December 23 News international

Friday 23 December, 2011.

TOP STORY Twin suicide blast in Syria, 30 dead Twin suicide car bomb blasts ripped through an upscale Damascus district on Friday, targeting security and intelligence buildings and killing at least 30 people, Syrian authorities said. HEADLINES US accepts responsibility, need to improve trust level: WH  The US accepts responsibility for the mistakes of the "tragic" cross-border NATO strike in Pakistan and wants to take "corrective measures" to improve trust with the country, the White House said on Friday. Gilani hits out at powerful army; expresses fears of ouster  Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday in an unprecedented tongue-lashing against the powerful military said it is "unacceptable" if the army "considers itself a State within State" and warned that "conspiracies" are being hatched to "pack up" his government. NKorea vows to support new leader  Mourning centers have been set up in towns and villages across North Korea in a stepped-up show of public grief on Friday over the death of leader Kim Jong Il, but attention and allegiances were already clearly shifting to his young son. US Senator calls for federal investigation against Nikki Haley An influential US Senator has demanded a federal investigation into whether Indian-American Nikki Halley, the Governor of South Carolina, exploited taxpayer dollars for political purposes. AFRICA & SOUTH AMERICA ASIA PACIFIC EUROPE NORTH AMERICA SOUTH ASIA WEST ASIA

OTHER TOP STORIES Spain's new government vows to fix economy  Strong earthquakes rattle NZ's Christchurch  Republicans agree to Obama's pay roll tax cut demand  Italy gov't wins confidence vote on austerity plan  Wave of bombings across Iraqi capital kills 69