Israelis re-open Gaza crossings

Israel has re-opened crossings into the Gaza Strip to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Israeli officials said Defence Minister Ehud Barak took the decision after talks with security chiefs and requests from the international community.

About 80 trucks with supplies such as medicine, food and other goods are expected to cross on Friday.

The move comes despite Israeli warnings to Palestinian militants in Gaza to stop their rocket attacks on Israel.

Some 50 rockets have been launched from Gaza in recent days, after the killing of three Hamas members by Israel.

A six-month ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas ended last week.

Cairo talks

UN officials have warned that the Hamas-controlled territory is facing a humanitarian catastrophe. Four out of five Gazans are dependent on food aid and the UN warehouses there are now empty. The UN says the deliveries fall far short of what is needed.

The Israeli defence ministry did not say for how long the Gaza crossings would remain open but a spokesperson said the security situation was re-evaluated on a daily basis.

The ministry said a smaller number of rockets was fired on Friday morning than on previous days and therefore it was judged that the humanitarian need in Gaza was greater than the security need in Israel.

In November, Israel re-sealed the border with Gaza after temporarily opening it to allow in a limited amount of food and fuel. That step was taken after a rocket was fired at Israel from Gaza.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would not hesitate to strike Hamas and also Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza.

Separately, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said after Thursday's emergency talks in Cairo with top Egyptian officials that the latest escalation was "unbearable".

The BBC's Christian Fraser says some will see Ms Livni's visit as the first of several diplomatic steps Israel must take before launching military action.

China begins anti-piracy mission

China begins anti-piracy mission

Three Chinese naval ships have set sail for waters off Somalia to protect Chinese vessels from pirate attacks.

Two destroyers and a supply ship left the port of Sanya on Hainan island to join warships from other nations already patrolling the area.

It will be the Chinese navy's first operation beyond the Pacific.

There have been more than 100 pirate attacks this year off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

On Thursday, the German navy said it had foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack an Egyptian cargo vessel off Somalia.

Six Somali pirates were captured by sailors of the frigate Karlsruhe in the Gulf of Aden. However, the pirates were immediately released on the orders of the German government, officials told the BBC.

Japan's prime minister also indicated that his country was considering sending ships to help combat piracy.

"Each nation is taking measures. So, Japan should also take its own steps," Taro Aso said.

'International scourge'

The commander of China's South Sea Fleet, Rear Adm Du Jingchen, said his personnel were prepared for a complicated and long-term mission.

"Acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters off Somalia have been increasingly rampant since the beginning of this year, posing a severe danger to the safety of ships and members from many countries, including China," China's Defence Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping said.

"Apart from this, pirates have also been threatening ships delivering humanitarian relief items to Somalia by international organisations. Piracy has become an international scourge."

The Chinese military says there have been seven attacks this year on Chinese vessels in the area.

It says its forces will board and inspect suspected pirate ships, try to rescue those who are attacked and mount a vigorous defence if they themselves come under attack.

However, defence ministry officials insist that China's doctrine of non-interference in other nations' affairs has not changed, the BBC's Chris Hogg in Beijing says.

The Chinese will work with other members of the international task force in the area.

China has no bases in the region so keeping its forces well supplied during what is expected to be a lengthy deployment is a major challenge, our correspondent adds.

Japan's industrial output plunges

Industrial output in Japan dropped just over 8% in November compared with the previous month, the biggest fall on record, government figures show.

At the same time, unemployment rose to nearly 4% of the population.

More than 2.5m people were out of work in Japan in November, a rise of 100,000 compared with the year before. Those on temporary contracts are worst affected.

Factories were closed and jobs cut as demand for manufactured goods slumped amid the global financial downturn.

Production at major Japanese manufacturers fell by 3.1% in October.

November's 8.1% drop was the largest since records of such output statistics began.

Dismal data

The new numbers released by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, suggest industrial output will continue to decline, perhaps by about 8% in December.

The biggest falls came in production of autos, machinery and electronics and followed announcements of large cutbacks by companies including Toyota and Sony.

"Overall, production is rapidly falling," the ministry said.

The BBC's Duncan Bartlett in Tokyo says Japan's factories are usually busy and efficient but at the moment many are sitting idle because there are no customers for their goods.

In the car industry, many companies have decided to stop building new vehicles until they have sold the ones they have already made.

Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said 2.56 million people were unemployed in Japan in November, an increase of 100,000 from a year earlier.

Those hardest hit are people on temporary or limited contracts - job losses in this group doubled in a month.

Consumer prices rose 1% from a year earlier, driven by higher costs of basic necessities such as food, fuel and electricity.

'No growth'

The Japanese government has already predicted that the economy will not grow in 2009.

Business confidence has plummeted in recent months.

Interest rates are pegged at just 0.1%, lower than US rates. The government has announced several economic stimulus measures.

Japan is the world's second-largest economy, and Asia's largest, so has been directly hit by the slump in demand caused by spreading global recession.

Economists say that the continuing bad news suggests that Japan's recession is getting worse, our correspondent says, despite the attempts by the government and the Bank of Japan to help by increasing public spending and cutting interest rates.

Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Vanessa Anne Hudgens (born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She made her debut in 2003 appearing in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds, before reaching fame in 2006 after appearing as Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel film High School Musical hit series. Hudgens began a music career and released her debut album, V, in 2006. Her second album, Identified, was released July 1, 2008. She is a spokesperson for Neutrogena, Sears, and Eckō.

PCA, World Series, Poker Tours - PokerStars gears up for 2009

The World Cup of Poker is back!
The planet’s most fiercely contested team event returns - The PokerStars World Cup of Poker is back! Qualify to represent your country in the live Final in the Bahamas during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in January 2009, where you could play for national pride, bragging rights, and $290,000 in cash prizes - for FREE! Qualifiers for all regions are available now, located under the Events > World Cup tab in your PokerStars lobby. See the Qualifying pages for more information.

WSOP WinnerPokerStars has a new World Champion
On November 10, the climax of the epic World Series of Poker* saw Danish PokerStars player Peter Eastgate defeat Russian PokerStars player Ivan Demidov to write himself into the history books as the 2008 World Champion, claiming the legendary World Series of Poker Main Event Bracelet and $9,119,517. Read about Peter’s win and Ivan’s second place finish, as well as the WSOP success of Team PokerStars Pro, which included bracelet wins for myself (Daniel Negreanu) and my fellow Pros Barry Greenstein, Dario Minieri and Alexandre Gomes, on the PokerStars Blog

EPTEuropean Poker Tour (EPT) Season 5
With the EPT continuing at full pace towards the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) and the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, the tour still has plenty of serious action in store. With a phenomenal 1,964 players so far competing for a total prize pool in excess of $12,000,000, the tour is set to move on to the Czech Republic when EPT Prague kicks off on December 9. EPT Deauville is also on the horizon, ready to return the EPT to France on January 20. Qualifiers for this event are running NOW from $2.22 or 111 FPP, located under the Events > EPT tab in your PokerStars lobby. More information about the EPT can be found here.

APPTAsia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) Season 2
With over 1,200 players competing for a total prize pool of more than US $2,500,000 so far on the APPT, all roads now lead to Australia and the APPT Grand Final starting on December 2. The home of world famous landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House is set to provide a stunning backdrop for the conclusion of this impressive poker tour. To re-live all the action from Season 2 of the APPT and see how the Grand Final plays out, visit the PokerStars Blog.

LAPTLatin American Poker Tour (LAPT) makes its first ever visit to Mexico
The LAPT is set to make its first ever visit to Mexico with the inaugural LAPT Nuevo Vallarta from December 5-7! To be a part of this eagerly anticipated event and see if you have what it takes to become the first ever LAPT Nuevo Vallarta champion, satellites are available NOW from $0.25 and 250 FPPs. Find them under the Events > LAPT tab in your PokerStars lobby. To read more about the LAPT click here.

» Software Updates
The latest PokerStars software updates have been released to make sure we stay on top of our game so you can stay on top of yours. The latest updates include improvements to the ‘Auto-Rebuy’ option for Ring Games and the ‘Find a Player’ request. There’s a new look VIP Store in the Cashier, new games including Badugi, and a range of new Keyboard Shortcuts. For full details, visit the Software News page.

PokerStars World Record Week - Be a part of it

For the final week of 2008 PokerStars is doing something very special. World Record Week will see us try to set a Guinness World Record, offer a reload bonus, run massive money-added tournaments and give away cash prizes in milestone hands! So get festive and settle in for a brilliant week-long blowout at PokerStars.

Guinness World Record Attempt
25% Reload Bonus
Sunday Million - $2.5 million guaranteed
Sunday Warm-Up - $1 million prize pool
Cash prizes on Milestone Hands
10,000 player Sit & Go tourneys
Team PokerStars Pro Exhibition Match
Extra Sunday Million satellites

Guinness World Record Attempt
This is your chance to play in the largest online poker tournament in history and to be part of a world record attempt. We’re aiming for 35,000 players, and with a buy-in of $11 and a $500K guaranteed prize pool, you should be a part of it on Sunday December 28 at 15:30 ET.

The Guinness World Record Attempt [$500k gtd!] tourney can be found under the Tourney > Special tab. Register now!

25% Reload Bonus
To celebrate the holidays, PokerStars is giving you a gift – a 25% reload bonus up to $150*! The qualifying deposit period is from now until December 31 at 23:59 ET. To receive the bonus, enter the code PS25 into the bonus code field of the Cashier when making your qualifying deposit. Restrictions apply – visit our Deposit Bonus page for details.

Sunday Million - $2.5 Million Guaranteed
The world’s biggest weekly tournament is about to get bigger for World Record Week. PokerStars is guaranteeing a prize pool of $2.5 million in the December 28 Sunday Million. The buy-in remains at $215! We’ll also be running a variety of Sunday Million satellites, so make sure that you qualify. Don’t miss it, December 28 at 16:30 ET.

Sunday Warm-Up - $1 million guaranteed
Not to be outdone by the Sunday Million, the Sunday Warm-Up is also receiving a boost, taking it to a $1 million guaranteed prize pool. The Sunday Warm-Up takes place on December 28 at 12:45 ET. Satellites will be running throughout World Record Week – qualify now!

Milestone Hands
During World Record week we will be giving away cash prizes for every millionth hand dealt in our ring games from December 24 at 14:00 until December 31 at 23:59 ET. Plus you can win even bigger prizes depending on your VIP status. Visit our Milestone Hands information page for more details, and to see a full list of the prizes and VIP status multipliers.

10,000 player Sit & Go tourneys
We’re also going to be running a series of 10,000 player Sit & Go tournaments during the weekend of December 27-28. The buy-in is just $1 and we’ll be adding an extra $10,000 to the prize pool of each Sit & Go. These special Sit & Go’s will appear from December 27 and will start when 10,000 players have registered. Once one tournament is full, another will open for registration. You will find these special events under the Sit & Go > All tab.

Team PokerStars Pro slugs it out for charity
Team PokerStars Pro is filled with an enormous amount of poker talent, and we’re often treated to reports of the team winning and making final tables at tournaments all around the world. Now, we’re pitting teammate against teammate in an 8-game format exhibition tourney to determine the top dog. This exhibition tourney takes place on December 28 at 13:00 ET. PokerStars will be donating the prize money won on behalf of the top 3 players to charity. The overall winner will also be named captain of Team PokerStars Pro for an upcoming promotion in 2009. Go to the Tourney > Special tab to watch the game, and cheer your favorite.

Extra Sunday Million Satellites
To make sure you don’t miss out on the action, we’re running extra FPP qualifiers for the World Record Week Sunday Million.

- 50 FPP MTT Turbo, Monday -Saturday at 15:00 ET and Sunday at 13:30 ET, 99 tickets
awarded
- 1,300 FPP Turbo, Saturday December 27 at 14:40 ET, SilverStar + VIPs
- 2,500 FPP Turbo satellite Sunday December 28 at 14:30 ET, PlatinumStar + VIPs
- 1,000 FPP MTT Turbo, Monday-Saturday at 21:00 ET, 99 tickets awarded

Satellites are located under the Tourney > Satellite tab.

For more information on all these exciting promotions, please visit the World Record Weekend promotions page. See you at the tables!

Daniel Negreanu

Regards,
Daniel Negreanu
World Champion
Team PokerStars Pro



* To earn the 25% deposit bonus, a player must earn 20 VPPs per bonus dollar (example: to earn a $150 bonus you must earn 3,000 VPPs). To receive your bonus, you must earn the required VPPs within 6 months of your qualifying deposit. To earn the entire $150 bonus, your first eligible deposit during the bonus period must be for $600 or more. For full bonus details click here.

GROWING UP FAST

Although the NBC cult favorite "Heroes" slipped in viewers in 2008, series breakout Hayden Panettiere continued to generate interest. The 19-year-old's relationship with her 31-year-old costar Milo Ventimiglia .

However, nothing was more shocking than pregnancy of 17-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's younger sister. The actress broke the news in late 2007. Executives at Nickelodeon, the network that aired her show "Zoey 101," considered pulling the show out of concern for the message her condition might send to young viewers. However, the show's fourth and final season (which was pre-taped) aired through May, and Spears gave birth to daughter Maddie Briann in June.

The younger Spears' situation fueled discussions on pop culture's influence and some say glamorization of teen pregnancy—a hot online topic fueled by the 2007 film "Juno," the ABC Family series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," and the pregnant daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.