Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown, according to an Associated Press review of regulatory documents.

NEW YORK - Wall Street appeared ready Monday to give back some of last week's big gains as investors, uneasy about the holiday shopping season, awaited some key economic reports.

JERUSALEM - Israel has gotten fed up with spam. Anyone who sends out messages without receiving the recipient's consent can now be slapped with a big fine.

LOS ANGELES - Thanksgiving weekend movie crowds gobbled up the Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn holiday comedy "Four Christmases," which debuted at No. 1 with $31.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

NEW YORK - Plaxico Burress arrived at a police station early Monday morning, where he was expected to be charged after accidentally shooting himself in the right thigh.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-Elect Barack Obama was poised to name his national security team on Monday, with former political rival Hillary Clinton in line to be picked as secretary of state.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian investigators said on Monday the militants who attacked Mumbai had months of commando training in Pakistan, raising the risk of heightened tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors as recriminations mounted at home.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai protesters prepared to end their three-month occupation of the Prime Minister's office on Monday to consolidate their grip on the main airport ahead of a court verdict that could dissolve the elected government.

LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - European and Chinese industry activity slumped in November, Japanese officials said their economy was slowing rapidly and euro zone finance ministers gathered on Monday to discuss plans to curb recession.

MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide car-bomber killed eight people on Monday in an attack aimed at a military checkpost in northwest Pakistan's Swat Valley, military officials said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumers made repeat trips to stores and spent more on bargains this holiday weekend, but the early rush is unlikely to save retailers from a bleak sales season, analysts said on Sunday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Blasts at Baghdad's police academy and in the northern city of Mosul killed 29 people and wounded dozens more Monday, hours after a roadside bomb wounded a senior Iraqi official, police said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than even the chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too closely and miss exits, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

MUMBAI (AFP) - India warned on Monday that the Mumbai attacks had dealt a "grave setback" to relations with Pakistan, as the United States urged Islamabad to show "absolute" cooperation with India's probe into the assault.

CHICAGO, (AFP) - Facing a string of grave foreign policy crises, Barack Obama was set Monday to name his one-time rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state in a national security team stacked with political muscle.

BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai protesters Monday began leaving the prime minister's offices after a three-month sit-in, moving instead to reinforce a paralysing anti-government blockade of Bangkok's two airports.

HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe has cut water supplies to the nation's capital Harare, state media reported Monday, leaving most of the city dry as authorities struggle to contain a cholera epidemic.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - At least 33 people were killed in a spate of attacks targeting security forces in the heart of Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul on Monday on what was the deadliest day in Iraq in three weeks.

DOHA (AFP) - Governments of the world must embark on a massive financial stimulus to counter the global economic downturn, UN experts said in a report published on Monday.

LONDON (AFP) - A new set of grim figures pointed to a deepening downturn in Europe on Monday after officials painted a somber picture for Japan and a top auto chief warned of "massive" job losses in the vehicle industry.