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1. Lebanon's prime minister has condemned¹ rocket attacks on Israel from his country as well as retaliation² by the Jewish state. The brief exchange was the first since Israel launched an offensive against the militant³ group Hamas in Gaza. That offensive is now on its 13th day with no let-up in sight.

2. Hundreds of people took part in protests following the fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a transit⁴ police officer in Oakland, California. Protesters are calling for criminal charges to be filed against the officer. Wednesday's protests led to the arrests of at least 15 people.

3. The Secret Service says there will be unprecedented⁵ security for the inauguration⁶ of President-elect Barack Obama. Bridges from Virginia into Washington will be closed to cars as well more than three square miles of downtown Washington. The security perimeter⁷ covers more of the capital than previous inaugurations⁸.

4. Tonight, the college football season comes to an end. The BCS championship game will be played in Miami between the Oklahoma Sooners and Florida Gators. Each team enters the game with just one loss.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. let-up: n.

when something unpleasant stops or becomes less difficult, severe etc

2. perimeter: n.

The perimeter of an area of land is the whole of its outer edge or boundary.