Beyonce documentary premiering on HBO in February

NEW YORK (AP) -- Beyonce is getting personal.

HBO announced Monday that a documentary about the Grammy-winning singer will debut Feb. 16, 2013. Beyonce is directing the film, which will include footage she shot herself with her laptop.

The network said the documentary will include "video that provides raw, unprecedented access to the private entertainment icon and high-voltage performances." It will also feature home videos of her family and of the singer as a new mother and owner of her company, Parkwood Entertainment.

Beyonce said in a statement the untitled project was "personal" to her. She is married to Jay-Z. They had their first child, daughter Blue Ivy Carter, in January.

The 31-year-old will perform at the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 3, 13 days before the documentary airs.

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Camera sold for $2.19 million in Austria

VIENNA (AP) -- An Austrian photo gallery says a camera used by a photographer who documented the life of artist Pablo Picasso has sold for a world record price of (EURO)1.68 million ($2.19 million).

The Westlicht gallery says the Leica m3d belonged to David Douglas Duncan. The 96-year-old former photographer for LIFE magazine was a close friend of Picasso and published hundreds of exclusive photos of him.

Manufactured in 1955, the camera is one of four ever made, and the price is a world record for a commercially produced camera.

In a statement Monday, Westlicht says the second-highest price in the Saturday's sale was for a gold-plated Leica made in 1929, which sold for (EURO)1.02 million ($1.3 million).

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Holiday shopping season off to record start

NEW YORK (AP) -- If you make holiday shopping convenient, Americans will come in droves.

It's estimated that U.S. shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday. They were attracted by retailers' efforts to make shopping easier, including opening stores on Thanksgiving evening, updating mobile shopping applications for smartphones and tablets, and expanding shipping and layaway options.

All told, a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the four-day weekend starting on Thanksgiving, up 9.2 percent of last year, according to a survey of 4,000 shoppers that was conducted by research firm BIGinsight for the trade group. Americans spent more too: The average holiday shopper spent $423 over the entire weekend, up from $398 last year. Total spending over the four-day weekend totaled $59.1 billion, up 12.8 percent from 2011.

New chief of Sarkozy's dispute-racked party named

PARIS (AP) -- Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative party, now the main opposition force to France's governing Socialists, moved deeper into disarray on Monday in the latest chapter of a bitter leadership dispute that risks splitting the party in two.

A recount by a special party commission of the Nov. 18 vote for chief of the Union for a Popular Movement, or UMP, confirmed the narrow victory - 952 votes - of Jean-Francois Cope over former Prime Minister Francois Fillion.

But Fillon called the recount "illegal" and his lawyer raised the possibility of challenging the commission's objectivity in court. Some floated the idea of forming a separate UMP group in parliament. Fillon said he will decide his next step on Tuesday.

Giving J.R. Ewing his due: Larry Hagman gave TV its greatest (and most lovable) villain

NEW YORK (AP) -- One reason "Dallas" became a cultural phenomenon like none other is that Larry Hagman never took its magnitude for granted.

During an interview last June, he spoke of returning to Dallas and the real-life Southfork Ranch some months earlier to resume his role of J.R. Ewing for the TNT network's revival of the series. There at Southfork, now a major tourist attraction, he came upon a wall-size family tree diagramming the entanglement of "Dallas" characters.

"I looked at it and said `I didn't know I was related to HER!'" Hagman marveled. "And I didn't know THAT!"

Black Friday creeps into Thanksgiving permanently?

This season could mark the end of Black Friday as we know it.

For decades, stores have opened their doors in the wee hours on the day after Thanksgiving. But this year, major chains such as Target and Sears ushered in customers on Thanksgiving itself, even before the turkey leftovers had gotten cold, turning the traditional busiest shopping day of the year into a two-day affair.

Despite an outcry from some employees, both stores and shoppers seemed to like it. Some people went shopping with a full belly, going straight from the dinner table to the stores. Others slept off their big meal and went to the mall before daybreak on Black Friday.

In court and political wilderness, French ex-president questioned in campaign scandal

PARIS (AP) -- He faces the possibility of charges on allegations he took advantage of an aging heiress to get envelopes stuffed with illegal cash for his presidential campaign. His party is mired in an internal feud. And still France's conservatives see Nicolas Sarkozy as their best hope to return to power.

It's a sign of how polarizing the former president is for the French: Many were suspicious of his close ties to the wealthy and threw him out of office; supporters see him as the only person able to save the country's economy and wish he'd return. On Thursday, the former president was named a key - and potentially indictable - witness after 12 hours before a judge to answer questions about whether he accepted illegal campaign donations from the 90-year-old L'Oreal heiress, Liliane Bettencourt.

Party leaders, analysts see risks in crowded field to replace Illinois US Rep. Jackson Jr.

CHICAGO (AP) -- The jockeying to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. began before the ink was dry on the former congressman's resignation letter.

Among those expressing an interest: Chicago aldermen, a former NFL linebacker and a defense attorney who represented R&B singer R. Kelly and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

But as the field of would-be successors grows to a dozen or more names - one of whom may be another member of the Jackson family - party leaders and political analysts say a stampede of candidates could pose risks for the Democratic stronghold. Spread the field of candidates too thin, they say, and it becomes easier for a more conservative candidate - or anyone else party leaders don't want - to pull off a win.

Economy makes for tougher Thanksgiving journeys

CHICAGO (AP) -- Millions of Americans piled their families into cars, hopped on buses and waited out delays at airports Wednesday as they set off on Thanksgiving treks that many said required financial sacrifice, help from relatives to come up with airfare and hours searching online for deals.

Accepting that the road out of the recession will be long, many said they've become savvier or at least hardier travelers - resilient enough to brave a day-long drive with the kids or a long haul by bus instead of flying. Others adjusted their travel schedules to try to save money, flying on less popular days or to airports that were a bit farther from their destination.

Stocks creep higher on Wall Street ahead of Thanksgiving holiday

NEW YORK (AP) -- The stock market crept higher Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Major market indexes got a slight lift after news broke of a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The truce was announced by Egypt's foreign minister and confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A week of fighting has killed more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 48.38 points to 12,836.89. Three of the most expensive stocks in the average - Boeing, IBM and United Technologies - each rose more than 60 cents. Higher-priced stocks in the Dow carry more weight.

Pelosi says fiscal cliff deal possible, but must include tax rates hikes for the wealthy

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says she's hopeful lawmakers can come to a deal to avoid a year-end "fiscal cliff" but any agreement has to include tax rate increases for the wealthy.

She tells ABC's "This Week" that she can't accept a deal that caps deductions and closes some loopholes but does not alter current tax rates for the wealthy.

Close to half the states say they'll help carry out key component of Obama's health overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Threatened with repeal just weeks ago, President Barack Obama's health care law now appears on track in close to half the states, with others playing catch-up and the administration readying a fallback for states not wishing to participate.

Friday was the original deadline for states to notify Washington if they would play a role in building new health insurance markets through which the uninsured can get coverage starting in 2014. Though the administration granted a month's extension, most states have already made their intentions known.

Dutch fighter in Colombia peace talks role

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Tanja Nijmeijer, 34, is a middle-class child of the Netherlands who for the past decade has been mixed up in a Latin American revolution as a jungle fighter, at least once narrowly escaping death in a military bombardment.

And though her current role in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia is not exactly clear, Nijmeijer is drawing plenty of attention within the rebel delegation for peace talks that are set to begin Monday in Havana.

Colombian government officials privately grumble that Nijmeijer, the only known rebel fighter from outside Latin America, will be an unwelcome distraction at the talks on ending a half-century-old conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Multibillion-dollar health fund fires watchdog

GENEVA (AP) -- A $23-billion health fund trying to restore its image announced Thursday that it fired its top internal watchdog, whose office uncovered millions in financial losses that led some donors to withhold funding.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said in a statement its board had sacked Inspector General John Parsons "after a careful review of his performance, which was found to be unsatisfactory."

The fund was shaken after Associated Press articles last year reported on the millions of dollars in financial losses revealed by Parsons' office. The articles led some donors, including Germany and the European Commission, to temporarily withhold funding, and the fund scaled back spending.

Seattle police posts practical guide to legal pot use in the city, after voters legalize pot

SEATTLE (AP) -- When Washington state voters overwhelmingly legalized the recreational use of marijuana on Nov. 6, Seattle police knew they'd be getting a lot of questions.

And while many details surrounding the state's Dec. 6 decriminalization of pot remain, the department didn't shy away from answering what questions it could about Initiative 502, posting a funny, question-and-answer blog that has become a big web hit - having been viewed more than 120,000 times and shared more than 15,000 times on Facebook since it was posted Friday.

The result was "Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle," by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, a former journalist who wrote for The Stranger, a weekly alternative newspaper. He was hired by the police department earlier this year.

In UK, Twitter, Facebook rants land some in jail

LONDON (AP) -- One teenager made offensive comments about a murdered child on Twitter. Another young man wrote on Facebook that British soldiers should "go to hell." A third posted a picture of a burning paper poppy, symbol of remembrance of war dead.

All were arrested, two convicted, and one jailed - and they're not the only ones. In Britain, hundreds of people are prosecuted each year for posts, tweets, texts and emails deemed menacing, indecent, offensive or obscene, and the number is growing as our online lives expand.

Greek protesters target German officials at event

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) -- Dozens of Greek anti-austerity protesters forced their way into an exhibition site where Greek and German government officials were holding a conference, with some demonstrators almost breaking into the meeting before being repelled by riot police.

The protesting municipal workers pushed and threw coffee on a German consul, Wolfgang Hoelsche-Obermaier, as he arrived to attend the conference, which brought together Greek and German mayors in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

The workers later forced open shutters and tried to enter the building where the conference was held, but were pushed back by police.

Malaysians lose bid to halt rare earths plant

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysian activists lost a court battle Thursday to halt Australian miner Lynas Corp. from firing up a rare earths plant that has sparked health and safety concerns.

After months of delay, Lynas in September obtained the Malaysian government's approval to start processing rare earths, which are minerals crucial for manufacturing high-tech products.

But villagers and civic groups took the case to court, calling for the Australian company's operating license to be suspended until the court rules on whether it would permanently block production.