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cnn 2007-12-01


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Hello, I am Melissa Long here at the cnn Center in Atlanta on this Friday, November 30th. Here is a look at some of the stories that are happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

For angry crowds in Sudan, jail time isn't enough for a British schoolteacher convicted of insulting Islam. Some are shouting for her to die. Thousands gathered to demand harsher punishment for Gillian Gibbons. The court ordered her jailed for 15 days and deported to Britain for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Mohammad. The sentence begins from the day she was arrested, meaning she has ten more days in jail. Protestors say she should pay with her life for insulting Islam's prophet.

Leaders in Turkey say terrorism is not suspected in the overnight crash of a Turkish jetliner. The plane crashed as it was attempting to safely land in southwest Turkey. Everyone on board was killed.

It is the battle of the demonstrators in Venezuela. Today, thousands who support President Hugo Chavez's constitutional reforms took to the streets in Caracas. It's the last-ditch effort before Sunday's referendum. The reforms would expand presidential powers by doing away with term limits and give the president control over the central bank. They say the reforms would turn Venezuela into a communist dictatorship similar to Cuba.

Today, two of codefendants of NFL star Michael Vick learned how they would be punished for their involvement in a dogfighting conspiracy. Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace could have received up to five years in prison, but instead, they received lesser sentences of 18 to 21 months. A third defendant will be sentenced next month. Vick has already turned himself in to begin serving his sentence early. He will find out exactly how long it will be on December 10th. The defendants all agree to plea deals on conspiracy counts for organizing vicious dogfights on Vick's property in the State of Virginia.

The number of US combat deaths in Iraq is heading for the lowest monthly level since March of last year. So far, with one day left, of course this month, 26 US troops and a civilian Pentagon employee have died in combat. The November toll could mark the sixth consecutive month of declines in U.S. personnel death. USA Today is reporting the decline shows a turnaround in the war because of the US effort to establish security and defeat insurgents. The change in strategy in January initially brought up the number of US deaths, but now violence in the country, overall is down.

And you are up-to-date on some of the major stories happening on this Friday. Do stay with cnn for more on these stories or other news of the day.