Israel strikes Gaza sites after mortar attack (AP)

Israel strikes Gaza sites after mortar attack (AP)
Rights group: War crimes probe needed in Sri Lanka (AP)
China's top diplomat meets North Korea's Kim (Reuters)
Shell 'accessed' Nigeria ministries: cable (AFP)
Taiwan confirms mass producing cruise missiles (AFP)
China's top diplomat meets North Korea's Kim
Facebook CEO Zuckerberg Agrees to Donate Fortune to Charities
Tory-Lib Dem coalition faces major test over fees (AFP)
Mexican officials: 4 killed in helicopter crash (AP)
China's campaign against Nobel seen as backfiring (AP)
Hot young literary agent's old school methods
Ex-first lady to face Preval's pick in Haiti runoff
UN says Ouattara won Ivorian poll
U.S. urges restraint in Korea, pressures China (Reuters)
SKorean central bank keeps key rate at 2.5 percent (AP)
Indian Envoy Patted Down in U.S.
Chile's worst prison fire kills 81 inmates
Fires burn as Haitians protest vote result
Auction of marble antiquity draws surprising $23 million
Flooding closes Panama Canal

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:46 PM PST

AP - The Israeli military says it has struck Gaza weapons manufacturing sites following mortar fire toward Israel.

Rights group: War crimes probe needed in Sri Lanka (AP)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:49 PM PST

AP - An international human rights group says there is new video evidence linking Sri Lanka's military to the summary execution of prisoners during the final stages of the country's civil war last year.

China's top diplomat meets North Korea's Kim (Reuters)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:21 PM PST

Reuters - China's top diplomat, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on Thursday, state news agency Xinhua said.

Shell 'accessed' Nigeria ministries: cable (AFP)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:08 PM PST

AFP - A top official from oil giant Shell told the then-US ambassador in Abuja that the firm had "access to everything that was being done" in certain Nigerian ministries, a leaked diplomatic cable showed Thursday.

Taiwan confirms mass producing cruise missiles (AFP)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:12 PM PST

AFP - Taiwan has confirmed for the first time that it is mass-producing cruise missiles, despite fast warming ties with China.

China's top diplomat meets North Korea's Kim

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:21 PM PST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's top diplomat, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on Thursday, state news agency Xinhua said.

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg Agrees to Donate Fortune to Charities

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 09:37 PM PST

The 26-year-old billionaire pledges to donate his life's fortune to charity.

Tory-Lib Dem coalition faces major test over fees (AFP)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:24 PM PST

AFP - The Tory-Lib Dem coalition faced its biggest test yet Thursday in a parliamentary vote on whether to let universities treble tuition fees, as thousands of students geared up to protest the measures.

Mexican officials: 4 killed in helicopter crash (AP)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:55 PM PST

AP - A federal police helicopter that had transported two inmates to a Mexican prison crashed in Veracruz state Wednesday, killing four people and injuring two others, authorities said.

China's campaign against Nobel seen as backfiring (AP)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 09:55 PM PST

AP - China's relentless criticism of the bestowing of the Nobel Peace Prize on imprisoned Chinese dissident writer Liu Xiaobo showed signs of backfiring Thursday, as criticism of Beijing rose a day ahead of the award ceremony.

Hot young literary agent's old school methods

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:54 PM PST

How do literary agents??who blog, tweet and carouse online find the time to do the real work of agen

Ex-first lady to face Preval's pick in Haiti runoff

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:38 AM PST

Protests erupted around the Haitian capital Tuesday night after an election council announced a runoff between a former first lady and a candidate allied with an increasingly unpopular government.

UN says Ouattara won Ivorian poll

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:46 PM PST

Security Council issues statement saying Alassane Ouattara won the election against Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent.

U.S. urges restraint in Korea, pressures China (Reuters)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:41 PM PST

Reuters - The United States appealed to South Korea on Thursday to show restraint as the danger level from North Korea rises, but again criticized China for enabling its ally Pyongyang's "reckless behavior."

SKorean central bank keeps key rate at 2.5 percent (AP)

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 09:26 PM PST

AP - South Korea's central bank kept its key interest rate on hold Thursday as consumer price inflation eased, underscoring expectations that further increases to borrowing costs from record lows will be gradual.

Indian Envoy Patted Down in U.S.

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 10:21 PM PST

India's sari-clad ambassador was pulled from an airport security line and patted down by a security agent in Mississippi after attending a conference, an act one state agency official called "unfortunate."

Chile's worst prison fire kills 81 inmates

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 08:56 PM PST

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Fire engulfed a prison in the Chilean capital early on Wednesday, killing 81 inmates and critically injuring 14 others, the government said, in the country's third-deadliest blaze ever.

Fires burn as Haitians protest vote result

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 04:23 PM PST

Fires burned in several spots in Haiti's capital Wednesday morning, where angry demonstrators were voicing their dismay at the announcement the night before that Jude Celestin, a prot?g? of current President Rene Preval, had won enough votes to enter a runoff in January.