10 things you need to know today: December 6, 2014

1. American hostage Luke Somers killed by al Qaeda in failed rescue attempt

American photojournalist Luke Somers, 33, was killed during a failed U.S.-led rescue attempt in Yemen, officials said on Saturday. South African hostage Pierre Korkie, who an aid group said was due to be released just one day later, on Sunday, was also killed. Al Qaeda militants had released an online video threatening to kill Somers, who was kidnapped in September 2013. That led President Barack Obama to authorize a rescue attempt for Somers, along with any other hostages being held at the same location. But a Yemeni official said the two men were shot either before or during the raid.

The Associated Press

2. Rolling Stone apologizes for 'discrepancies' in UVA rape story

Will Dana, the managing editor of Rolling Stone, wrote an open letter on Friday saying the magazine may have "misplaced" its trust in the source of an article entitled "A rape on campus," which described the brutal gang rape of University of Virginia student Jackie at a fraternity house. A new report in The Washington Post claims that there are a number of discrepancies in the details of Jackie's rape account, such as whether Phi Kappa Psi, the fraternity in question, held a party on Sept. 28, 2012, as the Rolling Stone article stated.

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The Washington Post Rolling Stone

3. Obama officially nominates Ashton Carter for defense secretary

President Barack Obama officially nominated former Pentagon official Ashton Carter for defense secretary on Friday. Carter, who would replace Chuck Hagel, has a degree in physics from Yale and has served in a number of roles at the Defense Department, focusing on areas such as budget and military acquisitions. Carter called the nomination an "honor and a privilege."

NPR

4. France will pay reparations to American Holocaust survivors

Following a year's worth of negotiations with the Obama administration, France has agreed to compensate American Holocaust survivors who were deported to Nazi death camps via French trains. The agreement will be signed on Monday. A $60 million lump sum payment will be distributed across survivors deemed eligible, or their heirs. Officials estimate that survivors who apply for compensation "could receive payment well over $100,000."

The Washington Post

5. Chinese officials arrest former security chief for leaking secrets

Chinese officials have arrested ex-domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang for crimes ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, a national news agency reported around midnight on Friday. Zhou was expelled from the ruling Communist Party, and it is unclear whether he has a lawyer or will receive an open trial. One of China's most powerful politicians of the past decade, Zhou is the latest in a string of high-profile figures charged in what President Xi Jingping says is a crackdown on corruption.

Reuters

6. United States adds 321,000 jobs in November

The U.S. economy added far more jobs than expected in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday. Non-farming payroll jobs increased by 321,000, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.8 percent. Economists polled by Reuters had estimated there would be just an additional 230,000 jobs added. And, the BLS noted that the job gains were "widespread," across various fields, including growth in "professional and business services, retail trade, health care, and manufacturing."

NBC News Reuters

7. More than 20 people blind following cataract surgery in India

At least 24 people were blinded by cataract surgeries performed at a free medical clinic in India's Punjab state last month, Indian authorities report. Officials have launched an investigation into the clinic, and they have already arrested at least one doctor. The clinic performed at least 130 cataract operations on patients in November, and the investigation comes just a month after 13 women died following sterilization surgeries in Chhattisgarh state.

The Associated Press

8. NASA's Orion spacecraft successfully finishes test flight

Flying faster and farther than any spacecraft meant for human passengers since the Apollo moon program, NASA's Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. The capsule traveled twice around Earth in four-and-a-half hours, reaching a zenith of 3,604 miles. Intended to fly astronauts into space beginning as early as 2021, this journey was uncrewed, but NASA's mission control commentator Rob Navias said it was "the most perfect flight you could ever imagine…There's your new spacecraft, America."

The Associated Press

9. Study finds obesity can decrease life expectancy by 8 years

A study from McGill University found that obesity can shorten a person's life expectancy by as many as eight years. Young people who are obese are at the highest risk; the sooner a person becomes obese, the more health risks he or she has. The study, published on Thursday in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, found obesity linked to an increased risk of heart disease, as well as type 2 diabetes. Both reduce life expectancy and cause chronic illness.

Time

10. Beyonce becomes most Grammy-nominated woman

Slipping past Dolly Parton with just one more Grammy nomination, Beyonce is now the most-nominated woman in the award show's 57-year history. Dolly Parton's record was 46 Grammy nominations, which Beyonce surpassed on Friday thanks to her nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album for her eponymous disc.

Billboard