Knockout: The story of the week is what’s called “the knockout game” in which teenage boys and young men try to knock out random targets with one punch. Grainy surveillance video from several cities shows young men suddenly punching victims and dropping them to the sidewalk. Some police departments are trying to figure whether there really is such a game or if these are just random attacks. A spokesman for the Jersey City police said, “If there ever was an urban myth, this was it.” But four people have died in attacks attributed to the game. Syracuse, NY has had two fatal knockouts. A police sergeant there told the NY Times,  “I think it’s very real.”

Iran Nukes: Sec. of State John Kerry is in Geneva today trying to reach a deal that would freeze Iran’s nuclear development program. A sticking point is Iran’s insistence on its right to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes. Representatives of Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany would have to agree.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said “narrow gaps” remain on several issues. He told reporters, “We’re not here because things are necessarily finished. We’re here because they’re difficult, and they remain difficult.”

Healthcare: The Obama administration announced that people have an additional eight days, until Dec. 23, to buy health insurance that starts Jan. 1. The extension was granted because of the technical problems with the Healthcare.gov website that have made it difficult or impossible to shop for health plans.

World: The number of Philippine dead in Typhoon Haiyan is now 5,200 with about 1200 people still missing. Four million people are left homeless or displaced by the storm.

• The president of Latvia described the collapse of a supermarket as a case of murder. Fifty-two people are confirmed dead and 10 families report missing relatives. The roof of the building was heavy with soil from a garden under construction. It gave way during an after-work rush of grocery shopping.
• China has expanded its air defense zone to include eight uninhabited islands whose ownership is disputed with Japan. China said aircraft entering the zone must identify themselves and declare their flight plans, making the islands a potential flashpoint for military conflict.

Game: Microsoft released its $499 Xbox One video game at midnight for a head to head Christmas confrontation with the new Sony PlayStation 4. Microsoft says it has sold 1 million boxes since midnight and users have already killed 60 million zombies.

Small Screen: Katie Couric is leaving ABC News after only two years at the network for a deal with Yahoo!. What time is Yahoo! on?

True North: Toronto’s crack-smoking mayor Rob Ford has an approval rating of 42%, higher than 41% for President Obama, who only has a cracked website.

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