5 Things You May Have Missed This Weekend
From Iran nuclear talks to one town's problem with Winnie the Pooh.
— -- A grand jury's impending decision to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot black 18-year-old Michael Brown, has kept Ferguson, Mo., and the country on edge. Here are 5 other things that happened this weekend.
1. 'Significant' Gaps Remain in Talks Over Iran Nuke Program as Deadline Looms, Obama Says
The U.S. told Iran Sunday that it's time to consider extending nuclear talks, in the first formal recognition by Washington that frenzied last-minute diplomacy may not be enough to seal a deal by a rapidly approaching deadline.
Just days before the deadline, President Obama said that the differences between the two sides remained "significant," indicating that the administration was doubtful a deal could get done.
"The good news is that the interim deal that we entered into has definitely stopped Iran's nuclear program from advancing. .... So it's been successful," Obama told "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview. "Now the question is, can we get to a more permanent deal? And the gaps are still significant."
Obama said if an agreement is reached, he was confident he could convince a skeptical Congress of its strength in preventing Iran from creating a nuclear weapon, even as members of the incoming Republican majority insist they'll impose additional sanctions on Iran if they don't like the deal.
2. Former earthquake.htm" id="ramplink_DC_" target="_blank">DC Mayor Marion Barry Dies at 78
A controversial and tireless advocate for the nation's capital who created jobs for generations of black families, Marion Barry was the ultimate District of Columbia politician, though his arrest for drug use in the midst of a crack cocaine epidemic often overshadows his accomplishments.
The former four-term mayor will long be remembered for one night in 1990 when he was caught on video lighting a crack pipe in an FBI sting operation. In an instant, the then-mayor of the capital city was exposed as a drug user himself.
Barry died Sunday at 78. His family said Barry died at the United Medical Center, after having been released from Howard University Hospital on Saturday. No cause of death was given, but his spokeswoman LaToya Foster said he collapsed outside his home.
3. Damage Worse Than Thought in Japanese Earthquake
The damage from an overnight earthquake in a mountainous area of central Japan that hosted the 1998 winter Olympics proved more extensive than initially thought.
A daylight assessment Sunday found at least 50 homes destroyed in two villages, and 41 people injured across the region, including seven seriously, mostly with broken bones, officials said.
The magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday west of Nagano city at a depth of 5 kilometers (3 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The agency revised the magnitude and depth from initial estimates. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 6.2. Since the quake occurred inland, there was no possibility of a tsunami.
4. MIT's Unlikely, Undefeated Football Team by the Numbers
They're brainiacs with brawn.
During the day, students on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology football team study topics such as nuclear engineering and aeronautics, but for two hours every evening, they're on the gridiron. And now the unlikely jocks are making history in the sports world, winning their first-ever playoff game Saturday to remain undefeated.
"It's nice to see our players get this kind of attention for what they're doing on the field because they are all-stars, if you will, off the field," MIT Engineers head coach Chad Martinovich told ABC News today. "I am really proud of them and happy for them."
5. Polish Town Fights Winnie the Pooh Over Gender Questions
Officials in a Polish town have opposed a proposition to name a playground after Winnie-the-Pooh due to the bear's unclear gender and immodest clothing.
The matter was debated in a closed-door meeting weeks ago in the central Polish town of Tuszyn, but didn't get much media attention in Poland until recent days.
Voice recordings of the meeting were leaked to the media in which officials complained that Pooh Bear is immodestly dressed and also lacks a clear gender. One called the bear a "hermaphrodite."
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