Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The Pentagon is moving to get three of the four combat brigades requested by commanders into Afghanistan by summer, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday as he traveled here to meet with military leaders.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The Golden Globe nominations got under way Thursday with Heath Ledger getting a supporting actor nod for "The Dark Knight."

NEW YORK - Scientists may have figured out one reason some people reach for the french fries instead of an apple. It could be a gene that's been linked to an increased risk of obesity. A study of children found those with a common variation of the gene tend to overeat high-calorie foods. They ate 100 extra calories per meal, which over the long term can put on weight, said Colin Palmer, who led the study at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

NEW YORK - Stock futures are falling following a report showing that the number of new claims for jobless benefits increased last week.

LAS VEGAS - The free-spending New York Yankees secured the biggest pitching prize on the market, giving CC Sabathia a record $161 million contract. Across town, the Mets remade their tattered bullpen with a pair of major moves.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives approved bailout legislation on Wednesday that would force U.S. automakers to restructure or fail, sending the measure to the Senate where prospects for passage appeared grim.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The "nasty" U.S. recession will tighten its grip next year as unemployment rises and weak home and stock prices imperil consumers, finance firms and debt-laden businesses, a UCLA Anderson Forecast report released on Thursday said.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama turns his focus on Thursday to healthcare -- a key element of his election campaign -- when he nominates former Senate leader Tom Daschle as secretary of Health and Human Services.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales excluding autos posted their biggest monthly drop in five years November, as consumers, spooked by a deepening recession, pared spending for a third straight month, a private report released on Thursday showed.

LONDON (Reuters) - Cracks emerged in the global effort to drag the world out of recession on Thursday with Germany attacking Britain ahead of an EU summit for rushing into debt to bail out industries and pump up growth.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Gangs of high school students hurled stones and fire bombs at police stations in Athens suburbs on Thursday, in a sixth day of anti-government violence since the police shooting of a teenager.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - The United States aims to send at least an extra 7,000 troops to Afghanistan by next summer but must also do more to involve Afghans in the fight against a rising insurgency, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - War with Pakistan is "no solution" to the problem of militants using Pakistani soil to launch anti-India attacks, India's foreign minister said on Thursday after demanding Pakistan hand over 40 people.

KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) - At least 45 people were killed and 93 wounded in a suicide bomb attack on a restaurant near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Thursday, the city's deputy police chief Torhane Yussef said.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgian police on Thursday arrested 14 suspected Al-Qaeda members, including a man believed to have been planning a suicide attack, officials announced, as EU leaders gathered in Brussels.

ATHENS (AFP) - Riots and looting erupted across Athens on Thursday as the Greek government confronted a sixth day of violent protests over the police killing of a schoolboy.

HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said Thursday that doctors had tamed a cholera epidemic that has left 775 dead, even as South Africa declared a disaster on its border because of the disease.

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India on Thursday ruled out military action against Pakistan following the carnage in Mumbai, but described its neighbour as being at the "epicentre" of the attacks.

POZNAN, Poland (AFP) - The European Union summit in Brussels holds "great consequences for the whole world," which looks to the EU for leadership on climate change, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US legislators approved a massive government lifeline for the ailing auto industry as fresh economic data on Thursday offered evidence of a deep and painful global recession.