17+DEC

 **** __U.N. Officials Say American Aide Plotted to Replace Karzai__ **** By JAMES GLANZ and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. As fraud surfaced in the Afghan election, the No. 2 U.N. official in the country, Peter W. Galbraith, proposed enlisting the White House in a plan to replace Hamid Karzai.

**** __M.T.A. Approves Big Service Cuts in Mass Transit__ **** By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM The action represents the biggest erosion of New York City’s transit service since its recovery from the crisis of the 1980s.

**** __That Tap Water Is Legal but May Be Unhealthy__ **** By CHARLES DUHIGG The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose serious health risks — and still be legal. ****UNEASY ENGAGEMENT**** **** __Chinese Team Searches Museums for Art Treasures__ **** By ANDREW JACOBS A delegation scoured the Metropolitan Museum of Art last week for objects looted in 1860 from a palace in Beijing.

**** __Pakistan Reported to Be Harassing U.S. Diplomats__ **** By JANE PERLEZ and ERIC SCHMITT In what U.S. officials describe as a concerted effort to harass American diplomats, frequent car searches and the denial of visas have disrupted embassy work.

**** __Pakistan Strikes Down Amnesty for Politicians__ **** By JANE PERLEZ The court ruling effectively restored corruption cases against thousands of politicians, including the president. **** __Intelligence Improperly Collected on U.S. Citizens__ **** By CHARLIE SAVAGE and SCOTT SHANE Documents released Wednesday show several cases in which the Department of Homeland Security improperly collected information about citizens or lawful residents.

**** __A Sultry World Is Found Orbiting a Distant Star__ **** By DENNIS OVERBYE The planet, about 40 light-years away from Earth, is extremely hot and probably cloaked in a crushing atmosphere, astronomers said.

**** __He Delivers Christmas Trees for Rent__ **** By JENNIFER STEINHAUER Scott Martin delivers live, potted Christmas trees that are returned to the nursery once the season is over. **** __Bank Picks a Successor to Lewis__ **** By ERIC DASH and LOUISE STORY Bank of America named one of its top managers, Brian Moynihan, as its chief executive, succeeding Kenneth D. Lewis, who plans to leave by the end of the year.

**** __Claims of Insider Trading From Trader’s Ex-Wife__ **** By JENNY ANDERSON and ZACHERY KOUWE This is a story about money and marriage on Wall Street, about a fugitive, a billionaire, an ex-wife and her lawsuit.

**** __Government Reconsiders Quick Sale of Citigroup Stake__ **** By ERIC DASH Two days after Citigroup moved to untangle itself from Washington, the Treasury backed away from plans to immediately sell a portion of its stake in the bank, according to a person briefed on the situation.