British occupation force soldier killed in Afghanistan:

A British soldier was killed by enemy gunfire in Afghanistan yesterday - the fifth British serviceman to be killed there in three days.
http://tinyurl.com/68fxw2

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Officials: Suspected U.S. strike kills 2 in Pakistan:

Officials and a witness say a suspected U.S. missile strike has killed two people in a militant stronghold in Pakistan
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/6166622.html

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Pak drivers boycott NATO supply delivery:

Pakistani drivers have refused to deliver supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan as the security situation is worsening along the route.
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=78558§ionid=351020401

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India prepared for strike on Pakistan: US media:

The United States believes that India`s air force began preliminary preparations for a possible attack against Pakistan in the immediate aftermath of the recent massacre in Mumbai, a US news channel reported on Monday.
http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?208929

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Terror tactics:

When Lashkar-e-Toiba's gunmen targeted British and American civilians during their killing spree in Mumbai, it wasn't just al-Qaida's tactics they were copying. After seeing that al-Qaida's entire way of war works, Lashkar's leaders are trying it out for themselves. And, so far, they are having the same success.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/15/india-pakistan-terrorism-taliban

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US costs of Iraq, Afghan wars top USD 900 billion:

U.S. military operations, including the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, have cost USD 904 billion since 2001 and could top USD 1.7 trillion by 2018, even with big cuts in overseas troop deployments
http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n163271

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Poll Finds Support for Obama's War Views:

Most Americans support the war in Afghanistan and a slim majority said the conflict there is essential to battling global terrorism, the poll found. Yet, a majority of Americans also believe that the U.S. military action there has been unsuccessful.
http://tinyurl.com/5zbucj

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Attacks in Iraq kill 20 people:

Deadly attacks in northern Iraq on Monday left nine people dead -- including seven from one family -- while attacks near Baghdad left 11 dead, authorities said.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/15/iraq.main/index.html

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Free Bush shoe-thrower, Iraqis urge:

Thousands of Iraqis have demonstrated in Baghdad's Sadr City in support of a journalist being held in custody after throwing his shoes at George Bush, the US president.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/20081215144834440817.html

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Shoe thrower kidnapped once: -

THE Iraqi TV reporter who hurled his shoes at George W. Bush was kidnapped once by militants and, separately, detained briefly by the US military.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/World/Story/STIStory_314995.html

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Agreement in Hamas: Cease-fire to end Friday:

Hamas' spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Ayman Taha, said the movement had concluded that there was no point in extending the truce "as long as Israel isn't abiding by its terms" - though he added that talks on continuing the cease-fire were still taking place.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1046923.html

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Livni Says Israel Can't Tolerate Hamas State in Gaza :

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Israel can't tolerate a Hamas-run state in the Gaza Strip, as a six-month truce with the Islamic militant group comes to an end.
http://tinyurl.com/6lclel

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Gaza Strip in total darkness, limited aid allowed in:

The majority of areas in Gaza Strip spent Sunday night in total darkness after Israel stopped supplying it with fuel, forcing Gaza's only power plant to close down.
http://tinyurl.com/6jp4ds

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Hezbollah chief calls on Arab, Muslim world to help lift Gaza blockade:

 Nasrallah addressed Arab leaders directly, saying "where are your Arab sensibilities? When a million and a half Arab people in the Gaza Strip are living under a siege, in hunger, under threat."
http://tinyurl.com/5nyxjf

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UN: Israel's expulsion of human rights envoy is 'dangerous':

Israel's decision to expel a U.S. expert on human rights was a "dangerous" move that contravened mandates given to rights advocates working for the United Nations, the UN General Assembly president said Monday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1046909.html

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Iraqi group files 200 lawsuits against Rumsfeld, US security firms for torture:

"Around 30 lawsuits have been accepted so far," Qeisi told AFP. The others are still under consideration. "The torture was systemic, and those responsible for it should be punished and the victims should be compensated," he said.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Iraqi_group_files_200_lawsuits_against_1215.html

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Libya honors Iraqi shoe-throwing reporter:

A Libyan group led by the daughter of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi gives a bravery award to the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at president Bush.
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=78593§ionid=351020506

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Ducking the issue on Iraq:

One Iraqi journalist shows more willingness to stand up to President Bush than the entire White House press corp
http://tinyurl.com/62zwen

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Bush Excluded by Latin Summit as China, Russia Loom:

Latin American and Caribbean leaders gathering in Brazil tomorrow will mark a historic occasion: a region-wide summit that excludes the United States.
http://tinyurl.com/6pxch3

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Illinois house OKs impeachment inquiry on governor:

The Illinois House of Representatives voted on Monday to begin an impeachment inquiry into Gov. Rod Blagojevich, accused of trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4BA65D20081216

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The Real Story Behind the Rushed Blagojevich Bust: :

Conventional wisdom holds that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald ordered the FBI to arrest Rod Blagojevich before sunrise Tuesday in order to stop a crime from being committed. But the opposite is true:
http://tinyurl.com/5d6jpr

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From Paris to Tokyo, more Madoff victims emerge:

BNP Paribas, the biggest French bank, said Sunday that it has as much as �?50 million, or $472 million, at risk from Madoff's investment advisory business. Nomura Holdings of Japan has ¥27.5 billion, or $302 million, at risk from Madoff's funds, while Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria of Spain may face up to �?00 million in losses.
http://tinyurl.com/5uduls

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Faber Report -- Madoff:

CNBC's Davif Faber reports on the $50 billion Ponzi scheme run bu ex-NASDAQ chairman Bernard L. Madoff.
http://tinyurl.com/5aa44u

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Report: Elie Wiesel, Steven Spielberg among victims of Madoff affair:

An alleged $50 billion fraud by Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff has caused deep ripples in the Jewish philanthropic world, forcing the closure of two prominent U.S.-based charities and threatening the financial lifeline of a slew of other groups.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1046916.html

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Siemens to pay $1.3 billion in fines:

In Washington, Siemens's general counsel, Peter Solmssen, signed an $800 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to end an inquiry into possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The fine is, by a colossal margin, the largest ever imposed under the U.S. antibribery legislation, now 31 years old.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/15/business/siemens.php?WT.mc_id=newsalert

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Dollar Staggers as U.S. Unleashes Cash Flood, Deficit :

The biggest foreign-exchange strategists and investors say the best may be over for the dollar after a four-month, 24 percent rally.
http://tinyurl.com/5rp9ch

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Get ready for 'Toyota shock':

First came the "Sony Shock.": No, not news last week that the consumer-electronics giant is cutting 16,000 jobs - the other shock. For investors, the big one came in April 2003, when shares fell 27% in two days.
http://tinyurl.com/65d698

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Americans rich and poor pawn more to pay bills:

Whether it's a Tiffany diamond or a three-year-old lawnmower, more and more Americans from all social classes are pawning their possessions to make ends meet.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4BE02720081215

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Let us work towards Peace and Joy
 
Tom Feeley