. Pranab rules out third party mediation on Kashmir  —  Cross-LoC trade to be sorted out  —  NEW DELHI, Nov 26: India and Pakistan resolved to address “teething problems” cropped up in the way of continuing the cross-LoC trade.  Addressing a joint press interaction after a two-hour long meeting …

Iraq lawmakers approve security pact with U.S.  —  The vote is a major step toward ending the American military presence.  The presidency council is expected to ratify the accord.  —  Reporting from Baghdad — In a vote heralded by supporters as a momentous step toward restoring Iraqi sovereignty …

India's Mainstream And New Media Tell Story Of Mumbai Terror Attacks  —  The shocking and brutal terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital city formerly known as Bombay, have pitchforked into the world's consciousness yet another fact about the world's largest democracy …

NBC's Rosie O'Donnell variety show disappoints  —  Rosie O'Donnell gave NBC a real turkey.  —  The network's attempt to revive the primetime variety show failed to draw an audience Wednesday night, tying for the evening's lowest-rated program.  —  A mere 5 million viewers tuned …

Redefining “grownup” and “hack”  —  In a post about the Obama economic team titled The Grownups are Coming, Paul Krugman writes: … Like Paul, I am impressed by the new economic team.  I know best the three economists coming from academia—Larry Summers, Christy Romer, and Austan Goolsbee—and they are all first-rate.

Little buzz for VP-elect Biden  —  CHICAGO — More than three weeks into the transition, and Vice-president elect Joe Biden generates less buzz than the non-existent first puppy.  —  The vice president-elect has not spoken publicly since the election, and was at Barack Obama's side just once …

Obama Memorabilia Is Selling Like Hotcakes  —  As a pointless exercise in self-flagellation, it's fun to look back and wonder how you should have invested your money in the last year.  You'd have ditched stocks and bonds, of course, and you would have avoided real estate.

If you only read one thing on China this fall ...  Make sure it is the latest World Bank China Quarterly.  —  David Dollar, Louis Kuijs and their colleagues have outdone themselves - and in the process provided a clear assessment of the sources of China's current slowdown and the risks that lie ahead.

The Hysterical Style  —  Politicians now predict the implosion of the U.S. auto industry.  Headlines warn that the entire banking system is on the verge of utter collapse.  The all-day/all-night cable news shows and op-ed columnists talk of another Dark Age on the horizon …

A Command of the Law  —  It's Thanksgiving.  I'm thankful for many things right now, despite the stock market, and first among them is the fact that the next U.S. commander in chief is a constitutional law expert and former law professor.  —  Before I get to why, allow me to add two other reasons for thankfulness.