Death toll in flood-stricken south China nears 400 | Reuters

"(Reuters) - Workers struggled to repair a broken dyke in south China where persistent heavy rains and devastating floods have so far left at least 379 people dead, state media and government agencies said.

Bulldozers dumped rocks and soil to repair a breach in the dykes hemming in the Fu River, in Jiangxi province, which forced over 100,000 people from their homes earlier this week. More water may be on its way, as a flood crest passed through Xiang River in Hunan Province, making its way to the swollen Yangtze River."

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Toxic Sand: Another Enemy in Afghanistan?

"American forces in Afghanistan, who already face roadside bombs and insurgent attacks, may be dealing with an environmental enemy as well -- toxic sand that can damage their brains, according to a recent Navy study."

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Earthquake strikes off Solomon Islands - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

"A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. No immediate threat of a destructive tsunami was reported.

The quake struck at a depth of about 30 kilometres with an epicentre 40 kilometres south-west of Kira Kira, on Makira Island, and 224 kilometres south-east of the capital, Honiara, at 4.30 pm (local time), the USGS said. Like much of the Pacific, the Solomons regularly experience earthquakes, most recently a 6.8 magnitude tremor in April, without a tsuanmi or reports of damage.

A string of tremors rocked the western Solomon Islands in January, with the largest of 7.2 causing a tsunami estimated at nearly 2.5 metres. About 1,000 people - almost a third of the population - are believed to have been left homeless on Rendova island due to earthquake and tsunami damage."

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Obama calls for bank tax as next step in reform | Reuters

"(Reuters) - President Barack Obama, fresh from a win on a sweeping overhaul of Wall Street regulations, on Saturday urged Congress to take up his proposal for a $90 billion, 10-year tax on banks as the next step in reform.

Obama wants to slap a 0.15 percent tax on the liabilities of the biggest U.S. financial institutions to recoup the costs to taxpayers of the financial bailout."

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Quake strikes off Indonesia - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

"A strong earthquake has struck off Indonesia's Java island, but there are no immediate reports of damage.

The Indonesian agency measured the quake as magnitude 6.3, but the US Geological Survey measured it at 5.8.

It hit an area about 120 kilometres south-west of West Java, at a depth of 34 kilometres.

A 6.9-magnitude quake also hit an area near the Solomon Islands earlier today, but the nation has reportedly also escaped damage."

A Response to the 2012 Mayan Prophecy Theory - Grant R. Jeffrey Ministries

"A film entitled 2012 is being released this November with a top Hollywood cast that explores the idea of a global doomsday event that many New Age followers and a few Christians believe will occur at the time of the northern hemisphere's winter solstice on December 21, 2012."

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An open letter to President Obama from Jon Voight - Washington Times

"You will be the first American president that lied to the Jewish people, and the American people as well, when you said that you would defend Israel, the only Democratic state in the Middle East, against all their enemies. You have done just the opposite. You have propagandized Israel, until they look like they are everyone's enemy — and it has resonated throughout the world. You are putting Israel in harm's way, and you have promoted anti-Semitism throughout the world."

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