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AP Top News at 2:56 p.m. EST - November 26

Americans give thanks, see parades, feast in space

NEW YORK (AP) - Giant balloons, floats, marching bands and clowns with confetti brought smiles to thousands of revelers eager to catch a glimpse of a parade as steeped in Thanksgiving Day tradition as turkey and pumpkin pie. Thousands lined the streets of Manhattan on Thursday for the 83rd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and crowds gathered nationwide for parades in cities such as Detroit and Philadelphia.

Obama and GOP differ over recipe for jobs, economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and a top House Republican acknowledged in holiday messages Thursday the economic struggles facing Americans this Thanksgiving but offered starkly different recipes for relief. Obama and Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., singled out U.S. service members at home and abroad for special thanks before saying what they think should be done to fix the economy.

Philippines prepares to charge suspect in massacre

AMPATUAN, Philippines (AP) - Under threat of military attack, the scion of the clan suspected in the slaughter of 57 people in the southern Philippines turned himself in Thursday, and prosecutors say he will face murder charges in the country's worst election violence. Andal Ampatuan Jr., a town mayor, maintains he had nothing to do with the ambush of a convoy carrying his political rival's family, supporters and at least 22 journalists. Their bodies - mowed down by point-blank shots and some hacked up - were found in mass graves hastily dug by a backhoe. Some were buried with their vehicles.

IAEA chief: Iran investigation at 'dead end'

VIENNA (AP) - The International Atomic Energy Agency probe of Iran's nuclear program is at a dead end because Tehran is not cooperating, the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Thursday in an unusually blunt expression of frustration four days before he leaves office. Mohamed ElBaradei also warned that international confidence in Iran's assertions of purely peaceful intent shrank after its belated revelation of a previously secret nuclear facility. And he criticized Tehran for not accepting an internationally endorsed plan meant to delay its achieving the ability to make nuclear weapons.

Experts: Bishops covered up priests' child abuse

DUBLIN (AP) — Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Dublin covered up decades of child abuse by priests to protect the church's reputation, an expert commission reported Thursday after a three-year investigation. Abuse victims welcomed the report on the Dublin Archdiocese's mishandling of abuse complaints against its parish priests from 1975 to 2004. It followed a parallel report published in May into five decades of rape, beatings and other cruelty committed by Catholic orders of nuns and brothers nationwide in church-run schools, children's workhouses and orphanages from the 1930s to mid-1990s.

Iran seizes rights lawyer's Nobel Peace medal

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian authorities have confiscated Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi's medal, her lawyer and Norway's government said Thursday, in a sign of the increasingly drastic steps they are taking against any dissent. In Norway, where the peace prize is awarded, the government said the confiscation was a shocking first in the history of the 108-year-old prize.

Dubai debt 'standstill' raises alarms about image

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Just a year after the global downturn derailed Dubai's explosive growth, the city is now so swamped in debt that it's asking for a six-month reprieve on paying its bills - causing a drop on world markets Thursday and raising questions about Dubai's reputation as a magnet for international investment. The fallout came swiftly after Wednesday statement that Dubai's main development engine, Dubai World, would ask creditors for a "standstill" on paying back its $60 billion debt until at least May. The company's real estate arm, Nakheel - whose projects include the palm-shaped island in the Gulf - shoulders the bulk of money due to banks, investment houses and outside development contractors.

Polanski prepares for luxury Alpine house arrest

GSTAAD, Switzerland (AP) — After two months in a Swiss jail, Roman Polanski prepared Thursday for the splendid captivity of his $1.6 million chalet in one of world's most luxurious winter resorts. Polanski will have views of snowcapped Alpine peaks, spacious rooms and the all the amenities of a town with a reputation for catering to the wishes of the rich and famous.

Robotic hamsters are holidays' unlikely new craze

NEW YORK (AP) - When Lori Fowlkes first saw robotic Zhu Zhu Pets toy hamsters in September, she remembers her kids started jumping up and down and saying "Please! Please! Can we buy them?" Seeing a fully stocked shelf, she decided to hold off until Christmas.

Lions have lost their touch on Thanksgiving

DETROIT (AP) - The Green Bay Packers are hoping to bolster their postseason chances with a win at Detroit on Thanksgiving. Recent history suggests the Lions will be accommodating hosts.

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