Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

CONAKRY, Guinea - The leader of a coup in Guinea called Thursday for the prime minister to come out of hiding and present himself at the group's military barracks within 24 hours along with the country's other heads of government.

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve gave an early Christmas present to General Motors' finance arm, allowing the ailing provider of auto loans to qualify for the government's $700 billion rescue fund.

ALBANY, N.Y. - Caroline Kennedy's bid to get appointed to the Senate and extend the Camelot dynasty has run into the bare-knuckle world of New York politics, where a backlash appears to be building against her.

COVINA, Calif. - A man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a Christmas Eve party in a suburban Los Angeles home that subsequently caught fire, leaving three people dead, police said.

BRISTOL, Conn. - The highlights this time accompany what's known as "The Greatest Game Ever Played" — the 1958 NFL championship between the Colts and the Giants.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States fell deeper into recession, data showed on Wednesday, as the number of people filing for jobless benefits hit a 26-year high last week and consumers cut spending for the fifth consecutive month.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - GMAC LLC won U.S. approval on Wednesday to become a bank holding company, giving it access to government lending programs and helping it stave off bankruptcy.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hedge fund executive Ezra Merkin has been sued again for entrusting investments with confessed swindler Bernard Madoff, this time by New York University, which said it lost about $24 million.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Christopher Cox, responding to heavy criticism, said in an interview published on Wednesday he takes pride in his response to the U.S. financial crisis.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Thursday he hoped Christmas would bring hope to those suffering from war, terrorism, injustice and poverty and appealed for peace in the Holy Land.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama and a top aide have been interviewed by prosecutors investigating Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but an internal report released on Tuesday cleared them of any wrongdoing.

DALLAS (Reuters) - An ex-policeman who shot himself in the head as Texas police tried to arrest him is the main suspect in a freeway shooting spree this week that terrified motorists and left two people dead, police and media said.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - Thousands of Christian pilgrims gathered in Bethlehem's Manger Square on Wednesday to celebrate Christmas under the protection of security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

CONAKRY (AFP) - Guinea's prime minister turned himself in Thursday along with several members of his government after an order to so from a military junta that has seized control of the west African nation.

YEVPATORIA, Ukraine (AFP) - Nineteen people were killed and at least ten more were missing after an explosion ripped through an apartment block in a Ukrainian Black Sea resort town, local officials said Thursday.

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - War and economic hardship loomed over Christmas celebrations across the world on Thursday, with Pope Benedict XVI pleading for an end to "hatred and violence" in the Middle East.

CAIRO (AFP) - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni vowed on Thursday to strike back at the Hamas rulers of Gaza after a sharp escalation of violence in the Palestinian territory dashed hopes of a new truce.

CAIRO (AFP) - An Australian has been arrested in Egypt for allegedly trying to smuggle a 2,000-year-old mummified cat and other antiquities out in his suitcase, a security official said on Thursday.

BEIJING (AFP) - China will use the yuan in transactions with neighbouring economies on a trial basis, state media said Thursday, calling it a potential first step to making it an international currency.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve has approved a request by GMAC, the troubled financial arm of General Motors, to become a bank holding company, allowing it to tap government bailout funds and emergency loans.