Dec News Items I missed from the BBC

A Cooler Europe. After years of record, fatal heat waves...this may not be such a bad thing. (12.1)

Earthquake near Tanganyika. Dr Andrzej Kijko, South African Council for Geoscience: "There may not have been much to destroy." His comments are hurting. Has he ever come to this region? Human lives are the most precious and important. Let him know we value each other in this region and it is very sad for a learned person to talk ignorantly he should apologise to the people of this region. - Faith Njoroge, Kenya, Nairobi (12.5)

Somali aid not getting to Somalis. "It is 25-30% cheaper to bring our food aid in by sea and boats can carry much more, but we have had to resort to this land route because ship-owners feel it is too risky to sail to the south," said WFP Somalia Country Director Zlatan Milisic. The coast off Somalia has become one of the world's worst areas for pirate attacks, shipping experts say. (12.5)

New Animal discovered. The creature, believed to be carnivorous, was spotted in the Kayan Mentarang National Park, which lies in Indonesian territory on Borneo. (12.6)

Eritrea kicks out UN Peacekeepers. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea are poor and there are fears of a new war over their disputed border. (12.7)

Vampire. (12.7)

Lennon remembered. (12.8)

Hamas and Israel. "I say it loudly, we will not enter a new truce and our people are preparing for a new round of conflict." (12.9)

57 Muslim Nations concerned about Terrorism. The meeting in the holy Muslim city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia called for changes in national laws to criminalise financing and incitement of terrorism. (12.9)

Tamil. Sri Lanka's military is ready for battle with the Tamil Tigers although it does not expect a return to full-scale war, a top official says. (12.9)

Orcas. Killer whales have become the most contaminated mammals in the Arctic, new research indicates. (12.12)

Magnetic North Pole moving. The shift could mean that Alaska will lose its northern lights, or auroras, which might then be more visible in areas of Siberia and Europe. (12.12)

North Korea. I remember seeing this on CNN. (12.13)

Whoa. (12.14)

Diabeties and Cancer. The US National Cancer Institute found high insulin levels and increased resistance to the hormone were associated with a higher cancer risk. (12.14)

Eritrea follow-up. The United Nations peacekeeping head has warned of a "crisis" in the Horn of Africa, as western UN troops left Eritrea after being ordered out. (12.15)

2005 Warmest year. Their data show that the average temperature during 2005 in the Northern Hemisphere is 0.65C above the average for 1961-1990, a conventional baseline against which scientists compare temperatures. (12.15)

Chenya radiation. Prosecutors in Chechnya have opened a criminal investigation after finding "catastrophic" levels of radioactivity at a chemical factory in the republic. (12.16)

Bolivia. Mr Morales has vowed to end free-market policies and legalise the growing of coca, which has traditional uses but is also used in the production of cocaine. (12.16)

Ariel Sharon. NOT the guy anyone wants to see have a stroke. Well, I'm sure there's SOME people...

British take on American obesity. (12.19)

Death of The Chin. Denying he was a gangster, Gigante would wander the streets of his native Greenwich Village neighbourhood in nightclothes, muttering incoherently. Relatives, including a brother who was a Roman Catholic priest, insisted Gigante suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. (12.20)

These are the ones that caught my eye.