Key dates in the 2003-2011 Iraq war (AP)

Key dates in the 2003-2011 Iraq war (AP)


Key dates in the 2003-2011 Iraq war (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:31 PM PST

AP - Key dates in the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which ended Sunday with the last convoy of troops leaving:


Final U.S. Troops Leave Iraq

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:23 PM PST

The final convoy of U.S. troops left Iraq early Sunday, bringing a nearly nine-year military mission to a definitive close. The road march was a last stage of a highly orchestrated logistical push to bring out all U.S. troops by a Dec. 31 deadline.


Russian floating oil rig has sunk: agencies (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:28 PM PST

Reuters - An oil drilling platform that capsized off Russia's Far Eastern island of Sakhalin has sunk And most of the 67 crew are unaccounted for, an Emergencies Ministry official was quoted by news agencies as saying.


South Korean president presses Japan on sex slaves (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:51 PM PST

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, left, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda before their meeting at the Kyoto guest house in Kyoto, Japan, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREAAP - South Korea's visiting president has pressed his Japanese counterpart to resolve a long-standing grievance regarding Korean women forced to serve as sexual slaves during World War II.



'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' Takes $4 Million On 425 Screens In Single Day Because It's Awesome

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:47 PM PST

The newest entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise was one of the few new films to have a pretty great opening day. On just 425 screens, Tom Cruise?s fourth installment Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol raked in more than $4 million. While it?s probably true that the film enjoyed a little bump from the inclusion of ...


Russian drilling rig sinks off Sakhalin, 51 missing

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:48 PM PST

MOSCOW (Reuters) - An oil drilling rig with 67 crew on board capsized and sank off the Russian Far East island of Sakhalin when it ran into a storm while being towed, and 51 of the crew were unaccounted for, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday.


Philippines steps up flood relief efforts

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:21 PM PST

Frantic search for survivors continues after torrential rains claim the lives of 400 people, with many still missing.


AP Enterprise: Russia oil spills wreak devastation (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:00 PM PST

This Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 photo shows dying trees next to an oil spill near the town of Usinsk, 1500 kilometers (930 miles) northeast of Moscow. Komi is one of Russia's largest and oldest oil provinces but ruptures in aging pipelines and leaks from decommissioned oil wells make oil spills in the region routine. Environmentalists estimate at least 1 percent of Russia's annual oil production, or 5 million tons (35 million barrels), is spilled every year. That's equivalent to one Deepwater Horizon-scale leak about every two months. Crumbling infrastructure and a harsh climate combine to spell disaster in the world's largest oil producer, responsible for 13 percent of global output. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)AP - On the bright yellow tundra outside this oil town near the Arctic Circle, a pitch-black pool of crude stretches toward the horizon. The source: a decommissioned well whose rusty screws ooze with oil, viscous like jam.



In Cuba property thaw, new hope for a decayed icon (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:00 PM PST

In this Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011 photo, a tourist takes pictures as an old car drives along Malecon avenue in Havana.Just about anywhere else in the world, it would be a playground for the wealthy, diners in four-star restaurants and tourists willing to spend hundreds of dollars a night for a million-dollar view. But along the seafront boulevard, many buildings are dank, labyrinthine tenements bursting four or five times beyond capacity, plagued by mold and reeking of backed-up sewer drains. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)AP - Along Havana's northern coastline, storms that roll down from the north send waves crashing against the concrete seawall, drenching vintage cars and kids playing games of chicken with the salty spray.



Last US combat troops leave Iraq

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:50 PM PST

Soldiers cross border into Kuwait after nearly nine years of war and ahead of a December 31st deadline to withdraw.


Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:02 PM PST

Reuters - The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives and left a country still grappling with political uncertainty.


Last US troops leave Iraq as war ends (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:52 PM PST

A soldier gestures from the gun turret of the last vehicle in a convoy of the US Army's 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division crosses the border from Iraq into Kuwait, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. The brigade's special troops battalion are the last American soldiers to leave Iraq. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)AP - The last U.S. soldiers rolled out of Iraq across the border into neighboring Kuwait at daybreak Sunday, whooping, fist bumping and hugging each other in a burst of joy and relief. Their convoy's exit marked the end of a bitterly divisive war that raged for nearly nine years and left Iraq shattered, with troubling questions lingering over whether the Arab nation will remain a steadfast U.S. ally.



China November Property Prices Largely Down

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 07:29 PM PST

Average property prices in 70 Chinese cities fell in November for the second consecutive month, and rose at a slower pace from a year earlier than in October, as Beijing's two-year tightening campaign to cool the red-hot property market pressured developers to cut prices to boost sales.


Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:02 PM PST

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives and left a country still grappling with political uncertainty.


Clashes erupt in Bahrain for third day

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 08:21 PM PST

Police and pro-democracy protesters collide along Budaiya highway during a funeral for an activist killed last week.


Insight: Testing the limits of freedom in new Burma (Reuters)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 08:15 PM PST

Reuters - Tun Aung knew there were plans for his village to be moved to make way for a multi-billion dollar industrial zone and deep-sea port, but the whole thing was hard to imagine.


Ukraine flavors Vatican Christmas tree lighting (AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 07:46 PM PST

Pilgrims and tourists gather around the 30 meters (98 feet) Christmas tree in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, that was lit for the first time Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. The tree was supplied by Ukraine. In background is the St. Peter's Basilica facade. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)AP - Ukrainian pilgrims sang folk songs and carols and recalled the late Pope John Paul II's visit as the Vatican lit its Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square, a 25-meter (82-foot) pine from the Carpathian mountains in their country.



(AP)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 08:31 PM PST

AP - US military says last American troops have left Iraq as war ends.


China Cuts U.S. Debt Holdings

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST

China reduces its holdings of U.S. government bonds.


Bad Year For Christmas Trees Made In China

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 07:54 PM PST

? Not too far from where I live there?s this corner lot selling live Christmas Trees.?? With a week to go before Christmas, he?s got about 20 left. Every other day I swear the guy takes a permanent marker to his advertising sign and trims another $5 off the price.?? A few miles away is ...