JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday
issued a "last-minute" appeal to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
to reject their Hamas rulers and stop rocket fire at Israel,
warning them he would not hesitate to use force.
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CONAKRY - Guinea's new military rulers were endorsed by the
deposed prime minister on Thursday, but condemned by the United
States which demanded an immediate return to civilian rule.
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LONDON - Harold Pinter, the British playwright and Nobel
laureate famous for his brooding portrayals of domestic life and
barbed politics, has died aged 78.
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YEVPATORIA, Ukraine - A suspected gas explosion devastated a
five-storey apartment building in southern Ukraine, killing 22
people and leaving more than 20 still unaccounted for, officials
said on Thursday.
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KUALA LUMPUR - Quick action by a German warship halted an
attack on an Egyptian bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on
Thursday by Somali pirates trying to hijack it, the
International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said.
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BANGKOK - New Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva vowed on
Thursday to take legal action against leaders of protesters
whose week-long occupation of two Bangkok airports has brought
billions of dollars of losses to the economy.
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VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict said on Thursday he hoped
Christmas would bring hope to those suffering from war,
terrorism, injustice and poverty and appealed for peace in the
Holy Land.
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WASHINGTON - Eartha Kitt, who rose from the Southern cotton
fields to captivate audiences around the world with sultry
performances as a singer, dancer and actress, died on Thursday
at the age of 81.
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HARARE - Armed police took a leading Zimbabwean human rights
campaigner and eight activists to an undisclosed location on
Thursday after the High Court ordered their immediate release to
a local hospital, their lawyer said.
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BAGHDAD - A car bomb near a popular restaurant in
northwestern Baghdad killed four people and wounded 25 on
Thursday, police said.
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DHAKA - Militants with enough explosives for 50 grenades
have been detained in Bangladesh, police said on Thursday, four
days before a major election in the South Asian country.