Turkey) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is pushing for constitutional changes that would turn Turkey’s political system into a presidential system expanding the powers of his office, has cited Hitler’s Germany as an example.

Asked whether the system he wants could exist within a “unitary state”, Erdogan told reporters late Thursday that Hitler’s Germany was one example in history, among others, where the presidential system had functioned.

Erdogan said: “When you look at Hitler’s Germany, you’ll see it there.”

His words were reported by the Dogan news agency and others on Friday. There was no immediate reaction from opposition leaders.

The existing constitution limits the powers of the president. Critics fear that a presidential system would give far-reaching powers to Erdogan, who has already displayed an increasingly authoritarian tendency.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Is About to Break Titanic’s Record

LucasfilmStar Wars: The Force Awakens

Today in how many box office records can Star Wars: The Force Awakens break, Disney reports that the new film will end 2015 with a domestic total of $652 million after only 13 days in theaters.

That makes The Force Awakensthe second-biggest domestic movie of 2015 and the fourth-biggest of all time. Even more impressive: By the end of New Year’s Day, it will have passed both Jurassic World ($652.3 million) and Titanic ($658.7 million) to become the second-biggest domestic movie of all time. The Force Awakens is currently about $100 million shy of passing Avatar to become the highest-grossing domestic movie ever.

Internationally, The Force Awakens has pulled in $679.2 million for a worldwide total of $1.33 billion.The Force Awakens currently sits as the eighth-biggest movie of all time, and the fourth-biggest movie of 2015, behind Jurassic World ($1.67 billion),Furious 7 ($1.52 billion), and Avengers: Age of Ultron($1.41 billion).

This year’s box office total hit a record height of $11 billion, making 2015 the highest-earning domestic year in box office history.

On Thursday, The Force Awakens became the highest-grossing domestic Disney film of all time. Just a few days prior, it became the fastest movie ever to hit $1 billion worldwide, doing so just 12 days after its world premiere.The Force Awakens has opened in all international territories except China, where it will debut on Jan. 9.

Man attacks soldiers guarding French mosque with his car

PARIS –  A local official says a man has rammed his car into four soldiers guarding a mosque in the French city of Valence. Mayor Nicolas Daragon says one soldier fired and wounded the attacker who was hospitalized.

Daragon said that the man wasn't immediately identified, and his motives were being investigated.

The mayor told iTele TV a passerby was wounded in the leg by a bullet,.

The secretary-general of the prosecutor's office, Frederic Ouiseau, told the station that authorities must be "extremely prudent about the motive" of the attack.

France is on high alert after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people. The soldiers are part of the reinforced security guarding places of worship and other sensitive sites.

Twitter 'confuses' Iyad El-Baghdadi for Islamic State leader

An Arab Spring activist says his Twitter account was suspended after administrators mistook him for the leader of the so-called Islamic State.

Iyad El-Baghdadi said his account was suspended for about half an hour.

Mr El Baghdadi had been misidentified as IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Indonesian newspaper Republika and the New York Post.

He has more than 70,000 Twitter followers and frequently mocks IS. Twitter has made no comment.

Twitter recently updated its rules on "abusive behaviour and hateful conduct" in a bid to better protect users. It has been criticised for not doing enough to stop IS using the platform for propaganda purposes.

The company says users are not allowed to threaten or promote terrorism.

Mr El Baghdadi told the BBC he received a message from Twitter saying he had "violated" its rules but not specifying the offence. He has accused Twitter of being racist.

"I don't think a single Arab country exists that doesn't have a family with the surname El-Baghdadi," he tweeted.

The activist, who also researches radicalisation, said the alleged incident raised questions about Twitter's security processes. He said the company needed to be "more transparent" about why and how people are suspended.

Twitter should "engage power users who deal with trolls regularly", he added.

The company does not comment on individual users' cases for privacy reasons.

Judge rules Bill Cosby's wife must give deposition in civil suit against husband

The wife of comedian Bill Cosby must give a deposition to lawyers representing seven of his alleged sexual assault victims, a federal judge ruled Thursday. 

The Boston Globe reported that U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy rejected Camille Cosby's motion to quash a subpoena, saying in part that "Mrs. Cosby’s dual role as [Cosby]’s wife and business manager, render it at least plausible that Mrs. Cosby is in possession of information" relevant to the lawsuit filed against Bill Cosby in federal court in Massachusetts. 

Hennessy's ruling came one day after Cosby was charged in Pennsylvania with aggravated indecent assault over claims that he drugged and sexually assaulted a woman less than half his age at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. The charge was brought after a barrage of accusations from dozens of women, including the seven who filed the civil suit. 

The women allege that Cosby sexually assaulted them years ago, then used his representatives to defame them in the press when they came forward. 

Attorneys for the women had claimed in court papers that Camille Cosby "has more knowledge of Mr. Cosby’s sexual proclivities and encounters (consensual and nonconsensual), as well as his use of Quaaludes and other sedatives" than anyone apart from Cosby himself. Camille Cosby's attorneys claimed that the subpoena was a "thinly veiled attempt to pressure" the Emmy-winning entertainer.

Cosby has acknowledged a string of extramarital affairs and sexual encounters, but has insisted that all were consensual. Cosby, who makes his home mostly in Shelburne Falls, Mass., has also admitted that he obtained quaaludes in the 1970s to give to women "the same as a person would say, 'Have a drink.'" However, he denied giving women drugs without their knowledge.

In addition to the criminal case and the Massachusetts civil case, Cosby also faces defamation and sexual-abuse lawsuits filed in Los Angeles and Pennsylvania. But in nearly every case, it is too late to file criminal charges. One exception: a 2008 case involving a model at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. It is still under investigation by police.

New Guidelines 'To Tell Drinkers To Cut Back'

The current NHS guidance on alcohol was issued 20 years ago

A reduction in the maximum daily intake for men to the same level for women is also expected to be announced by chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies, the Daily Mail said.

The report will say there is no "safe" alcohol limit and even drinking small amounts could cause illnesses including cancer.

Dame Sally has been leading a review into the current NHS guidance on alcohol, which was established more than 20 years ago.

The current guidelines say men should not drink more than three to four units a day - up to 21 units or less per week - while women should drink no more than two to three units a day, or 14 units a week.

Since the review was launched in 2012, scientific research has emerged suggesting abstaining from alcohol could help prevent serious illness, particularly later on in life.

A recent University College London study found patients who gave up for four weeks saw benefits for their liver function, blood pressure and cholesterol levels and were also at lower risk of developing diabetes and liver disease.

Man Mauled To Death By His Own Dog

The fatal dog attack happened at an address in Dundonald Street

The victim was treated at the scene by paramedics but he subsequently died of his injuries.

The dog, which belonged to the man, was taken from the property in Dundonald Street, and was put down by vets.

Police were called to the address by the ambulance service at around 3.45pm on New Year's Day, following reports a man had been bitten by a dog.

DI Jane Webb of Preston CID said: "This is a tragic incident in which a man has sadly died.

"Enquiries are on-going to establish the exact circumstances and my thoughts very much remain with his family who are being supported by specially trained officers at this time."