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Heavy winds knock over Christmas tree in front of White House

The National Christmas Tree in front of the White House fell down Tuesday afternoon amid high winter winds.

The tree, a 40-foot Norway spruce from West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest, had been planted just two weeks ago on the White House Ellipse, an area known as President's Park. According to the National Park Service, it fell over around 1 p.m. Tuesday amid heavy wind gusts that reached as high at 46 mph at nearby Reagan National Airport.

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Jimmy Carter set to lead presidents, first ladies in mourning and celebrating Rosalynn Carter

Rosalynn Carter will be memorialized Tuesday with classical music and beloved hymns, some of her favorite Biblical passages, and a rare gathering of all living U.S. first ladies and multiple presidents, including her 99-year-old husband Jimmy Carter.

The tribute service at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta falls on the second of a three-day schedule of public events celebrating the former first lady and global humanitarian who died Nov. 19 at home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96. Tributes began Monday in the Carters' native Sumter County and continued in Atlanta as she lay in repose at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Center.

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Miss Universe winner exposes deep political divide in Nicaragua

Nicaragua's increasingly isolated and repressive government thought it had scored a rare public relations victory last week when Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition.

But the "legitimate joy and pride" President Daniel Ortega's government expressed in a statement Sunday after the win quickly turned to angry condemnation, after it emerged that Palacios graduated from a college that was the center of 2018 protests against the regime — and apparently participated in the marches.

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Sarandon, Barrera dropped from Hollywood companies for Pro-Palestine comments

Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and "Scream" star Melissa Barrera were each dropped by Hollywood companies after making comments on the Israel-Hamas war that some deemed antisemitic.

Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the upcoming "Scream VII," acknowledged Barrera's exit from the horror franchise. The Mexican-born actress, who starred in "In the Heights" and the two recent "Scream" installments, had posted statements on Instagram Stories calling the war "genocide and ethnic cleansing."

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Hong Kong's Disneyland opens 1st Frozen-themed attraction

Hong Kong Disneyland opened its first Frozen-themed attraction on Monday, with thousands of eager visitors turning up to experience the new rides, some lining up for hours to get an early start.

Based on Disney's wildly popular Frozen animation film, the new section of the park features landscapes and characters from the movie and two new rides, a roller coaster and a boat ride that takes visitors through different scenes featured in the film.

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Shakira reaches deal with Spanish prosecutors on first day of tax fraud trial

After having maintained her innocence for nearly five years, pop star Shakira struck a last-minute deal to avoid the risk of going to prison on the opening day of her tax fraud trial in Barcelona on Monday.

Shakira told the presiding magistrate, José Manuel del Amo, that she accepted the agreement reached with prosecutors. She answered "yes" to confirm her acknowledgement of six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.

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Britney Spears memoir remains top seller in second week of release

Britney Spears' "The Woman in Me" remained the country's top-selling book in its second week of publication, although the pace of sales fell substantially.

The singer's memoir sold just over 132,000 copies last week, according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of hardcover and paperback sales. The week before "The Woman in Me" sold more than 400,000 physical copies.

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Spain's Crown Princess turns 18, is feted as future queen at swearing-in ceremony

The heir to the Spanish throne, Princess Leonor, swore allegiance to her country's Constitution on her 18th birthday Tuesday, laying the groundwork for her eventual succession as queen when the time comes.

The nationally televised ceremony in the lower house of parliament is understood to symbolize the continuity of Spain's parliamentary monarchy and the institution's allegiance to the chamber.

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Matthew Perry, Emmy-nominated 'Friends' star, dead at 54

"Friends" star Matthew Perry, the Emmy-nominated actor whose sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing was among television's most famous and most quotable characters, has died at 54.

The actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry's death.

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Last new Beatles song, 'Now And Then,' to be released next week

Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release next week of what is promised to be the last "new" Beatles song.

The track, called "Now And Then," will be available Thursday, Nov. 2, as part of a single paired with "Love Me Do," the very first Beatles single that came out in 1962 in England, it was announced Thursday.

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