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December 23, 2013 | | HOSPITALITY, WINK Dennis Rodman returned from his third North Korean trip on Monday, refusing to comment if he had met with Kim Jong Un this time. But sources tell The Daily Beast's Josh Rogin that Rodman had some extracurricular activities the last time he visited North Korea, with rumors flying that Kim provided Rodman with "specialized personal entertainments of the female persuasion," according to one expert. Rodman himself says he spent seven days on Kim's "Pleasure Island," a "seven-star" resort rumored to have alcohol, jet-skis, private yachts, and scores of personal servants. "It's like going to Hawaii or Ibiza, but he's the only one that lives there," Rodman said at the time. AMNESTY Some good news just before Christmas. The two jailed members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot were released from prison Monday and granted amnesty—although one of the two women, Masha Alyokhina, 25, refused to give Russian President Vladimir Putin any credit. "I do not think it is a humanitarian act, I think it is a PR stunt," Alyokhina said. Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich were convicted last year of hooliganism for a "punk prayer" protest at a church that criticized Putin. Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were both sentenced to two years in prison, while Samutsevich received a suspended sentence. Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike in September to protest the conditions at the penal colony, and her husband said last month she disappeared. She was found at a remote hospital three weeks later. TRAGEDY Dmitriy Kanarikov entered a 52-story high-rise in Manhattan on Sunday afternoon with his 3-year-old son, Kirill, reportedly clad in his Christmas pajamas. What happened next is unclear, but it appears that Kanarikov then threw his son off the roof of the building before jumping off himself. The Daily Beast's Michael Daly reports on how Kanarikov went from his September vow to be the "best father ever" to Sunday's tragedy. CHRISTMAS WEATHER Nasty winter weather wreaked havoc in 35 states Sunday, snarling holiday travel. Heavy snow fell in the Midwest, paralyzing a stretch from Oklahoma to Wisconsin. In the Northeast, unseasonably warm temperatures meant flash-flood warnings, and New York's Central Park hit a record 65 degrees. Meanwhile, New England and Canada were hit by a nasty ice storm, which left thousands without power, including Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. About 1,105 flights were canceled and 11,518 flights were delayed through Sunday night, according to FlightAware.com. UNREST Rebels in South Sudan seized control of the key city of Bentiu, the capital of the oil-rich Unity State, the government announced Sunday. The government insisted it is still in control of the nation's oil fields—and nearly 99 percent of the country's revenue comes from oil. Bentiu is now in the hands of an army commander who has declared loyalty to former Vice President Riek Machar, who is now a rebel leader. Clashes began in South Sudan's capital, Juba, last week between forces loyal to Machar and others who remained in support of President Salva Kiir. Kiir has accused Machar of staging a coup, and Machar has accused Kiir of purging Machar's allies. | | 
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