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AP Top News at 3:00 p.m. EST - December 02

Gates: 'Severe consequences' for Afghan failure

WASHINGTON (AP) - Failure in Afghanistan would mean a Taliban takeover of the country and "have severe consequences for the United States and the world," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday as the Obama administration set out to sell its new war strategy on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers questioned the exit strategy, a day after Obama announced he was sending an additional 30,000 American troops to the Afghan war and would commence troop withdrawals by the summer of 2011.

Woods says he let family down

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Tiger Woods said he let his family down with "transgressions" he regrets "with all of my heart," and that he will deal with his personal life behind closed doors. His statement Wednesday follows a cover story in Us Weekly magazine that reports a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a 31-month affair with the world's No. 1 golfer.

Fed survey finds recovery gaining momentum

WASHINGTON (AP) - The economic recovery gained traction in late fall as shoppers spent a bit more and factories bumped up production. That assessment Wednesday by the Federal Reserve marked its most upbeat view since the economy tumbled into recession two years ago. The Fed's new snapshot of business barometers nationwide found that conditions have generally improved since the last report in late October.

Iran won't talk to West on nuclear program

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran said Wednesday it will enrich uranium to a higher level on its own, the latest indication the country was rejecting a U.N.-backed proposal aimed at thwarting any effort by Tehran to make material for a nuclear weapon. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Iran will not negotiate with the West over its nuclear program.

WH gatecrashers went without confirmed invitation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Copies of e-mails between the White House party crashers and a Pentagon official undermine their claims that they were invited to President Barack Obama's first state dinner. Tareq and Michaele Salahi pressed the friendly Pentagon aide for four days to score tickets to the big event. By their own admission in the e-mails, they showed up at the White House gates at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 without an invitation — "to just check in, in case it got approved since we didn't know, and our name was indeed on the list!''

Iran whistleblower died from drug-laced salad

CAIRO (AP) - A 26-year-old doctor who exposed the torture of jailed protesters in Iran died of poisoning from a delivery salad laced with an overdose of blood pressure medication, prosecutors say. The findings fueled opposition fears that he was killed because of what he knew. Investigators are still trying to determine whether his death last month was a suicide or murder, Tehran's public prosecutor Abbas Dowlatabadi said, according to the state news agency IRNA.

Experts: Man controlled robotic hand with thoughts

ROME (AP) - An Italian who lost his left forearm in a car crash was successfully linked to a robotic hand, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial limb and control it with his thoughts, scientists said Wednesday. During a one-month experiment conducted last year, 26-year-old Pierpaolo Petruzziello felt like his lost arm had grown back again, although he was only controlling a robotic hand that was not even attached to his body.

Google allows publishers to strengthen 'pay walls'

LONDON (AP) — In a move that could help improve relations between Google Inc. and the media industry, the Internet search company is offering publishers a way to build more solid "pay walls" around their online stories while still appearing in search results. In an official blog post Tuesday, Google said it will let publishers limit the number of restricted articles that readers can see for free through its search engine.

Swiss to place Polanski under house arrest Friday

BERN, Switzerland (AP) - After more than two months in a Swiss jail, Roman Polanski will be placed under house arrest at his Alpine chalet on Friday, authorities said. The 76-year-old director must stay in the house and wear an electronic bracelet as officials decide whether to extradite him to the U.S. for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl, the authorities said.

Allen Iverson signs with 76ers again

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Dust off the No. 3 jersey. Allen Iverson is with the 76ers again. Iverson signed a free-agent contract with Philadelphia on Wednesday, three years after their acrimonious split led to his trade and seemingly ended any chance of his return. Iverson's brief retirement is over and he's expected to make his debut Monday at home against Denver.

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