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Germany and the Netherlands are also sending such defense systems, which are being put in place to defend against possible missile firings from Syria. The move ramps up the U.S. role in guarding against a widening of the crisis.

After a spate of such attacks in recent years, concerns were raised about the failures of China's psychiatric care system. Today's attack renews those fears. Fortunately, none of the 22 children wounded today have life-threatening injuries.

After theories circulated online that late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was poisoned with a radioactive element, Wired Magazine contributor and poison expert Deborah Blum decided to look into it herself. Her suspicion is far from that of the regular conspiracy theorist. She thinks the polonium found on his things indicate just one thing: He was a heavy smoker.

Boys are entering puberty six months to two years earlier than they did in past studies. Caucasian boys tend to begin puberty, on average, at around 10 years old while African American boys tend to begin puberty at 9.

In Britain, every year on Christmas Day, the Queen delivers a speech to her subjects. Recently in Cornwall, which is part of England, a new royal tradition has taken root based on an episode of The Simpsons.

Following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the debate over gun control has been reignited. Many have said that if there is going to be any action on gun control, law-abiding, responsible gun owners will need to be a part of the conversation. Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep talks to Steven Rinella, a writer and avid hunter, about how he views the current debate.

Lawmakers and President Obama are expected to return to Washington Thursday to resume efforts at averting the fiscal cliff. Lawmakers failed to reach a deal late last week and went home for the holiday break. Guest host Celeste Headlee talks with Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Roben Farzad for a look at the last-minute options.

The city of Taranto is heavily dependent on a steel plant, the largest in Europe, which provides some 20,000 jobs. A court has ordered a partial shutdown because the factory spews carcinogens into the air, but the government has rejected the court's ruling, saying the economy needs the jobs.

There's going to be more snow in California and then over the Rockies and into the Plains. But it's parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast that could see the most severe storms on Christmas Day.