1. China to loosen one-child policy
China is easing its one-child policy, which has been in place since 1980. Under the new law, parents will be able to have two children, as long as one of the parents is an only child. The reforms come amid concerns that China faces a labor shortage. [Wall Street Journal]
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2. Homeowner charged in shooting death of Renisha McBride
Theodore Paul Wafer, 54, has been charged with second-degree murder for the shooting of Renisha McBride. The unarmed 19-year-old died from a shotgun wound after reportedly knocking on Wafer's front door while looking for help after a car crash. The incident has raised questions of racial profiling, as Wafer is a white male and McBride a black teenage girl. [NBC News]
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3. ObamaCare sees a disappointing number of young people enroll
Only 106,000 people have signed up for health insurance through ObamaCare, far short of the 500,000 the White House wanted. Of those, only a small percentage are likely to be under 35 years old, according to officials from the state-run exchanges. ObamaCare could be in danger if not enough young people sign up to offset the cost of insuring older Americans. [Associated Press]
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4. Protests in Libya get violent
Gunmen opened fire into a crowd in Tripoli, Libya, killing at least 13 people and injuring 130 more. Protesters were demanding that the Misrata militia disarm and leave Tripoli. Since the fall of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya has been plagued by violence as militias battle for control of the country. [BBC]
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5. Official death count rises to 3,631 in Philippines
Health officials in the Philippines say that at least 3,631 have died as a result of Super Typhoon Haiyan, with the number of injured at 12,487 and climbing. In some areas there has been a "total absence of food and water," with victims forced to live off coconut juice. Search-and-rescue efforts continue in the central Philippines, especially in Tacloban City, where many bodies have been buried in mass graves. [CNN]
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6. White House nominates new surgeon general
Hallegere Murthy, co-founder of Doctors for America, which was an early promoter of the Affordable Care Act, has been nominated by the Obama administration to be the next surgeon general. Murthy, 36, is a doctor at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and a professor at Harvard Medical School. [Politico]
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7. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford gets his own TV show
Rob Ford, the Toronto mayor who admitted to smoking crack cocaine, will be the host of a new show called Ford Nation along with his brother, Doug. The show, which will air on Canada's Sun News Network, promises "no filter" from the mayor who has been criticized for several recent outbursts, including a graphic description of oral sex in front of stunned reporters. [CNN]
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8. Anonymous hacker sentenced to 10 years in prison
Jeremy Hammond, 28, a hacker with ties to Anonymous, was given his maximum prison sentence of 10 years after being found guilty of breaking into intelligence firm Stratfor's database and stealing 60,000 credit card numbers. Hammond also admitted to hacking into various law enforcement agencies and releasing details about officials. [Reuters]
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9. U.S. Postal Service loses $5 billion
Officials for the U.S. Postal Service announced that the agency lost $5 billion over the last fiscal year, an improvement over the year before, when it lost $15.9 billion. While revenue grew over 2012, mail volume declined to 158.4 billion pieces of mail from 159.9 billion the previous year. The USPS said it improved its financial situation through a staffing reduction and consolidating hundreds of mail processing plants. [New York Times]
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10. Miguel Cabrera wins second straight MVP award
Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera won the American League's Most Valuable Player award for the second season in a row after leading the majors with a batting average of .348, plus 44 home runs, the second highest in baseball. In the National League, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen was the MVP winner. [ESPN]
