Balanced groups drawn for Russia 2018

Following a long road of qualifying joy and heartache, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ has finally snapped into focus after the Final Draw on 1 December in Moscow’s Kremlin State Palace.

Hosts Russia will open the event against Saudi Arabia at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on 14 June in Group A, while defending champions Germany were drawn into a tough Group F along with Mexico, Sweden and Korea Republic. According to the November FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, the toughest group is Group D which has France, Australia, Peru and Denmark.

The Final Draw ceremony took place inside the walls of the Kremlin with Gary Lineker hosting and an array of high-profile names on hand to assist with the draw. Legends representing the eight previous World Cup-winning nations and the hosts – France’s Laurent Blanc, England’s Gordon Banks, Brazil’s Cafu, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, Germany’s Miroslav Klose, Argentina’s Diego Maradona, Spain’s Carles Puyol and Russia’s Nikita Simonyan – joined Lineker on stage.

In the audience watching were dignitaries such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Lothar Matthaeus, Pele, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldo and many more.

Thirty one days after the opening contest, the new champion will lift the Trophy after the Final in Moscow, again at the famed Luzhniki.

Police arrest leader of a gang of women who marry and kill their husbands for insurance

A woman who leads a gang that recruits women to marry and murder men to claim their life insurance has been arrested.

Esmeralda Aravel Flores Acosta, 39, has been dubbed the Black Widow. She was arrested in El Salvador, Central America following the deaths of several victims. Police said the gang led by Esmeralda recruited attractive girls in shopping centres and universities with the promise of taking them to the US.

The young female recruits were made to marry men who are well off and then encouraged to get their husbands to get life insurance. Two or three weeks after, gang members were sent to murder the husbands. After the deaths of their new husbands, the young women were instead taken to Mexico where they were forced into prostitution.

Surviving cold and flu season: How to stay safe

The National Institutes of Health predict this year's flu season could be a rough one.

Last year, Americans reportedly spent nearly $6 billion on remedies for runny noses and sore throats, but some over-the-counter medications carry their own risks. High doses of acetaminophen send nearly 60,000 people to the emergency room each year.

In its January issue, Consumer Reports looks at how to survive this cold and flu season more easily.

Lisa Gill, deputy content editor for the magazine, joined "CBS This Morning" to discuss some of the treatment options you'll find at the pharmacy, common home remedies, and which ones you need to be careful when using.

JAY-Z TALKS HIS REACTION TO BEYONCÉ’S ‘LEMONADE’ ALBUM, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THEIR JOINT ALBUM & WHY HE & KANYE WEST ARE IN A BROTHERLY BEEF

A couple of years ago, there were rumblings of a joint album featuring #Beyoncé and her husband #JayZ. We got #Lemonade instead, which nobody is complaining about, but what happened to it?

Well, in a new interview with @NYTimes, Jay reveals that during a drought in their marriage, they began making music together and says it became therapeutic for them. “We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together,” he said. “And then the music she was making at that time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on.”

Soul Singer, Wayne Cochran dies at 78 after brief battle with cancer

Famous soul singer, Wayne Cochran best known for his towering white pompadour haircut, wild outfits and signature song "Last Kiss," died in Florida at the age 78.

Cochran's son confirmed to the Miami Herald that the "White Knight of Soul," who made a name for himself with his outrageous stage antics before giving it all up to become an ordained minister in Miami, passed after a battle with cancer.

Floyd Mayweather sues ex-fiancee Shantel Jackson for stealing from him

we all know breakups can be a messy affair but this might be one for the books. Though it’s been years since #FloydMayweather and #ShantelJackson have called it quits, according to @TMZ_TV, Floyd still has a bone to pick with his ex-girlfriend Miss Jackson as he’s suing her for allegedly using his credit cards and helping herself to his money without him knowing.

In the lawsuit, Floyd is alleging Shantel was using his credit cards, taking cash from areas of his home and putting it in secret accounts without his knowledge. He also claims Miss Jackson gained his confidence to “use him.” In a statement his lawyer said: “As a result of that confidence, Mayweather, who’s education ended at eighth grade, did not audit or otherwise inspect either his cash or his credit card statements for theft by Jackson.”

Thieves steal toys, clothes, tools from Salvation Army warehouse in Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- A Salvation Army warehouse in Baltimore has lost "tens of thousands of dollars in construction tools, as well as Christmas toys and clothes for underprivileged children" after three burglaries in a week, CBS Baltimore reports.

The warehouse also houses the organization's upcoming 7,000 square foot nonprofit grocery store, DMG Foods, which will be the first of its kind in Salvation Army history. It is set to open its doors on January 15.

"With both the grocery store grand opening and Christmas distribution rapidly approaching, the burglary of the warehouse is a devastating loss for The Salvation Army of Central Maryland," the organization said in a statement.