Israel hits Hamas buildings, shoots down Tel Aviv-bound rocket

GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas government buildings in Gaza, and the "Iron Dome" defense system shot down a Tel Aviv-bound rocket on Saturday as Israel geared up for a possible ground invasion. Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, said Israeli missiles wrecked the office building of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh - where he had met on...

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Football: Messi scores twice as Barcelona make record start to season

MADRID: Lionel Messi hit a brace as Barcelona beat Zaragoza 3-1 to make the best ever start to a Liga season but Real Madrid kept in touch with a 5-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.There were doubts that Tito Vilanova could take on the mantle left by Pep Guardiola this summer but he has proved himself in emphatic fashion with the team notching up eleven wins and a draw so far that leaves them...

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Criminal defamation case: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh summoned

NEW DELHI: A trial court on Saturday issued summons against senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in a criminal defamation case lodged by BJP President Nitin Gadkari after it found "prima facie" evidence to proceed against the politician. Metropolitan Magistrate Sudesh Kumar directed Singh to appear before the court on December 21 to face trial for the offence punishable under section 499 (defamation)...

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GOP Mourning for Mitt Romney? Not So Much

Republicans are over it.And most of them aren't doing much mourning for Mitt Romney.Just over a week since the two-time Republican presidential hopeful failed to deny President Obama a second term, instead of offering up condolences for a candidate who garnered 48 percent of the popular vote, GOP leaders seem to be keeping Romney at arm's length."I've never run for president --...

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EU drug regulator OKs Novartis' meningitis B shot

LONDON (AP) — Europe's top drug regulator has recommended approval for the first vaccine against meningitis B, made by Novartis AG.There are five types of bacterial meningitis. While vaccines exist to protect against the other four, none has previously been licensed for type B meningitis. In Europe, type B is the most common, causing 3,000 to 5,000 cases every year.Meningitis mainly affects infants...

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China's commerce minister voted out in rare congress snub: sources

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's commerce minister was surprisingly blocked from a spot on the ruling Communist Party's elite body during a conclave this week, sources said, a rare snub for an official that could raise questions about trade policies during his tenure. The failure of Chen Deming to secure a seat on the 25-member Politburo marks one of the few surprises to emerge from the party's...

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Golf: Ai Miyazato seizes LPGA lead

NAPLES, Florida: Japan's Ai Miyazato collected nine birdies in an eight-under par 64 on Friday to take a one-shot lead midway through the LPGA tour's season-ending Titleholders tournament.Miyazato, seeking a third victory this season, had just one blemish on her card, a bogey at the par-five second hole.She more than atoned, with five birdies on the front nine and four more on the back...

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Cops Stop Alleged 'Twilight' Movie Theater Gun Plot

A Missouri man is accused of planning a movie theater massacre at a screening of the final "Twilight" movie.Blaec Lammers, 20, was charged Friday with first-degree assault, making a terroristic threat and armed criminal action after his mother alerted police that he had purchased 400 rounds of ammunition and two assault rifles "very similar to the ones in Aurora, Colo., movie theater...

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