Four Americans are killed in a military training exercise – The EU might be getting ready to turn the page with Cuba – Did someone deliberately poison kids' food in Japan? – There’s a place on earth where you can go to jail for comparing someone to a potato.

Four US Service members are believed dead in the crash of a helicopter in northern Norfolk, England.  The HH-60G Pave Hawk was taking part in a “low level” training exercise.  Some witnesses said it appeared to be trying to head out to the North Sea, possibly to ditch, but crashed in a nature reserve.

The US deep freeze has claimed at least 17 lives so far, and the Polar Vortex that caused it is moving east from Chicago and the Great Lakes to New York and the Eastern Seaboard.  The victims mostly succumbed to exposure, such as the 90-year old woman found close to her stranded car in Ohio.  However, traffic mishaps on snow-packs roads also factored in.  Seven thousand flights have been canceled over two days, and America’s already dismal national rail was delayed through the frozen area.

The US has called off its mega-icebreaker Polar Star, now that a Chinese and a Russian ship have broke through the Antarctic ice and are making their way to open sea.  The Akademik Shokalskiy and Xue Long plowed through a crack in the ice.  Meanwhile, the Aussies who were stranded on the Russian ship have made it to Casey base on the coast of East Antarctica for a short stopover before the Aurora Australis heads back to Hobart.

At least 350 people were made sick by pesticide-tainted frozen food produced by one of Japan’s largest firms, and it’s prompted a police investigation.  Pizzas, croquettes, and other items popular with children were soaked with massive amounts of malathion, which has nothing to do with the manufacturing process.  Many of the poison victims were concentrated in East Osaka, central Japan around Nagoya, and Sapporo in the north.

Chile is calling off the investigation into the death of President Salvador Allende, believed to have committed suicide as fascist thugs loyal to future dictator Augusto Pinochet closed in on him during the coup of 1973.  Many of Allende’s supporters still believe Pinochet’s forces murdered him, but the Supreme Court rejected two appeals for the investigation to be reopened.  Allende’s daughter, Senator Isabel Allende, says the family had received the news with great peace.

Dialogue with Cuba, not isolation:  That’s the recommendation of Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans to the European Union, urging the continent to change its relationship with the Communist-run Caribbean island.  Timmermans, who is visiting Cuba, notes that the EU’s stated goal is to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba, while improving the living standards of the Cuban people.  And that clearly has not happened in the five decades of US-led isolation.

A former Miss Venezuela and her ex-husband were shot dead in a roadside robbery in central Venezuela.  29-year old Monica Spear was the winner of the 2004 Miss Venezuela contest, and went on to become a popular soap opera actress.  The two were taking their 5-year old daighter on vacation – the girl was also injured in the attack.

An opposition leader in Zambia has been arrested and charged with defamation for comparing President Michael Sata to a potato.  Seriously, this is how they roll in Zambia.  Apparently, calling someone a “chumbu mushololwa” is a not-so-nice way to say they don’t listen to advice.  Frank Bwalya faces up to five years in prison for calling the president a potato.

Elvis Presley would have been 79-years old today.