| World News  | Airport siege ends after PM removed
Sydney Morning Herald
THAILAND'S main ruling party has been dismissed and the Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, banned from politics for five years for electoral fraud in a dramatic turn in the country's increasingly bloody political crisis. Anti-Government protesters agreed last night to end the siege of Bangkok's main international airport in response to Mr Somchai's dismissal. Airport officials said it could be open for flights by Friday, the 81st birthday of King...
photo: AP / Ed Wray
|  | EU Finance Ministers Agree on Financial Overhaul
CNBC
Tensions over state support for banks surfaced as European Union finance ministers met on Tuesday to discuss how much money governments could mobilise to combat recession. European Union Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, facing fierce pressure from member states to approve state aid to ailing banks, pledged after meeting the ministers that the EU executive would approve new rules before Christmas. RELATED LINKS Current DateTime: 05:33:48 02...
photo: AP / Thierry Charlier
|  | World Aids Day 2008
The Examiner
Add a Comment by Doug Resh, Phoenix Food Examiner As the day comes to a close on commemorating individuals stricken with Aids, there is still a way for those in Arizona to take part in a great cause to help find a cure for this horrible disease. The Ruby Room located at 717 S. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ will be hosting an event called ONE on Friday December 5th with donations and...
photo: UN / Paulo Filgueiras
|  | California 'faces budget crisis'
BBC News
The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has declared a fiscal emergency, amid fears the state could run out of cash by early next year. He has ordered lawmakers to hold a special session to tackle the $11.2bn (£7.5bn) deficit in California, one of the world's biggest economies. Across the US, state tax revenues are down because of the economic slump. State governors are to meet President-elect Barack Obama later on Tuesday to press the...
photo: WN
|  | Musharraf blames Pak govt for tensions in ties with India
The Times of India
2 Dec 2008, 1652 hrs IST, PTI Text: ISLAMABAD: Former President Pervez Musharraf has blamed Pakistan's current administration for the tensions in ties with India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, saying it should have made it clear how strong it is about fighting terrorism. ( ) "Well, you know if you don't fight terror and make sure everybody knows how strong you feel about it,...
photo: AP / Jacques Brinon
|  | 'Chemical Ali' sentenced to death in Iraq
Kansas City Star
Darko Vojinovic, File Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," for his alleged use of chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds, listens to prosecution evidence during the Operation Anfal trial, in Baghdad, Iraq, in this, Jan. 8, 2007, file photo. A special Iraqi court sentenced "Chemical Ali" Hassan al-Majid, to death Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008, after convicting him of crimes against humanity for his part in crushing the 1991...
photo: USAF
|  | The 'Grand Embassy' to Venezuela and Cuba
WorldNews.com
Article by WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Although Russia straddles the continents of both Europe and Asia, for centuries it had remained fairly isolated, at least until Peter the Great. Mongol rule had cut Russia off from the Italian and Iranian Safavid Renaissances. Due to its proximity to oceans, the Chinese and Europeans surpassed Russia in sea exploration. Geographical barriers isolated Russia too. Archangel, its only seaport,...
photo: AP / RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service
|  | Ronaldo wins Golden Ball award as Europe's best
Fox Sports
PARIS (AP) - Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year on Tuesday, becoming the fourth Manchester United player to take the honor and first since fellow winger George Best in 1968. 2008 Golden Ball Top 10 Ronaldo dominated the poll results announced by France Football magazine, tallying 446 points. Barcelona striker Lionel Messi was second with 281 points and Liverpool forward Fernando Torres had 179....
photo: AP / Sergey Ponomarev
| Business News  | British Airways in merger talks with Australian rival Qantas
The Daily Mail
British Airways has confirmed it is in merger talks with its Australian rival Qantas in a move which would turn back the clock for both companies. The British airline used to be the main investor in Qantas in the 90s but sold out a few years later to raise money when its own finances became too stretched. BA shares leapt by 14 per cent today after the company said it was considering a tie-up with the Australian airline. The deal would be to...
photo: public domain /
|  | Bad Economy, Dangerous Holiday Shopping
ABC News
By ALICE GOMSTYN ABC NEWS Business Unit Dec. 2, 2008 FONT SIZE For shoppers concerned about their safety, this season has brought both news good and bad. The good news is that, as in years past, retailers have beefed up security to supervise large crowds seeking cut-rate holiday deals. Several shootings and a deadly stampede have given a black eye to the start of this year's holiday shopping frenzy. (ABC News Photo...
photo: WN / malar
|  | Nokia Acquires Symbian Limited
The Examiner
Distributed by Press Release EMAIL ARTICLE PRINT ARTICLE ESPOO, Finland, December 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nokia (NYSE: NOK) today announced that it has completed its offer to acquire Symbian Limited. All conditions to Nokia's offer to acquire Symbian Limited have been satisfied and it has received valid acceptance of greater than 99.9% of the total Symbian shares that Nokia did not already own. Symbian is the software company that develops...
photo: WN / Renzelle Mae Abasolo
|  | Cash Is Replacing Gold As Safe Haven for Investors
CNBC
In an investment climate ruled by fear and volatility, not even gold is a safe bet anymore. These days, cash is king. Gold was a popular safe haven for investors earlier this year when the dollar was getting hammered, oil was soaring and the outlook for stocks was uncertain at best. But with global fallout from the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the continued credit crisis, investors have fled gold because of worries that it no longer provides...
photo: WN / patricia
|  | BA, Qantas in merger talks
The Australian
LONDON: British Airways said last night it was exploring a potential merger with Qantas, four years after selling its 25 per cent stake in the Flying Kangaroo. The announcement of the talks came as the Rudd Government launched its aviation green paper yesterday, ahead of a white paper due...
photo: Creative Commons / Flickr
|  | Toyota to cut bonuses and output as sales slump
The Boston Globe
TOKYO (Reuters) - <7203.T> said on Tuesday it will cut management bonuses by 10 percent as the global economic slowdown bites hard and prompts it to reduce production further in Japan. The world's largest automaker is cutting bonuses for roughly 8,700 managers in Japan, spokesman Akira Adachi said. The company declined to disclose how much it would save. Global automakers are reeling from the worst downturn in decades as sales slump in the...
photo: WN / james
| Entertainment News  | Pig of a life and loving it
Sydney Morning Herald
CHOICE. It's what these pigs enjoy. They can choose to be warm, cold, wet or dry. They can choose to socialise, play, graze or wallow. They live in the hills near Mudgee and range free throughout their lives. Farmers James and Georgie Caspar produce Ormiston Free Range Pork...
photo: WN / Rubielyn Bunag
|  | Watts to pose nude for Archie
Sydney Morning Herald
BEST known for his waist-deep portraits of women starkers, David Bromley has no plans to alter his signature style when he paints Naomi Watts as his submission for the Archibald Prize next year. Bromley, whose exhibition with Andrew Taylor (husband of the actress Rachel Griffiths) opened at the Tim Olsen Gallery in Woollahra last night, told SiT the portrait was still in the planning stage. "My people are talking to her people," he joked. "I...
photo: AP / Antonio Calanni
|  | Guy invites Madonna for Christmas
The Times of India
2 Dec 2008, 1713 hrs IST, ANI Text: Guy Ritchie, who recently divorced Madonna, is said to have drawn plans to have the entire family, including the singer and her daughter, together under the Christmas tree....
photo: AP / Sang Tan, File
|  | Elton's hair protects partner
News24
Los Angeles - Sir Elton John's partner David Furnish wears a locket containing a piece of the singer's baby hair. The 46-year-old TV producer - who entered into a civil partnership with the Rocket Man singer in December 2005 - admits he "feels protected" when he has the necklace round his neck. "I have around my neck a little tiny locket and it has a lock of Elton's baby hair and a picture of him as a baby. I wear it for important occasions -...
photo: Creative Commons / jibegod
|  | Britney had ulterior motive for TV special
MSNBC
Plus: O'Donnell on variety-show flop; Travolta says Hanks owes him Slide show From pop princess to troubled wife and mom, the ups and downs of Britney Spears. more photos Related stories By Courtney HazlettThe Scoopmsnbc.comupdated 9:35 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2008 Courtney HazlettThe Scoop"Britney: For the Record" might offer an inside glimpse into the pop star's life, but offering up tidbits about her failed relationship with Kevin Federline wasn't...
photo: AP / Thomas Kienzle
|  | Cougar didn't eat any of deer, DNR biologist says
Star Tribune
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is disputing hunters' claims that a cougar ate a deer shot north of Duluth last month. But two DNR biologists who conducted a necropsy on the deer carcass say they did see signs that a large carnivore -- a wolf, dog, bear or possibly a cougar -- could have grabbed the deer by the throat after it was shot. John Erb, a DNR wolf research biologist, said none of the deer was eaten by a carnivore and that...
photo: Creative Commons / Drewboy64
| Health News  | Some exercise better than none
Buffalo News
If the abundance of holiday sweets is tempting you to eat more than you should, a brief bout of exercise might make it easier to resist those decadent treats. Researchers at the University of Exeter in England found that a short, invigorating walk can significantly reduce cravings for even the most commonly craved food - chocolate. Following three days of abstinence from chocolate, the researchers asked 25 chocolate-lovers to take a brisk,...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
|  | Asthma patients must go green
The Columbus Dispatch
As of January, millions of people with asthma will have no choice but to help save the planet. The Food and Drug Administration has ordered the elimination of inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbons to propel medication into the lungs. CFCs have been taken out of almost all products since 1987 because they harm Earth's protective ozone layer. Some medical devices were exempted until safe, effective alternatives could be developed. New inhalers,...
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
|  | More HIV testing can save babies
TVNZ
Dec 2, 2008 9:33 AM The United Nations urged countries across the world to expand screening of newborn infants exposed to the virus that causes AIDS, saying it could save the lives of countless children. "Without appropriate treatment, half of children with HIV will die from an HIV-related cause by their second birthday," Ann Veneman, executive director of the UN children's fund UNICEF, said about a new UN AIDS report launched in New York on the...
photo: UN / Qatar
|  | How classy! Danny Cipriani treats Kelly Brook to dinner... at a kebab house
The Daily Mail
It's the meal of choice for football fans and drunken lads out on the town. And it appears that while Kelly Brook has been introducing boyfriend Danny Cipriani to her favourite celebrity haunts the sportsman has been just as forward in teaching her about his interests. Last night Kelly was spotted waiting in Cipriani's Land Rover as he picked up a takeaway kebab. Of course this wasn't just any kebab - it was from upmarket Maroush in...
photo: AP / Evan Agostini
|  | Dirty teeth reveal ancient diet
News24
Washington - Thanks to poor dental hygiene, researchers are getting a more detailed understanding of what people ate thousands of years ago in what is now Peru. Dental plaque scraped from the teeth of people who lived as much as 9 200 years ago revealed traces of cultivated crops, including squash and beans, according to a report in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These ancient people also ate peanuts...
photo: Public Domain file
| Politics News  | Tough Times in Export Economies of Developed Asia
Gallup
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Acknowledging that the global economic crisis is one of the most serious economic challenges they have faced, leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) pledged in late November to "act quickly and decisively to address the impending global economic slowdown." Recent Gallup Polls suggest this can't happen soon enough for consumers in APEC member states in developed Asia: In 2008, majorities in most...
photo: WN / Denise Yong
|  | OSCE to discuss Georgia-Russia war
CNBC
HELSINKI - By Brett Young Europe's main security and human rights body will this week discuss problems lingering since the war it failed to prevent between Russia and Georgia and consider calls by Moscow for a new European security pact. Foreign ministers from the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation meet on Thursday and Friday in Helsinki, the city where its forerunner, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, was...
photo: AP / Shakh Aivazov
|  | Lalu seeks Kerala CM's removal
The Times of India
2 Dec 2008, 1738 hrs IST, PTI Text: NEW DELHI: Seeking removal of Kerala Chief Minister V S Achutanadan for his remark on the family of slain NSG commando Sandip...
photo: PIB of India / Photo Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
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