The super typhoon hitting the Philippines is one of the strongest storms ever recorded. (AP Photos/Nelson Salting)
The Week
The strongest storm of the year hits the Philippines, Twitter shares soar in their debut, and more
1. Historic typhoon slams into the Philippines
Super Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm of 2013, struck the central Philippines early Friday, killing at least four people. More than 700,000 people evacuated their homes. Weather stations put its top sustained winds at 124 miles per hour, although it had sustained winds of 195 mph as it approached land. “There aren’t too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind,” said Jeff Masters of Weather Underground. [Associated Press]
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2. Obama says he is sorry some people will have to change health coverage
President Obama apologized Thursday to Americans who will lose their current health-insurance plans and have to get new policies because of the Affordable Care Act. Obama had repeatedly said those happy with their policies could keep them, but some people whose coverage doesn’t meet ObamaCare’s standards will have to change. “I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me,” Obama said. [New York Daily News]
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3. Twitter shares skyrocket on their first day of trading
Twitter shares soared Thursday in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange, rising as high as $50 from an opening price of $26 a share, before closing at $44.90. The surge, on a day when financial markets overall sank, proved that investors were excited about the microblogging site’s IPO — the tech industry’s biggest since Facebook’s in May 2012. Facebook raised $18 billion in the biggest internet IPO ever; Twitter raised $1.8 billion. [CBS News]
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4. Kerry joins Iran nuclear talks as optimism grows
Secretary of State John Kerry is flying to Geneva on Friday to help resolve sticking points in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, as hope for a deal rises. Kerry’s French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, is also joining the talks. The news came after Iran’s foreign minister and chief negotiator, Javad Zarif, said “an understanding or an agreement” might be possible by the time the two days of meetings end Friday night. [CNN]
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5. Senate approves bill to ban workplace discrimination against gays
The Senate on Thursday passed a bill discriminating against workers over their sexual preference or gender identity. Ten Republicans joined the Senate’s Democrats in a 64-32 vote that signaled how sharply views on gay rights have shifted in recent years. The bill faces strong opposition, though, in the GOP-controlled House, where Speaker John Boehner says he won’t even bring the legislation to the floor. [San Francisco Chronicle]
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6. Evangelist Billy Graham speaks out on his 95th birthday
Billy Graham delivered what was billed as his final sermon Thursday night at a party to celebrate his 95th birthday. The evangelist addressed hundreds of well-wishers in an Asheville, N.C., ballroom through a video that was recorded over the past year, in which he said the country is following the wrong path. “There have been times that I’ve wept as I’ve gone from city to city,” he said, “and I’ve seen how far people have wandered from God.” [USA Today]
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7. October jobs numbers are expected to show effects of shutdown
Economists expect the October employment report, which will be released Friday morning, to show that the unemployment rate rose from 7.2 percent to 7.3 percent, the first increase since May. Forecasters say employers probably added 122,000 jobs during the month, down from 148,000 in September and far below the average of 180,000 in the first nine months of the year. Many economists blame the anticipated decline on the two-week government shutdown, and expect a reversal in November. (UPDATE: 8:36 a.m.: The report shows the economy added 204,000 jobs in October, far more than expected.) [Associated Press]
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8. Video shows Toronto’s embattled mayor in a violent rant
Two days after Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted he had smoked crack in a drunken stupor, theToronto Star posted a video online showing Ford, slurring his words and saying he was going to rip someone’s “f—ing throat out.” Someone apparently secretly videotaped the rant using a cellphone camera. Ford promptly apologized. “It’s extremely embarrassing…” he said. “Obviously, I was extremely, extremely inebriated.” [Toronto Star]
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9. The FDA proposes ridding the food supply of trans fats
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing standards to effectively ban artificial trans fatsfrom American diets. The FDA plan, unveiled Thursday, would prevent companies from using partially hydrogenated oils, the source of trans fats, in food products, such as microwave popcorn and frozen pizzas, unless they can prove it poses no health threat. The move could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths a year, the FDA said. [New York Times]
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10. The Sochi Olympic torch makes history in space
Crew members on the International Space Station are preparing to take the torch for the 2014 Winter Olympics on a space walk Saturday. The torch has been in space before — aboard the space shuttle Atlantis in 1996 — but this is its first trip outside an orbiting spacecraft. The torch won’t be lit during its four days at the space station — that would be dangerous — but it will be part of the longest (39,000 miles) torch relay in history. [Irish Independent]
