World |
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| World News |
| Posts from December 2012 |
Israel eases building materials blockade on Gaza
by AP
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posted Dec 31 2012 8:55AM
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JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli military says tons of building materials will start crossing daily into the Gaza Strip from Israel if the quiet along their border holds.
It's the first significant easing of a near-ban Israel had imposed on such shipments after Hamas militants seized the Palestinian territory five years ago. The new policy is also the first key concession to Hamas since an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire ended eight days of fighting last month.
A military spokesperson said Monday that Israel began allowing shipments of gravel to Gaza's private sector on Sunday because the Israeli attacks on Hamas' military operations in November cowed the militant organization into quiet.
Israel says that construction materials like cement, gravel and metal rods can be used to make fortifications and weapons.
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Chinese activists defy guards to visit Nobel wife
by AP
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posted Dec 31 2012 8:53AM
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BEIJING (AP) - Five Chinese activists defied security and made a brief visit to dissident Liu Xiaobo's wife Liu Xia, confined under house arrest since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize two years ago.
The rare visit Friday was captured on video by activist Hu Jia, who posted it on YouTube on Monday.
Hu said the activists wanted to see Liu Xia on that day to mark her husband's birthday.
In the four-minute video, the activists are seen arguing with a man guarding the staircase leading to the couple's apartment in Beijing.
Hu said that after they got past the guard and met Liu at home, Liu whispered that she was under immense pressure because of tight surveillance, so they kept the visit short.
Liu Xiaobo is in prison for subversion.
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Nigeria president likens nation's unrest to Syria
by AP
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posted Dec 31 2012 8:51AM
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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Nigeria's president has compared the violence by an Islamist extremist sect in his West African nation to the ongoing civil war in Syria.
President Goodluck Jonathan made the comments Sunday before a church in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.
Jonathan said the sect known as Boko Haram "is taking over Abuja (and wants) for me and those working in government to run and hide somewhere else."
Jonathan also told worshippers at the church that the violence around the world made him wonder if this is a "way of telling us that the end times are so close."
According to an Associated Press count, Boko Haram has killed more than 780 people this year alone in Nigeria. The killings continue despite soldiers and police flooding the nation's north.
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North Korea Makes Repairs at Nuclear Facility
by Associated Press
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posted Dec 27 2012 11:12PM
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Recent satellite photos indicate North Korea has repaired flood damage at its nuclear test facility and could conduct a quick atomic explosion if it chose.
But analysis provided by the 38 North website to The Associated Press on Friday also shows water streaming out of a test tunnel that may cause problems.
Washington and others are pushing for U.N. sanctions in response to North Korea's successful long-range rocket launch Dec. 12 that outsiders consider a cover for a banned ballistic missile test.
But there's worry that Pyongyang may respond to punishment by conducting its third nuclear test.
The analysis of GeoEye and Digital Globe satellite photos from Dec. 13 and earlier was conducted by 38 North, the website for the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
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US: Russian Bill to Halt Adoptions `Misguided'
by AP
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posted Dec 27 2012 9:05AM
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<VIDEO> Defying a storm of domestic and international criticism, Russia has moved toward finalizing a ban on Americans adopting Russian children.
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Raw: Nigerian Fireworks Warehouse Explodes
by AP
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posted Dec 26 2012 10:43AM
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<VIDEO> A massive explosion ripped through a warehouse full of fireworks in Nigeria's largest city on sparking a fire that threatened surrounding city blocks and sending a plume of thick smoke high into the sky.
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Raw: Kazakhstan Plane Crash Kills 27
by AP
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posted Dec 26 2012 10:25AM
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<VIDEO> Kazakhstan's acting border service chief was among 27 people killed in a military plane crash near a southern city, another blow to the agency after he was appointed in June to deal with the aftermath of a mass killing involving a conscript.
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Hundreds in S.Africa Pray for Mandela's Recovery
by AP
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posted Dec 26 2012 9:49AM
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<VIDEO> Several hundred worshippers attended Christmas Mass in South Africa's Soweto township on Christmas morning and offered prayers for the health of Nelson Mandela, who has been hospitalized since Dec. 8.
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Raw: Troops Celebrate Christmas in Afghanistan
by AP
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posted Dec 26 2012 9:43AM
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<VIDEO> International troops in Afghanistan celebrated Christmas day with a traditional Christmas meal at Kabul International Airport in a dining hall packed with soldiers from the United States, France and Germany.
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Christmas Celebrated Around the World
by AP
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posted Dec 26 2012 9:39AM
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<VIDEO> Christian faithful from around the world packed into churches on Christmas Eve to mark the beginning of the Christmas holiday with midnight mass.
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Afghan Policewoman Kills US Adviser in Kabul
by AP
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posted Dec 24 2012 11:23AM
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<VIDEO> An Afghan policewoman shot and killed an American adviser outside the police headquarters in Kabul on Monday, the latest in a rising tide of insider attacks by Afghans against their foreign allies, senior Afghan officials said.
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Parents honor Victims of Brazilian School Shooting
by Associated Press
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posted Dec 21 2012 7:20PM
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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Parents and students at a Brazilian school where a shooting killed 12 students nearly two years ago have held a vigil to express solidarity for the people of Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 20 children and six school employees last week.
The families gathered in the Rio de Janeiro state town of Realengo on Friday holding posters calling for peace. Several cried during the vigil.
The Tasso da Silveira school in Realengo was targeted by a shooting spree in April 2011. Mothers of students there say they organized Friday's public act of sympathy for the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown because they got letters and support from people in the United States when Realengo's school was attacked.
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Mayan Ceremony Marks End of Calendar Cycle
by AP
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posted Dec 21 2012 9:07AM
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<VIDEO> A traditional Mayan ceremony at Guatemala's Temple of the Giant Jaguar marked the end of a cycle on the ancient Mayan calendar. The calendar has sparked numerous doomsday theories, although other Mayan calendars stretch far into the future.
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S&P Boosts Greece's Credit Rating
by Associated Press
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posted Dec 18 2012 7:49PM
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ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Standard & Poor's ratings agency has raised Greece's credit grade by 6 notches to B-, yanking the debt-heavy country out of default but still keeping its devalued bonds in the junk zone.
The agency said Tuesday that the upgrade reflected its view that the other 16 European Union countries using the euro are determined to keep Greece inside the currency union.
It gave Greece a stable outlook, meaning it will not consider ratings changes in coming months.
S&P recently downgraded Greece to the bottom of its ratings scale after the country announced a debt buyback financed by its European partners. The purchase was successfully completed last week, and will reduce the country's debt by some (euro) 20 billion ($26.4 billion).
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Raw: NBC News Crew Freed After Syria Captivity
by AP
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posted Dec 18 2012 11:39AM
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<VIDEO> NBC's chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel and members of his production crew have been freed unharmed following a firefight at a checkpoint after five days of captivity inside Syria, the network confirmed onTuesday.
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Raw: Queen Goes to Cabinet Meeting
by AP
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posted Dec 18 2012 11:37AM
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<VIDEO> Britain's Queen Elizabeth attended a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. It's believed to be the first time a sitting monarch attended a Cabinet meeting in at least 100 years.
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Pope 'Deeply Saddened' by Senseless Attack
by AP
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posted Dec 17 2012 9:41AM
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<VIDEO> Pope Benedict XVI told pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that he is praying for the families of the 20 children and six adults who were killed during a shooting rampage at a U.S. school.
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New Tax Rate for High Earning Greeks
by Associated Press
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posted Dec 13 2012 5:43PM
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ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greeks earning more than (euro) 42,000 ($55,000) per year will now be taxed at a new top rate of 42 percent, under a major new tax reform bill submitted to the country's parliament.
Under the new guidelines published late Thursday, the new 42 percent top tax rate and earnings threshold replaces the previous level of 45 percent for incomes above (euro) 100,000 ($130,770).
The measures were submitted to parliament hours after eurozone finance ministers in Brussels agreed to restart rescue loan payments to Greece - promising (euro) 49.1 billion ($64 billion) between now and March, with (euro) 34.3 billion of that amount due in the coming days.
In return for the rescue loans, Greece's international lenders have insisted on a series of reforms, tax raises and spending cuts.
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North Korea Shows Off Images of Rocket Launch
by AP
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posted Dec 13 2012 10:31AM
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<VIDEO> North Korea showed Associated Press reporters images of its rocket launch on a day when the U.N. Security Council condemned the launch, saying it's a violation of Security Council resolutions.
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Arrest in Threat to Kill Leader in Northern Ireland
by Associated Press
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posted Dec 12 2012 8:08PM
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) - Police say a 34-year-old man has been charged with threatening to kill the British Protestant leader of Northern Ireland's unity government, First Minister Peter Robinson.
The police statement says the man, who was not named, is to be arraigned Thursday in the Protestant town of Newtownards. He allegedly made the threat in a telephone call Wednesday.
Several politicians have received death threats from Protestant extremists since Dec. 3, when the Belfast City Council voted to stop flying the British flag year-round and instead fly it just 18 days a year.
Most threats have targeted Alliance, a small cross-community party that cast the deciding votes to reduce displays of British flags atop city hall.
Politicians from Northern Ireland's Irish Catholic minority wanted the flag taken down permanently.
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Syrian Refugees in a Race Against Winter
by AP
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posted Dec 12 2012 8:19AM
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<VIDEO> Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been uprooted by the country's brutal civil war, and now many fear they're losing a battle against winter conditions. AP looks at a refugee camp near the border with Turkey.
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NKorea Springs Surpise With Rocket Launch
by AP
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posted Dec 12 2012 8:12AM
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<VIDEO> North Korea fired a long-range rocket Wednesday morning in its second launch under its new leader, defying warnings from the U.N. and Washington only days before South Korean presidential elections.
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Mali's PM Resigns After Being Arrested by Junta
by AP
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posted Dec 11 2012 8:22AM
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<VIDEO> Mali's prime minister resigned on state television early Tuesday, hours after soldiers who led a recent coup burst into his home and arrested him. It's the latest sign volatility in the West African nation.
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AP Exclusive: Nuke Materials Black Market
by AP
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posted Dec 10 2012 9:36AM
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<VIDEO> A spate of previously unreported nuclear material smuggling busts in Georgia in Eastern Europe has international authorities investigating whether there has been a breach of a significant nuclear facility in the region.
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Raw: Protest in Spain Over Privatizing Hospitals
by AP
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posted Dec 10 2012 9:31AM
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<VIDEO> Medical workers and residents in Madrid demonstrated on Sunday against budget cuts and plans to privatize part of Spain's cherished national health service.
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Raw: Croatia's Heaviest Snow in Decades
by AP
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posted Dec 10 2012 9:30AM
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<VIDEO> Severe weather conditions with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have hit Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Serbia and Romania this weekend, killing at least six people and causing travel chaos in southeastern Europe.
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Hugo Chavez Says He Needs Cancer Surgery Again
by AP
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posted Dec 10 2012 9:27AM
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<VIDEO> Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez named his vice president as his chosen successor and was heading back to Cuba on Sunday for more surgery for cancer after announcing that the illness returned.
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Raw: Powerful Earthquake Hits Japan
by AP
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posted Dec 7 2012 9:36AM
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<VIDEO> A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 hit off the coast of northeastern Japan on Friday.
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Obama Calls Morsi to Express Concern
by Associated Press
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posted Dec 6 2012 7:49PM
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WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says President Barack Obama has called Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to express "deep concern" about the deaths and injuries of protesters in Egypt.
A White House statement says the president told Morsi that he and other political leaders in Egypt must make clear to their supporters that violence is unacceptable.
The statement Thursday night said that Obama welcomed Morsi's call for a dialogue with opposition leaders in Egypt but stressed that such a dialogue should occur without preconditions. The United States also has urged opposition leaders to join in talks without preconditions.
Obama's call to the Egyptian president came after thousands of Morsi supporters and opponents fought pitched battles outside his Cairo palace that left at least six dead and nearly 700 injured.
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Raw: Pregnant Kate Discharged From Hospital
by AP
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posted Dec 6 2012 9:53AM
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<VIDEO> The Duchess of Cambridge left a London hospital Thursday after being treated for acute morning sickness related to her pregnancy.
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Egypt Descends Into Political Turmoil
by AP
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posted Dec 6 2012 9:28AM
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<VIDEO> Supporters and opponents of Egyptian leader Mohammed Morsi fought with rocks, firebombs and sticks outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Wednesday.
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McAfee Says He'll Seek Asylum in Guatemala
by AP
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posted Dec 5 2012 9:07AM
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<VIDEO> Software company founder John McAfee has surfaced in public for the first time in weeks, saying Tuesday that he plans to ask for asylum in Guatemala because he fears persecution in Belize.
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Raw: Deadly Typhoon Ravages Philippines
by AP
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posted Dec 4 2012 10:16AM
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<VIDEO> Deadly flooding in the Philippines from a typhoon has claimed dozens of lives. A governor says at least 33 drowned when water dumped by the storm rushed down a mountain and engulfed the victims. Floodwaters also swept away a truck.
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Raw: US Says No Drone Missing
by AP
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posted Dec 4 2012 10:09AM
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<VIDEO> The US Navy says all of its drone unmanned aircraft are accounted for. Iran claims it captured one drone. Iranian State TV showed pictures of what was said to be the drone.
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Royal Pregnancy
by AP
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posted Dec 3 2012 11:30AM
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LONDON (AP) - Palace officials say Prince William and his wife are expecting their first child.
St. James Palace said Monday that the Duchess of Cambridge has a severe form of morning sickness and is currently in a London hospital.
As the first born to William - who is second in line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles - the couple's first child stands an excellent chance of one day becoming monarch.
Whether boy or girl, the child will be behind Prince William in the line of succession to the throne, Cabinet Office officials said.
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Egypt Prepares for Controversial Referendum
by AP
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posted Dec 3 2012 10:54AM
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<VIDEO>Egypt is set to hold a referendum on a highly-contentious draft constitution. President Mohammed Morsi's top legal advisor says Egyptian judges will oversee the vote, even though they're on strike.
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Raw: Palestinian Lead Returns to Hero's Welcome
by AP
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posted Dec 3 2012 10:13AM
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<VIDEO> The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has returned home to a hero's welcome after winning a resounding endorsement for Palestinian independence at the United Nations.
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Raw: Drivers Missing, Dead in Tunnel Collapse
by AP
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posted Dec 3 2012 10:11AM
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<VIDEO> At least seven people were feared missing and several dead after about 150 concrete panels fell from the roof of a tunnel on the main highway linking Tokyo with central Japan.
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Raw: Inauguration in Mexico Sparks Violence
by AP
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posted Dec 3 2012 8:23AM
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<VIDEO> Violence broke out in Mexico City on Saturday as protesters took to the streets to oppose the inauguration of incoming president Enrique Pena Nieto and the return of his Institutional Revolutionary Party.
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Raw: Thousands Support Egypt President Rallies
by AP
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posted Dec 3 2012 8:20AM
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<VIDEO> Tens of thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president are demonstrating across Egypt Saturday in support of him and Islamic law.
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