http://www.philly.com/r?19=960&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F National and world news from the Inquirer. en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z en-us http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687027&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_550_to_lose_jobs_as_Valero_Energy_shuts_Delaware_refinery.html Oil-refinery workers on the Delaware River yesterday received their second big blow in six weeks, when Valero Energy Corp. said it would close its operation in Delaware City, Del., casting 550 out of work. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT db131a220017ed11ce05ba61f61184e4 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687012&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Oprah_s_goodbye_is_also_a_hello.html This is not the end of Oprah Winfrey. Maybe not even the end of her TV show. True, in a tearful announcement yesterday, the self-made media mogul - host of the highest-rated talk show for 23 years, seen in 145 countries, worth a breathtaking $2.7 billion - confirmed for her audience what had been rumored for weeks: that the show would be ending. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 269a67d0e3b1d9a600a6f0669e46b3ff 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687102&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Heaviest-ever_rain_batters_Britain.html COCKERMOUTH, England - Raging floods engulfed northern England's picturesque Lake District yesterday after the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in Britain, killing a police officer and trapping dozens of people in swamped homes. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 01764123b7f1a2977be672cdf57ad974 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687017&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Senators_vote_today_on_fate_of_health_bill.html WASHINGTON - The Senate is poised to approve today the start of a historic debate over health-care legislation aimed at making coverage easier, less expensive to obtain, and harder to lose. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 24d66df988443f58b4bc800f2e7cc302 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687007&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_An_out-of-work_S__Philly_guy_.html Want answers? Sam Murray is your guy. According to the Population Reference Bureau, what is the approximate number of people who have ever lived on Earth? (a) 50 billion, (b) 100 billion, (c) 1 trillion, (d) 5 trillion? Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 0b4f47c04906a2283e03ded1e5179153 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687142&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_The_chief_Sears_Tower_plotter_gets_131_2_years.html MIAMI - The ringleader of a group described by prosecutors as plotting terror attacks on FBI offices and the former Sears Tower in Chicago in hopes of sparking an insurrection was sentenced yesterday to 131/2 years in prison. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 694db715a4fe8659e360d2716e2369d0 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687147&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_D_C__couple_plead_guilty_to_spying_for_Cuba.html WASHINGTON - A former State Department official and his wife admitted in federal court yesterday that they spied for Cuba for the last three decades. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 3bcda5b01f0fc544358e86054c9a3d6e 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687122&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_In_the_Nation.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 54e9e500568473a73208cca68177b418 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687127&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Pakistan_says_it_fears_fallout_from_any_surge_next_door.html ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan expressed fear yesterday that a big increase in the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan could push extremists across the border into its territory and called on the United States to consider that concern as it crafts a new war strategy. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 8db9ee42007ce4560d41bbb3323a42ee 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687132&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Seized_British_couple_urge_ransom.html LONDON - A retired British couple snatched from their yacht by Somalian pirates said in an interview broadcast yesterday that they feared they could be killed within a week or handed to a terrorist group if a ransom demand is not paid. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 408a5c851de3c6d3354a12d9bb81d101 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687117&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Diplomats_urge_Iran_to_take_U_N__deal__no_sanction_talk.html BRUSSELS, Belgium - Representatives of six world powers urged Iran yesterday to accept a U.N. plan aimed at delaying its ability to build a nuclear weapon, as the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency warned Tehran not to miss the opportunity to resolve the dispute. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 5edbce66b7cef070a1f8245e25a46195 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687137&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Santa_letter_tradition_gets_a_second_chance.html ANCHORAGE, Alaska - North Pole elves have good reason to celebrate again, thanks to a decision by the U.S. Postal Service to resume a Santa Claus letter program that has thrilled children from around the world for decades. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 4effe443fe5238579803deee7fc07597 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687107&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_In_the_World.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT cf0122963f296ec4753cdb3c13ee1809 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687112&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Amid_debate_on_mammograms__Pap_advisory_less_controversial.html WASHINGTON - First mammograms. Now - in an apparent coincidence - Pap smears. New guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually to catch slow-growing cervical cancer. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 19ff7076369fb9833631a9595b922cca 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687097&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Clearing_the_record.html A review in yesterday's Weekend section wrongly attributed the lyrics for The Light in the Piazza. Adam Guettel wrote both music and lyrics. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 3fa1e344d9f95dd5bba6ebadfddff515 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687087&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_Ethics_panel_rebukes_Burris_over_appointment_conduct.html WASHINGTON - The Senate ethics committee admonished Sen. Roland Burris (D., Ill.) yesterday for misleading investigators about his maneuvering to get Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat from the governor who was ousted for trying to sell it. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 9a95271928cdb92706a69ecd597d4177 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70687082&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091121_U_S__to_examine_its_Afghan_contracts.html HALIFAX, Nova Scotia - The United States will do its part to reduce corruption in Afghanistan by examining its own contracts and projects, even as it is demanding the same from the Afghan government, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT f5d8a73b57ff305e87285f3baea54e4b 2009-11-21T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70600222&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091120_Winfrey_show_sets_a_finale__Sept__2011.html CHICAGO - The Oprah Winfrey Show, an iconic broadcast that began as a local Chicago talk show and grew over two decades into the foundation of a media empire worth billions, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air, Winfrey's production company said last night. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 40b44152c8d20aef05e5cf2055340223 2009-11-20T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70600157&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091120_Islamic_countries_seek_ban_on_blasphemy.html GENEVA, Switzerland - Four years after cartoons of the prophet Muhammad set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery - essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free-speech laws in the West. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 918097d92eddbb106af5b143d3dafb8e 2009-11-20T08:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/r?19=961&43=167271&44=70600232&32=3796&7=195567&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Finquirer%2Fworld_us%2F20091120_Dear_Santa__Will_you_be_writing_me_back_.html ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season may not be getting a response from Santa Claus or his helpers. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:01:00 GMT 77ce4efdc76ef63ac2f4bc83398d64cb 2009-11-20T08:01:00Z