Last troops exit Iraq in subdued end to 9-year war (AP)

Last troops exit Iraq in subdued end to 9-year war (AP)
Havel, hero of anti-communist revolution, dies (AP)
Iraqis celebrate US exit, but worry for future (AP)
House GOP leaders want new payroll tax cut bill (AP)
APNewsBreak: US aid a step toward Korea nuke talks (AP)
Philippine storm toll exceeds 650; 900 missing (AP)
Police: NYC woman burned to death owed suspect $2K (AP)
NC soldier, 23, was last US troop killed in Iraq (AP)
Army is pressed on why it kept trusting Manning (AP)
Next wave of GPS promises stronger signals (AP)
Havel, leader of "Velvet Revolution," dies (Reuters)
Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war (Reuters)
Eurozone to push on with crisis steps, Fitch doubts outcome (Reuters)
Iran state TV airs "confession" of detained CIA spy (Reuters)
House Republicans oppose Senate payroll tax bill (Reuters)
Key witness excused from testifying on U.S. leaks (Reuters)
Analysis: Iraq resumes political strife in vacuum left by U.S. (Reuters)
House sets Monday votes on payroll tax cut bill (Reuters)
Tim Tebow: Is it true that â€˜all he does is winâ€™ ... and pray? (VIDEO) (The Christian Science Monitor)
Senate wraps up year's work â€“ finally (The Christian Science Monitor)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:28 PM PST

AP - Outside it was pitch dark. The six American soldiers couldn't see much of the desert landscape streaming by outside the small windows of their armored vehicle. They were hushed and exhausted from an all-night drive — part of the last convoy of U.S. troops to leave Iraq during the final moment of a nearly nine-year war.

Havel, hero of anti-communist revolution, dies (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:05 PM PST

AP - The end of Czechoslovakia's totalitarian regime was called the Velvet Revolution because of how smooth the transition seemed: Communism dead in a matter of weeks, without a shot fired. But for Vaclav Havel, it was a moment he helped pay for with decades of suffering and struggle.

Iraqis celebrate US exit, but worry for future (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:16 AM PST

AP - Even as Iraqis celebrated the departure of the last American troops Sunday, the dangers left behind after nearly nine years of war were on full display. Politicians feuded along the country's potentially explosive sectarian lines and the drumbeat of deadly violence went on.

House GOP leaders want new payroll tax cut bill (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:06 PM PST

AP - Top House Republicans rebelled Sunday against a bipartisan, Senate-approved bill extending payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for two months, reigniting a politically fueled holiday-season clash that had seemed all but doused.

APNewsBreak: US aid a step toward Korea nuke talks (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:02 AM PST

AP - The United States is poised to announce a significant donation of food aid to North Korea this week, the first concrete accomplishment after months of behind-the-scenes diplomatic contacts between the two wartime enemies. An agreement by North Korea to suspend its controversial uranium enrichment program will likely follow within days.

Philippine storm toll exceeds 650; 900 missing (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:02 AM PST

AP - As a storm that killed more than 650 in the southern Philippines raged outside the store where she works, Amor Limbago worriedly called home to check on her parents, but their cellphones just kept ringing and later went dead.

Police: NYC woman burned to death owed suspect $2K (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:14 PM PST

AP - A man charged with dousing a woman in flammable liquid and tossing a Molotov cocktail on her in an elevator told police he set her on fire because he was angry that she owed him $2,000, authorities said Sunday.

NC soldier, 23, was last US troop killed in Iraq (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST

AP - As the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq on Sunday, friends and family of the first and last American fighters killed in combat were cherishing their memories rather than dwelling on whether the war and their sacrifice was worth it.

Army is pressed on why it kept trusting Manning (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:24 PM PST

AP - A military hearing for the Army private charged with spilling a mountain of secrets to WikiLeaks focused Sunday on why Pfc. Bradley Manning remained entrusted with highly sensitive information after showing hostile behavior to those around him. A supervisor who might have shed light on that question refused to testify, invoking his right against self-incrimination.

Next wave of GPS promises stronger signals (AP)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST

AP - The future of the U.S. Global Positioning System is taking shape in a vast white room south of Denver, where workers are piecing together the first of more than 30 satellites touted as the most powerful, reliable and versatile yet.

Havel, leader of "Velvet Revolution," dies (Reuters)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 10:15 AM PST

Reuters - Vaclav Havel, a dissident playwright jailed by Communists who became Czech president and a symbol of peace and freedom after leading the bloodless "Velvet Revolution," died at 75 on Sunday.

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

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 12:25 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 grappling with political uncertainty.

Eurozone to push on with crisis steps, Fitch doubts outcome (Reuters)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 09:01 AM PST

Reuters - The euro zone will pursue measures to tackle its sovereign debt crisis this week by offering more cash to the IMF and long-term liquidity to banks, while moving towards tighter fiscal rules, after ratings agency Fitch cast doubt on it ability to forge a decisive response.

Iran state TV airs "confession" of detained CIA spy (Reuters)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:14 PM PST

Reuters - Iranian state television on Sunday aired what it described as the confession of an Iranian man detained for spying for the CIA.

House Republicans oppose Senate payroll tax bill (Reuters)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 10:16 AM PST

Reuters - The fate of an expiring tax break for 160 million American workers was in doubt on Sunday after the top Republican lawmaker distanced himself from a two-month extension just passed by Democrats and many fellow Republicans in the Senate.

Key witness excused from testifying on U.S. leaks (Reuters)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 11:32 AM PST

Reuters - A key witness was excused from testifying in the case against Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning on Sunday after he invoked his right against self-incrimination at a hearing about the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history.

Analysis: Iraq resumes political strife in vacuum left by U.S. (Reuters)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST

Reuters - The dust had barely settled from the last column of departing U.S. armoured vehicles when Iraq's rival Sunni and Shi'ite factions resumed the kind of political infighting that threatens a lurch back into turmoil.

House sets Monday votes on payroll tax cut bill (Reuters)

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 07:20 AM PST

Reuters - The fate of legislation in the Congress to extend a payroll tax cut for two months was uncertain on Saturday as the measure appeared to face strong opposition in the House of Representatives.

Tim Tebow: Is it true that â€˜all he does is winâ€™ ... and pray? (VIDEO) (The Christian Science Monitor)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 02:19 PM PST

The Christian Science Monitor - If you were part of an alien reconnaissance team visiting Earth this December, you'd be forgiven for thinking the world is ruled by someone named Tim Tebow.

Senate wraps up year's work â€“ finally (The Christian Science Monitor)

Posted: 17 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST

The Christian Science Monitor - A weary Senate, battered by fiscal crisis and gridlock, wrapped up the year on Saturday with votes to fund the government through FY 2012 and extend a payroll tax cut, set to expire on Dec. 31.