- A bomb planted in a graveyard in rural eastern Afghanistan killed 14 members of a single family on Thursday as the country's president urged the Taliban to lay down their arms.
- A suicide bomber attacked a funeral for a policeman in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 25 people, including a senior police officer, and wounding over 60, police said.
- Assailants on the East African island of Zanzibar threw acid on two British women volunteering at a primary school on the Tanzanian island, police said Thursday.
- Millions of Muslims began celebrating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday with morning prayers followed by savory high-calorie feasts to mark the holiday, amid concerns over violence.
Author of "Xmas Carol" trashes religion and chronicles the American decline. Plus gay stuff, science, writing, atheism, and baseball.