Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

WASHINGTON - Buoyed by more recruiters, bigger bonuses and an elite reputation, the Marine Corps has grown by nearly 27,000 members in a little more than two years — half the time that military officials believed it would take.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A passenger jet powered in part by vegetable oil successfully completed a two-hour flight Tuesday to test a biofuel that could lower airplane emissions and cut costs, Air New Zealand said.

MIAMI - Attorney David Kubiliun is a typical South Floridian: He lives in a suburb, works in downtown Miami and spends several hours a week sitting in maddening traffic on Interstate 95.

WASHINGTON - One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most famous one-liners will be back for generations to come, now that 1984's "The Terminator" has been selected for preservation in the nation's film archive.

SAN ANTONIO - Chase Daniel threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin in overtime and Missouri rallied to beat Northwestern 30-23 in the Alamo Bowl on Monday night.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Monday expanded its bailout of the U.S. auto industry, saying it was buying $5 billion in equity in auto and mortgage finance company GMAC and increasing a loan to General Motors by $1 billion.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel hit the Gaza Strip with more air strikes on Tuesday and warned its military action could last weeks, while its Islamist enemy Hamas vowed to keep up rocket attacks on Israeli cities.

LONDON (Reuters) - Global growth will be very weak next year, a senior European banker warned on Tuesday, and loans to companies and household in the euro zone stagnated, raising new concerns about the extent of the credit crunch.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. recession, heavy discounting by retailers and a nasty mix of winter weather in the days before Christmas combined to produce the worst holiday season since at least 1970, the International Council of Shopping Centers said on Tuesday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Prosecutors agreed on Monday to provide an impeachment panel with tape-recordings in which investigators say Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is heard scheming to sell the powers of his office.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan urged India on Tuesday to reduce tension by deactivating its forward air bases and standing down troops, but New Delhi angrily rejected suggestions it was aggravating tension with its nuclear-armed rival.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers will take their first close look next Monday at financier Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion fraud and why the Securities and Exchange Commission failed to discover the scandal.

KABUL (Reuters) - The United States backs a proposed Afghan government plan to engage tribal elders in the war against the resurgent Taliban, a move seen by critics as reviving militias, its top envoy said on Tuesday.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - Israel on Tuesday shunned world appeals for a truce, massed forces on the Gaza border and warned that its deadly assault on Hamas could last for weeks as jets pummelled Islamist targets for a fourth day.

DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladesh's former premier Sheikh Hasina Wajed won the country's first election since 2001 in a landslide Tuesday, crushing her bitter rival to retake power in the impoverished south Asian nation.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan(AFP) - Pakistan on Tuesday cut off supplies to NATO and US forces in Afghanistan via the Khyber Pass as security forces launched a major operation against militants there, officials said.

BANGKOK (AFP) - New Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva promised economic and political revival as he gave his first policy speech Tuesday, despite being forced to switch venue by protesters blockading parliament.

BEIJING (AFP) - Paleontologists in east China have dug up what they believe is one of the world's largest group of dinosaur fossils including the remains of an enormous "platypus", state press said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Treasury unveiled a six-billion-dollar package Monday to assist GMAC, the troubled financial arm of General Motors seen as vital to the survival of America's largest automaker.

GENEVA (AFP) - Struggling airlines hit more trouble in November, with passenger numbers down and freight plunging by a "shocking" 13.5 percent, the worst drop since the September 11 terror attacks, IATA said Tuesday.