NPR World News

Some Egyptian ambulances have been allowed into the embattled Gaza Strip, presumably to pick up badly wounded civilians for treatment in Egyptian hospitals. Israeli warplanes and drones remain active along the frontier, drawing fire from Hamas militants.

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The heaviest fighting in the Gaza Strip since the 1967 Six Day War is taking an enormous toll on the territory's civilians. The medical system is particularly strained. Medical personnel are struggling under dangerous conditions and with limited supplies.

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Violence plagues the city, just over the border from El Paso, Texas. We meet with a a newspaper photographer, whose days are spent shooting crime scenes.

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Israeli forces launched a deadly ground attack against Hamas this weekend. The move is in response to Hamas firing rockets into southern Israel. Vivian Silver, of Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development in Israel, and Abu Sahmi, of the Palestinian Dialogue Center, discuss the conflict's impact and the divided argument on how peace can be achieved.

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Helen Suzman, a member of South Africa's parliament from 1953 to 1989, died on New Year's Day at the age 91. Professor Glenn Frankel at Stanford University for more on the powerful life and political career of Helen Suzman.

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As Israeli forces pound Hamas fighters, civilian casualties mount. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in the region to spearhead efforts for a cease-fire. Israeli troops have surrounded Gaza City and are in the third day of a ground offensive.

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Verdicts are expected soon in the ongoing scandal over tainted milk in China. So far, the contaminated milk has killed six children and sickened nearly 300,000. The government last week announced details of a compensation plan. Some victims' families are questioning the plan, saying the amounts are too low.

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Even as the global financial crisis pummels the economy, Moscow says it's going ahead with plans for large investments in Gazprom, the world's largest producer of natural gas. The company lies at the center of the Kremlin's strategy to boost control over global energy supplies.

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During his campaign for the White House, President-elect Obama was unequivocal about closing the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But the issue of what to do with the prisoners still there presents numerous difficult questions for Obama's team to answer.

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Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly is the world's largest producer of natural gas. Despite recent financial setbacks, Gazprom still pumps billions of dollars into the government's budget and plans to continue plans to expand its global reach.

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The Israeli ground attack on Gaza sparked protests on the streets of the Arab world and renewed diplomatic calls in Europe and elsewhere for an end to the violence.

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Israeli tanks and infantry units pushed farther into the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Gaza medical officials say more than 30 civilians have been killed since Saturday night; Israeli officials say one Israeli soldier was killed and several dozen were lightly wounded.

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U.S. Marines are trying a new tactic in Fallujah: cattle. They're providing dairy cows to 50 women widowed in the past few years of fighting. The hope is that the cows will provide a steady source of income for the women. Marine Maj. Meredith Brown and State Department worker Jennifer Vitela talk to host Guy Raz about the project.

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Host Liane Hansen talks with NPR's Eric Westervelt, who was at the Israel border with Gaza, about the latest on the Israeli ground attack in Gaza.

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What Palestinians on the West Bank say about the Israeli ground offensive and what needs to be done to reach a cease-fire. Are Palestinians blaming Hamas for the conflict?

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Israeli troops overnight took control of a substantial portion of the northern Gaza Strip. Backed by tanks and warplanes, they appear to be attempting to surround the dense population center of Gaza City and to divide the territory in half.

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Israeli troops backed by tanks and warplanes took control of significant areas of the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, but they encountered stiff resistance from Hamas guerrilla fighters.

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During the most violent year in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, civilians often paid the highest price. Some 1,200 men, women and children considered non-combatants died in 2008. Many expect the toll to increase in 2009 as more U.S. troops arrive to fight a revived Taliban.

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Chinese dairies linked to the tainted milk scandal that sickened thousands of children sent a mass text-message to mobile phone users. "We sincerely apologize and beg your forgiveness," it said.

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For the last two years, James Fallows has followed China's astounding double-digit growth in a series of quirky essays for the Atlantic Monthly. His stories are now collected in a new book, Postcards From Tomorrow Square.

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