#1 — BBC | Taliban launch attacks along north Pakistan border
At least 11 soldiers and 24 militants have been killed in clashes near the Afghan border in north-west Pakistan, officials have said.
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#2 — BBC | New cars in Beijing cut by two-thirds to battle traffic
New rules have taken effect in China that restrict car purchases in an effort to combat serious traffic problems in the capital, Beijing.
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#3 — BBC | Huge 'Macedonian-led' heroin ring broken up in Europe
Austrian police say a huge Macedonian-led heroin-trafficking ring has been dismantled in a joint operation involving some 400 arrests.
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#4 — CNN | Central Arkansas growing weary of relentless tremors
Guy, Arkansas (CNN) — Things are still shaking in Arkansas.
More than 500 measurable earthquakes have been reported in central Arkansas since September 20, ranging in magnitude from a barely noticeable 1.8 to a very noticeable 4.0 (recorded on October 11), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Geologists can't say whether they'll stop anytime soon.
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#5 — Fox | Report: Treasury OK'd U.S. Business With Iran
WASHINGTON–The Treasury Department has granted nearly 10,000 special licenses to American companies over the past decade so they could sell some types of products in Iran and other countries the U.S. considers terrorist sponsors, The New York Times reported Thursday.
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#6 — NY Times | Another Storm Brings New Travel Delays in Europe
PARIS — A fresh storm brought new delays to the European Continent on Friday, snarling travel for thousands of Christmas Eve travelers from Paris and parts of Germany but London’s Heathrow Airport was operating almost normally.
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#7 — DM | Christmas Day set to be the coldest ever
Traditional family walks to help the turkey go down could be off the cards this year as December 25 is set to be the chilliest day this season – and the coldest Christmas ever.
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#8 — Independent | In Bethlehem tourism is reborn, but only for a few
Artists have made a tidy sum depicting an imaginary scene where a pregnant Mary and Joseph are puzzled by Israel's separation wall blocking their entry into Bethlehem.
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#9 — Telegraph | Battle over pardon for Billy the Kid
As showdowns go, it's probably not the greatest the Wild West has ever seen.
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#10 — Telegraph | International outrage grows as Belarus prepares to charge election candidates
Belarus may charge former presidential candidates being held over election protests, as the United States and European Union vowed to review ties with Minsk after its violent crackdown on demonstrators.
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