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Many Egyptians are outraged over military rulers' plans to change the constitution to protect the armed forces from civilian oversight and give themselves the final say on key policies. It's the latest clash between pro-democracy factions and the ruling military council, which is accused of clinging to power despite vowing to cede control.

One of Japan's most venerable corporations is facing possible bankruptcy and its executives face jail time. The corporate scandal has stunned the nation. Olympus, a maker of cameras and medical equipment that is a household name in Japan, has been cooking its books and covering losses dating back to the 1990s.

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is attacking Nintendo's new video game Super Mario 3-D Land. In the game, Super Mario sometimes wears the skin of a tanooki, which is a raccoon dog. Since tanooki are, in real life, killed for their fur, the group says the game "sends the message that it's OK to wear fur."

The House Financial Services Committee voted on Wednesday to suspend nearly $13 million in bonuses paid to executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The measure would also prohibit future bonuses. The Senate is expected to take up similar legislation.

At an Iowa town hall meeting Tuesday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry laid out a plan to, as he put it, uproot and overhaul the federal government. Among other things, Perry would end life-time tenure for federal judges including those on the Supreme Court, and make members of Congress take a 50 percent pay cut.

Despite threatened attacks by the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has convened a grand assembly in the capital Kabul. Among other things being discussed, is the prospect of a strategic partnership with the United States that would keep American troops in the country after the 2014 drawdown.

If a fly walked into a bar, he'd chose beer, and scientists think they've figured out why. The secret? A molecule that tastes sweet but isn't sugar. The research could help create more powerful insect repellents.

On this Black Friday, Linda Wertheimer talks to branding expert Martin Lindstrom about the psychology of sales and the array of techniques retailers use to get people to shop.

This week in New York Magazine, two writers from different political parties each critiqued their own side. On Thursday, we heard from conservative David Frum, who argues Republicans lost touch with reality. In the same issue, liberal writer Jonathan Chait also uses the word "fantasy" in describing liberals. He tells Steve Inskeep liberals have become unreasonable.

South African Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs discusses how a once-divided nation can abandon the impulse to avenge past wrongs and, instead, come together to build a new democracy. One of the framers of the country's constitution, Sachs also mulls over just what it means to determine the "intent" of a nation's founding fathers.