11+DEC

 **** __Blackwater Guards Tied to Secret Raids by the C.I.A.__ **** By JAMES RISEN and MARK MAZZETTI Former guards with Blackwater Worldwide said that their involvement in the operations blurred the lines supposedly dividing the Central Intelligence Agency, the military and the private security company.

**** __Goldman’s Curbs on Bonuses Aim to Quell Uproar Over Pay__ **** By LOUISE STORY It’s unclear if the move, which comes just ahead of new rulings by the government’s compensation czar, will placate critics of Wall Street pay.

**** __5 U.S. Men Arrested in Pakistan Said to Plan Jihad__ **** By WAQAR GILLANI and JANE PERLEZ The group was headed to a Taliban sanctuary in Pakistan’s tribal areas with the intention of training to fight against American troops, Pakistani police authorities said Thursday. **** __Accepting Peace Prize, Obama Offers ‘Hard Truth’__ **** By JEFF ZELENY Formally accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Thursday, President Obama robustly defended the use of military force “on humanitarian grounds” and to preserve peace.

**** __Britain, Long a Libel Mecca, Reviews Laws__ **** By SARAH LYALL England’s libel laws, which make jurisdiction easy to obtain and are weighted in favor of complainants, are under attack from publishers and scientists.

**** __In Iran, Protests Gaining a Radical Tinge__ **** By ROBERT F. WORTH The creeping radicalization of Iran’s opposition movement has underscored a rift within it, analysts say, and poses a dilemma for its leaders. **** __House Approves Bill That Would Ease Federal Grip on Washington__ **** By IAN URBINA The House voted to remove a measure that bars the city from using local tax money to help low-income women pay for abortions.

**** __Illegal Immigrant Students Publicly Take Up a Cause__ **** By JULIA PRESTON With many illegal immigrants lying low to avoid a continuing crackdown, immigrant students have become the most visible supporters of a legislative overhaul.

**** __For Judges on Facebook, Friendship Has Limits__ **** By JOHN SCHWARTZ A Florida ethics panel ruled that to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, judges and lawyers can’t “friend” one another. **** __Democrats Defend Bill to Rein in Wall Street__ **** By CARL HULSE They said their legislation would protect consumers in their dealings with financial institutions while holding executives rather than taxpayers accountable.

****PAYBACK TIME**** **** __Many See the VAT Option as a Cure for Runaway Deficits__ **** By CATHERINE RAMPELL Runaway federal deficits have thrust a politically unsavory savior into the spotlight: a nationwide tax on goods and services.

**** __Hamstrung by Delays, Fitbit Explains and Tries to Deliver__ **** By JENNA WORTHAM It is a classic start-up story: entrepreneurs with a hot idea generate excitement, then run into problems making and delivering their product.