1ER+DEC

 **** __No Big Cost Rise in U.S. Premiums Is Seen in Study__ **** By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN The eagerly awaited report gave Democrats ammunition against Republicans who have criticized the bill on the ground that it would raise costs for most Americans.

**** __Obama Issues Order for More Troops in Afghanistan__ **** By ERIC SCHMITT The administration has begun a two-day effort to sell the new strategy to the American people, Congress and American allies.

**** __Old Clemency May Be Issue for Huckabee__ **** By KATE ZERNIKE A busy pardon pen may again lead to political trouble for Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor considered a leading contender for the 2012 G.O.P. nomination. **** __Oil Companies Look to the Future in Iraq__ **** By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS Major oil companies are finally gaining access to Iraq’s petroleum reserves, but at far less advantageous terms than they once envisioned.

**** __Man Tied to Death Camp Goes on Trial in Germany__ **** By NICHOLAS KULISH John Demjanjuk, a retired American autoworker, is accused of helping to force 27,900 Jews to their deaths during the Holocaust.

**** __Pirates Seize Oil Tanker, U.S.-Bound, Off Somalia__ **** By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN Nine pirates seized the tanker, which could be one of the biggest ships ever taken. **** __In Job Hunt, College Degree Can’t Close Racial Gap__ **** By MICHAEL LUO There is ample evidence that race remains a significant obstacle for African-Americans in the job market, even those with degrees from respected colleges.

**** __Tacoma Suspect Said to Threaten to Shoot Officers__ **** By WILLIAM YARDLEY A man suspected of fatally shooting four uniformed police officers remained at large after the police failed to find him in a house in Seattle.

**** __Cole Attack Trial Will Test Tribunal System__ **** By CHARLIE SAVAGE The decision to use a military commission to prosecute Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a suspect in the bombing of the destroyer Cole, instead of a civilian court has set off a fierce debate. **** __With Deal, G.E. Clears Path to Sale of NBC__ **** By TIM ARANGO and BILL CARTER General Electric reached a tentative agreement to buy Vivendi’s stake in NBC Universal for about $5.8 billion, helping clear the path for a sale to Comcast.

**** __In Wake of Dubai, Trying to Predict the Next Blowup__ **** By GRAHAM BOWLEY and CATHERINE RAMPELL The travails of Dubai have some economists wondering where other debt bombs might be lurking — and just how dangerous they might turn out to be.

**** __Speculation Grows Over a Tense Rift, With Billions at Stake__ **** By ROBERT F. WORTH, HEATHER TIMMONS, and LANDON THOMAS Jr. After Dubai World set off turmoil in global markets, many expected reassuring words from the federal government in oil-rich Abu Dhabi. Instead, there was silence.