Syrian refugees face harsh winter in desperate conditions

BAB AL-SALAMEH, Syria (Reuters) - Huddled inside thin plastic tents in a makeshift camp after fleeing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's bombs thousands of refugees say they face a new enemy. "The cold is killing us," many of them say. Having survived a conflict in which more than 40,000 people are estimated to have been killed, refugees at the Bab al-Salameh camp on the Syrian-Turkish...

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World shares, dollar steady in holiday lull

LONDON (Reuters) - World stock, commodity and currency markets were steady on Monday, as the holiday lull set in across markets and offset tensions over the U.S. budget dispute. With only UK, French, Dutch and Spanish stock markets open in Europe and trading shortened ahead of Christmas celebrations, the FTSEurofirst300 <.fteu3> opened almost flat at 1138.35 points to leave the...

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Seahawks roll past 49ers in noisy Seattle 42-13

SEATTLE (AP) — Red Bryant remembers the early years of his career, when the Seattle Seahawks struggled to win only four and five games in his first two seasons.Getting a 10th win on Sunday night and a trip to the postseason was special to the Seahawks' big defensive end."Who has been playing better than us the last few weeks?" Bryant questioned. "This is the National Football League and you don't...

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Bad weather prompts flight cancellations, delays at SFO

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Seeking the truth about Jesus

A nativity scene from St. Catherine's Church in Bethlehem in the West Bank. STORY HIGHLIGHTSJay Parini: There are as many visions of Jesus, and versions, as there are Christians Parini: As a child, I wondered why only two of the gospels mention Christmas He says he believes firmly that Jesus was a real person, complex and inspiring Parini: Jesus's life has mythical resonance with the power to change...

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Bears alive, but need help heading into final Sunday

The defensive end after the Bears beat the Cardinals 28-13 on Sunday. GLENDALE, Ariz. — They're alive.Only because they faced...

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Afghan policewoman kills coalition contractor in Kabul: NATO

KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan woman wearing a police uniform shot dead on Monday a civilian contractor working for Western forces in the police chief's compound in Kabul, NATO said. The incident is likely to raise troubling questions about the direction of an unpopular war. It appeared to be the first time that a woman member of Afghanistan's security forces carried out such...

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Wall Street Week Ahead: A lump of coal for "Fiscal Cliff-mas"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street traders are going to have to pack their tablets and work computers in their holiday luggage after all. A traditionally quiet week could become hellish for traders as politicians in Washington are likely to fall short of an agreement to deal with $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts due to kick in early next year. Many economists forecast that this...

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Falcons top Lions 31-18 for home-field advantage

DETROIT (AP) — Matt Ryan got what he wanted.Calvin Johnson was forced to settle for what he could get.Ryan matched a career high with four touchdown passes, two to Roddy White, to help the Atlanta Falcons beat the Detroit Lions 31-18 Saturday night and earn home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs."It's great," Ryan said. "Our confidence is high and our experience — good and bad — has helped...

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Three Spaceflyers Arrive at International Space Station

This story was updated Dec. 21 at 9:10 a.m. EST.The three newest residents of the International Space Station arrived at the high-flying laboratory Friday morning (Dec. 21) aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.At 9:09 a.m. EST (1409 GMT) the capsule delivered Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield — who will become the station’s first Canadian commander — as well as Russian Federal Space Agency...

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