News

Reuters - Shocked residents began returning home on Monday to three areas of Southern California ravaged by wildfires, some finding their houses and cars reduced to piles of smoking, melted rubble.

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Reuters - The White House and congressional Democrats launched a post-election showdown on Monday over how to rescue U.S. automakers with millions of jobs, more than a century of iconic brands, and potentially economic confidence, riding on the outcome.

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AP - The son of an Arab monarch took the King of Pop to court Monday, charging that Michael Jackson took $7 million as an advance on an album and an autobiography that he never produced.

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AP - Nebraska legislators opened a public hearing Monday on adding an age limit to a safe-haven law that has allowed nearly three dozen children

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AP - Barack Obama's incoming administration is unlikely to bring criminal charges against government workers who authorized or used harsh interrogation techniques during the George W. Bush presidency. Obama, who has criticized the use of torture, is being urged by some constitutional scholars and humans rights groups to investigate possible war crimes by the Bush administration.

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AP - Some 60 new faces, the freshman class of the next Congress, converged on the Capitol Monday to catch a glimpse of the final moments of the current Congress, bickering to the bitter end.

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AP - The U.S.-Iraqi security pact now before parliament calls for U.S. forces to leave Iraq's cities by June 30 in recognition of an improved security climate, but the deadline poses a key test for Iraqi forces in places like Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul where attacks still occur daily.

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AP - The outgoing Bush administration has told top lawmakers it does not plan to use at least half of the $700 billion bailout fund that Congress approved this fall to aid the financial industry, congressional officials said Monday. The Treasury Department denied the claim, but stopped short of saying the funds would be tapped.

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AP - Prospects dimmed Monday for enactment of a $25 billion bailout for the faltering auto industry before year's end, as congressional Democrats and the Bush administration headed for a stalemate over the plan. Help for Detroit's Big Three, which have been battered by the economic meltdown that has choked their sales and frozen credit, is falling victim to a partisan fight over where the money should come from.

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Reuters - A report released Monday concluded that "Gulf War Syndrome" is a legitimate condition suffered by more than 175,000 U.S. war veterans who were exposed to chemical toxins in the 1991 Gulf War.

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AP - St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols won his second NL MVP award, powering past Philadelphia star Ryan Howard by a comfortable margin Monday. Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs while playing with a sore right elbow. He was rewarded despite the Cardinals' fourth-place finish in the NL Central.

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AP - Prosecutors in Santa Barbara have charged Heather Locklear with misdemeanor driving under the influence, citing prescription drugs. The California Highway Patrol said the actress showed "obvious impairment" when an officer noticed her car parked on a highway and blocking a lane in Montecito in September, but that alcohol was ruled out.

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AP - Veterinarians carried out a rare blood transfusion in an attempt to save a 7-month-old wild tiger that had been attacked and beaten by angry villagers in central India. The female cub received the emergency treatment late Sunday after blood taken from captive adults was airlifted to the zoo where the cub is being cared for, said Bimal Majumdar, the chief wildlife officer in the region.

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AP - St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols won his second NL MVP award, powering past Philadelphia star Ryan Howard by a comfortable margin Monday.

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AP - The bitter general election campaign behind them, President-elect Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain met Monday to discuss ways to reduce government waste, promote bipartisanship and find other ways to improve government.

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Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama and vanquished rival John McCain met for the first time since the November 4 election on Monday, pledging to work together to face the financial crisis and other national challenges.

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AP - The bitter general election campaign behind them, President-elect Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain met Monday to discuss ways to work together in the future.

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AP - Anxious residents of a Los Angeles mobile home park are being allowed to inspect their properties for the first time since a wildfire destroyed 484 homes in the area.

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AP - The Bush administration has told top lawmakers it does not plan to use at least half of the $700 billion bailout fund that Congress approved this fall to aid the financial industry, congressional officials said Monday.

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Reuters - The U.S. economy fell into recession last spring and will contract sharply this quarter as more than 200,000 workers per month are added to the rolls of the unemployed, a survey said on Monday.

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AP - Federal regulators on Monday charged Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban with insider trading for allegedly using confidential information on a stock sale to avoid more than $750,000 in losses.

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AP - Citigroup Inc. is shedding approximately 53,000 more employees in the coming quarters as the banking giant struggles to steady itself after suffering massive losses from deteriorating debt.

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Reuters - The U.S. economy is in recession and will contract at a faster pace in the fourth quarter, extending the decline into early 2009 as high unemployment crimps consumer spending, a survey showed.

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Reuters - Pakistan denied on Monday a U.S. media report that it had given tacit approval to the United States to carry out missile strikes by pilotless drones against al Qaeda and Taliban targets on its soil.

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Reuters - Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team, was charged with insider trading in shares of Mamma.com Inc, an Internet search engine firm, the Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday.

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Reuters - Japan on Monday became the latest major economy to fall into recession, with France close behind, and U.S. stocks followed world markets lower after Citigroup said it would cut 50,000 jobs, adding to worries the slump may deepen further.

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Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will give leading Democrats in Congress on Monday an update on how the $700 billion financial bailout bill is working, congressional aides said.

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AFP - Citigroup announced Monday it was slashing 50,000 jobs worldwide as the US banking giant tightens its belt further to cope with a global financial crisis and heavy losses.

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Reuters - Private-sector economists believe the U.S. economy fell into recession last spring and now expect a sharp contraction in the fourth quarter of this year after slashing their forecasts for gross domestic product, a Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia survey said on Monday.

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Reuters - Japan on Monday became the latest major economy to fall into recession, with France close behind, and U.S. stocks followed world markets lower after Citigroup said it would cut 50,000 jobs, adding to worries the slump may deepen further.

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AP - If breast cancer runs in the family, women can be at high risk even if they test free of the disease's most common gene mutations, sobering new research shows.

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AFP - French police arrested ETA's alleged military chief on Monday, the most wanted Basque separatist still at large and a man Spanish officials branded a "bloodthirsty terrorist."

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AFP - Citigroup said Monday it would cut 20 percent of its global workforce, or some 50,000 jobs, as the US banking giant struggles with the global financial crisis and four consecutive quarterly losses.

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Reuters - The election of the first black president in U.S. history should send a powerful signal to young black Americans: If Barack Obama made it, so can you.

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AP - With Congress returning Monday to deal with an auto industry in dire financial straits, the Bush White House stressed that it supports help, but not at the expense of the $700 billion Wall Street rescue program.

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AP - Citigroup Inc. is cutting approximately 53,000 more jobs in the coming quarters as the banking giant struggles to steady itself after suffering massive losses from deteriorating debt.

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AFP - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the Basque separatist group ETA had been dealt a "decisive" blow with the arrest of its suspected military chief Monday.

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Reuters - Japan became the latest major economy to fall into recession on Monday with France close behind, and the IMF said it needed at least $100 billion to fight an economic crisis enveloping the world.

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AP - Carson Daly chatted with Eminem, Beyonce gave a show-stopping performance, girls shrieked at the sight of Justin Timberlake and hundreds of fans lined up outside in Times Square for a glimpse at superstars.

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AP - A person briefed on Citigroup's plans says the banking giant is cutting another 53,000 jobs in the coming quarters.

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AP - With the global economy threatening to slip into a prolonged recession, world leaders have come up with a lengthy action plan they hope will bolster badly shaken investors' confidence.

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AP - The Bush White House stressed Monday that it supports help for the struggling auto industry, but believes it should not be taken from the $700 billion financial system rescue program.

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AFP - Japan became the latest major country to fall into recession Monday as global economic fears deepened after a Washington summit offered markets scant hope for action to contain the damage, analysts said.

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Reuters - The U.S. economy is in recession and will contract at a faster pace in the fourth quarter, extending the decline into early 2009 as high unemployment crimps consumer spending, a survey showed.

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Reuters - Japan became the latest major economy to fall into recession on Monday with France close behind, and the IMF said it needed at least $100 billion to fight an economic crisis enveloping the world.

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AP - The Jacksonville Jaguars came off the field at halftime thrilled with a 14-3 lead over the undefeated Tennessee Titans. Playing a team that had won nine straight, though, called for more than a half's worth of effort. Kerry Collins threw three touchdown passes, Albert Haynesworth dominated defensively again and the visiting Titans improved to 10-0 with a 24-14 victory over the Jaguars on Sunday.

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AP - Before he ran for president Barack Obama quit smoking. Now that he's won the job, he may have to break another addiction: Checking his BlackBerry for e-mail.

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AP - Once campaign rivals, President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are ready to talk about how they can collaborate on issues facing the country.

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AP - European stock markets traded modestly lower Monday following a mixed performance in Asia as investors pored over the results of world leaders's summit in Washington to discuss reform of the stricken global financial system.

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Reuters - Before he was elected as the incoming U.S. president, Barack Obama spelled out his goals for change at seven government agencies in letters to federal workers, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

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Reuters - Fewer U.S. shoppers plan to use credit cards to buy gifts this holiday season and the majority of them have yet to complete their gift buying, according to a new survey from the world's largest retail trade association.

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Reuters - Japan became the latest major economy to fall into recession Monday with France close behind, and the IMF said it needed at least $100 billion to fight the billowing economic crisis enveloping the world.

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AP - Make no mistake, Tony Romo's return hardly transformed the Dallas Cowboys into an offensive juggernaut.

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Reuters - Iran said on Monday it would not hinder any Turkish bid to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the new U.S. administration but cautioned that its differences with Washington were deep-rooted.

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Reuters - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker signed a long-awaited accord on Monday requiring Washington to withdraw its forces within three years.

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Reuters - Japan became the latest major economy to fall into recession on Monday with France close behind, and the IMF said it needed at least $100 billion to fight the billowing economic crisis enveloping the world.

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AP - Firefighters aided by Mother Nature continued to make gains early Monday on three raging wildfires that reduced hundreds of homes to ash and cinders and forced thousands of residents to flee in Southern California.

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AFP - French police seized the accused military chief of ETA in a pre-dawn raid Monday, officials said, capturing the most wanted Basque militant still at large only six months after holding the separatist group's presumed leader.

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AP - Carson Daly chatted with Eminem, Beyonce gave a show-stopping performance, girls shrieked at the sight of Justin Timberlake and hundreds of fans lined up outside in Times Square for a glimpse at superstars.

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AP - Astronauts aboard the international space station and the newly arrived shuttle Endeavour planned Monday to start unpacking a new toilet and a contraption that purifies urine and sweat into drinkable water at the orbiting outpost.

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AP - Asian markets were mixed Monday as confirmation Japan has slipped into recession emphasized the gloomy outlook for the world economy.

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AFP - French authorities said Monday they had captured the suspected military chief of the Basque separatist group ETA, Miguel De Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina, alias "Txeroki", dealing the group a major blow.

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Reuters - Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents said on Monday they were drawing up a response to an offer from President Hamid Karzai of safe passage for insurgent leaders who wanted to talk peace.

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Reuters - Psychological group therapy for women with breast cancer may help them not only to cope better with their disease but also live longer, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

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Reuters - As Congress debates legislation to help struggling automakers on Monday, many Americans said they were uneasy with the plan, arguing that while it may save jobs, it would reward companies for pursuing bad business practices.

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Reuters - Thousands of Southern Californians returned home to find their houses burned to the ground, or miraculously intact on Monday, after a wind-whipped weekend firestorm swept through bone-dry canyons and hillsides.

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AP - Asian stock markets were narrowly mixed Monday as confirmation Japan had slipped into recession emphasized the gloomy outlook for the world economy.

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AFP - A trial into the killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya opens on Monday in a military court in Moscow, with supporters of the Kremlin critic fearing it will shed little light on the case.

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AP - President-elect Barack Obama is forming a White House leadership team that combines experienced Washington insiders who can help build a bridge with Congress and trusted associates who share his Chicago roots.

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Reuters - Japan sank into recession in the third quarter, even before it felt the full force of the financial crisis, and world leaders at a weekend summit gave investors little hope they could rescue the global economy.

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