|  Rio police take gang stronghold, other areas await      (AP)   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:02 PM PST  AP - Military armored vehicles carried police into the heart of a gang stronghold, chasing gunmen into nearby shantytowns and setting the stage for what many people expect to be a bloody battle in Rio's offensive to quell a surge of criminal violence.
  
 
 | 
  |  Taiwan poll could hold clues for vital China ties      (AP)   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:11 PM PST  AP - Taiwanese mayoral candidates launched last-minute voter appeals Friday ahead of local polls that could have a major impact on President Ma Ying-jeou's signature policy of improving relations with China.
  
 
 | 
  |  Students occupy Leaning Tower of Pisa   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 03:16 PM PST Italian students protesting at education reforms have targeted two top tourist attractions, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum.   
 
 | 
  |  Soyuz carrying Americans, Russian lands      (AP)   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 10:32 PM PST AP - A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Americans and a Russian from the International Space Station has landed in Kazakhstan.   
 
 | 
  |  Iraq Kurdish leader: A uniter in a divided nation      (AP)   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 10:22 PM PST  AP - In his five years as Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani has shown a remarkable ability to rise above the ethnic and religious divisions defining the country's political scene — sometimes at the expense of his own Kurdish identity.
  
 
 | 
  |  Students occupy Leaning Tower of Pisa   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 03:16 PM PST Italian students protesting at education reforms have targeted two top tourist attractions, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum.   
 
 | 
  |  Macy's Thanksgiving parade held   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 03:43 PM PST The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade has taken place in New York, watched by tens of thousands of people on the streets and millions more on television.   
 
 | 
  |  Knives, bribes and apathy in Egypt's election      (AP)   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 10:07 PM PST AP - Just 15 minutes after Manal Abdel-Karim began touring her middle class Cairo district as part of her campaign for a parliament seat, her modest procession of a few dozen supporters was confronted by a mob of angry knife-wielding youths.   
 
 | 
  |  Nigeria charges arms traffickers   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 10:12 PM PST An Iranian and three Nigerians are charged with illegal arms trafficking as a shipment is intercepted in Lagos port.   
 
 | 
  |  Hope from gloom of choir scandal   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:59 PM PST It can be an odd feeling, returning to a place you once lived. Odder still, when that place belonged to the man who trafficked you across continents.    
 
 | 
  |  Soyuz spacecraft crew land in Kazakhstan   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:41 PM PST A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three crew members from the International Space Station landed in Kazakhstan on Friday morning, NASA said.    
 
 | 
  |  Australia's Gillard ends troubled year on a high   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:44 PM PST CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard wrapped up a turbulent political year on a high on Friday, winning parliament's backing for a key reform pledge and boosting her chances of serving a full term in office.    
 
 | 
  |  Police 'reclaim' Brazilian slum   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 10:05 PM PST Dozens killed as security forces claim victory over drug gangs for control of the biggest shantytown in Rio de Janiero.   
 
 | 
  |  Asian markets lower as Europe debt worries linger      (AP)   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:01 PM PST  AP - Asian stock markets were lower Friday as concerns about the possibility of further bailouts for debt-laden European nations and tensions on the Korean peninsula kept buying appetite in check.
  
 
 | 
  |  Blogger released from Egyptian jail   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 03:04 PM PST A blogger who endured a four-year stint in an Egyptian prison for his writings has been released, saying he was jailed for defying convention.    
 
 | 
  |  New Zealand Mine Hit By Third Explosion   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:41 PM PST The New Zealand coal mine were 29 miners died was hit by a third explosion. A memorial service for the men is set for Thursday.   
 
 | 
  |  King of cool: 'Ice Elvis' goes on display   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:36 PM PST Some of the world's most famous landmarks and music icons have been carved in ice at a show in Bruges, including figures of Elvis Presley, Madonna and Michael Jackson.   
 
 | 
  |  Hong Kong Billionaire Lee Shau Kee's Energy Arm Targets New China Projects   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:50 PM PST Hong Kong and China Gas, the city gas and clean energy arm of Hong Kong billionaire Lee Shau Kee's b   
 
 | 
  |  King of cool: 'Ice Elvis' goes on display   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:36 PM PST Some of the world's most famous landmarks and music icons have been carved in ice at a show in Bruges, including figures of Elvis Presley, Madonna and Michael Jackson.   
 
 | 
  |  Stolen Children in China are Seeking Answers      (Time.com)   Posted: 25 Nov 2010 08:20 PM PST Time.com - China's Kidnap Victims Search for Their Families   
 
 |