Breaking: The plane carrying Italian designer Vittorio Missoni, 58, his wife and another couple has gone missing off the coast of Venezuela after taking off from a resort. An air and sea search is underway.

National: Facing the wrath of East Coast politicians after initial delay, the House passed $9.7 billion in aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy. A vote on another $51 billion is scheduled for Jan. 15^th. But political leaders of NY and New Jersey are still unhappy that it’s taking so long.

• The NY Times reports that Lance Armstrong is weighing the possibility of admitting doping during his run of bicycle racing championships. Armstrong was stripped of seven Tour de France titles but has always vehemently denied doping.
•  An American Eagle pilot about to fly a passenger plane from Minneapolis/ St. Paul to NYC was arrested on suspicion he was drunk. Authorities were tipped by someone who said they smelled alcohol on the pilot’s breath.

World: The 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating education for girls has been released from the hospital in England. She still needs reconstructive surgery and will be treated as an outpatient.

•  Wildfires are burning out of control on the Australian island of Tasmania. At least 100 homes have been destroyed and some people have taken refuge on the beach.
•  A cat was apprehended entering a Brazilian prison with contraband taped to his body: drill bits, files, a mobile phone and charger, and earphones. He’s been taken to a shelter, in other words, cat prison.

Guns & Ammo: The police chief in Waterbury, Ct. has suspended permits for gun shows saying he’s concerned that a weapon bought at one of those shows could be used in a mass shooting. The local newspaper recently printed an ad for a gun show next to a story about the Newtown massacre.

Passing: John Sheardown, a Canadian diplomat who hid four American refugees from the US Embassy during the Iran hostage crisis, has died at age 88. It was reported that when Sheardown was asked whether he would shelter the Americans in his home he replied, “Hell, yes, of course.” Two other Americans were taken in by the Canadian Ambassador himself during an incident that provided the plot for the recent movie Argo, although Sheardown is not a character in the film.

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