The latest news on Economy, Climate Aid, Iran, Blackwater, USDA-School Lunch, Detainee, Federal Debt, House Spending Bill, Health-Care Bill, Kai Eide, India, Putin, Immigrant Students, Facebook, Latinos Divided, Tuition Increases, Swine Flu, North Korea,

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Economy. Report Shows Strong Start to U.S. Retailers’ Holiday Season "Retail sales rose nearly twice as fast as expected in November, data showed, as consumers appeared to open their wallets in the face of a grim job market."

Climate Aid. Europe Pledges Billions for Climate Aid for Poor Nations "The offer of about $3 billion is an attempt to help the chances of reaching a deal next week at climate talks."

Iran. Gates Expects New Sanctions on Iran "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’s remarks were the first from a senior U.S. official to say that tougher sanctions were likely." U.N. panel voices concern over Iran's apparent violations of arms-export embargo "A U.N. sanctions committee expressed 'grave concern' Thursday about what it called apparent Iranian violations of a U.N. ban on arms exports, triggering a renewed threat by the United States and its European allies to press for broader sanctions against Tehran if it does not mend."

Blackwater. Blackwater Guards Tied to Secret C.I.A. Raids "The guards’ involvement blurred the lines dividing the C.I.A., the military and the private security company." Blackwater tied to clandestine CIA raids "Highly trained personnel employed with the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide sometimes operated side by side with CIA field officers in Iraq and Afghanistan as the agency undertook missions to kill or capture members of insurgent groups in those countries."

USDA-School Lunch. USDA to offer members of Congress a taste of school lunches "Chicken fajita strips, sliced ham and canned green beans: That's what's for lunch one day next week for some lawmakers and congressional staffers, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

Detainee. Defense Dept. faulted for not taping detainee's testimony "A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Defense Department was in contempt of court for failing to videotape the testimony of a Guantanamo Bay detainee who is challenging his detention in court."

Federal Debt. Pelosi to propose measure on raising federal debt ceiling "With the national debt projected to soar by nearly $1.4 trillion this year, congressional Democrats are planning a year-end push to dramatically increase the legal debt limit so they don't have to revisit the politically uncomfortable issue before facing voters in November."

House Spending Bill. House approves $447 billion omnibus spending bill "The House voted Thursday to approve half a dozen spending bills contained in one large package, as the chamber races to complete its work before adjourning for the year."

Heatlh-Care Bill. Pelosi supports Medicare buy-in plan in senate health-care deal "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed a proposal Thursday that would allow people in late middle age to buy insurance through Medicare, helping to sustain an idea that sprang unexpectedly from the Senate this week." Senate Tied in Knots Over Proposal to Allow Imported Drugs "Democratic leaders delayed a vote because they feared the proposal would be approved, blowing apart a deal negotiated by the White House and the pharmaceutical industry." High Premiums in Senate Democrats’ Health Plan "Preliminary calculations reflect the steep challenges that Senate Democrats face as they await a new cost analysis of their proposal." House Approves Bill That Would Ease Federal Grip on Washington "The House voted to remove a measure that bars the city from using local tax money to help low-income women pay for abortions."

Cutting Greenhouse Gas. 3 senators propose cutting greenhouse gas emissions about 17% by 2020 "The trio of senators who are trying to write a bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions released a 'framework' Thursday that they had agreed to."

Kai Eide. U.N. Afghan Mission Chief to Resign "The diplomat, Kai Eide, drew criticism from his deputy last summer in the aftermath of the Afghan elections."

India. India Faces Backlash Over a New State "Opponents of the partition of Andhra Pradesh staged protests, even as advocates for the creation of other new states began agitating in different regions of the country."

Putin. Putin Seeks Crackdown in Club Fire "Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin demanded a crackdown on regulators who fail to enforce safety measures, as the death toll from a fire at a nightclub rose to 141 people."

Iraq. Iraq Accepts Bids for 2 More Oil Fields "Iraq’s government held a public auction Friday during which it sold development rights to two of its largest untapped oil fields."

China. China Indicts Prominent Dissident "Liu Xiaobo, one of China’s best-known dissidents and an author of a pro-democracy manifesto, was indicted Thursday on charges of trying to subvert the state."

Immigrant Students. Illegal Immigrant Students Publicly Take Up a Cause "With many illegal immigrants lying low to avoid a continuing crackdown, immigrant students have become the most visible supporters of a legislative overhaul."

Facebook. For Judges on Facebook, Friendship Has Limits "A Florida ethics panel ruled that to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, judges and lawyers can’t 'friend' one another."

Latinos Divided. Survey Depicts Latinos as Divided "A new, comprehensive look at young Hispanics -- two-thirds of whom are native-born Americans -- paints a mixed picture of their footing in the United States."

Tuition Increases. 26 Students Arrested in Protest Over Tuition Increases "Some students barricaded themselves inside a building at San Francisco State University to protest budget cuts and tuition increases across the state’s public university system."

Swine Flu. Swine Flu Death Toll at 10,000 Since April "Federal health officials said Thursday that almost 10,000 people had died of swine flu since April, a significant jump from mortality numbers released last month." Swine flu death rate elevated for American Indians, Alaska natives "The death rate from pandemic H1N1 influenza is four times higher in American Indians and Alaska natives than in the rest of the U.S. population, government epidemiologists reported Thursday."

North Korea. U.S. envoy's North Korea trip produces no commitment on nuclear talks "President Obama's envoy to North Korea said Thursday that his journey to Pyongyang produced no commitment that the North would return to international talks aimed at ridding the country of nuclear weapons."

Unemployment. Unemployment plan would change rules on bank bailouts "The Obama administration plans to channel money from the government's massive financial bailout program to small businesses as part of an effort to limit the political and economic damage of high unemployment."

Sojourners' Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.