Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

WASHINGTON - Federal health officials are defending their handling of the nationwide salmonella outbreak, telling Congress they had been hot on the trail of a Georgia processor even before they were certain that peanuts were to blame for hundreds of illnesses.

WASHINGTON - After weeks of debate, Congress is giving consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.

LOS ANGELES - "American Idol" is another step closer to revealing its 36 semifinalists. Following group performances by the remaining 104 crooners, host Ryan Seacrest announced at the end of Wednesday's episode that about 75 hopefuls made it through to the next round of Hollywood Week on the eighth season of the popular Fox singing competition.

SYDNEY - More than 10,000 people have jumped at the chance to become the caretaker of a tropical Australian island — including a prankster identifying himself as terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

SAN FRANCISCO - Court documents show Barry Bonds tested positive for three types of steroids, and his personal trainer once told his business manager in the Giants' clubhouse how he injected the slugger with performance-enhancing drugs "all over the place."

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and Australia expressed concern on Thursday about protectionism stemming from the "Buy American" provisions in Washington's mammoth stimulus measures aimed at helping pull the U.S. economy out of recession.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will seek to break with the unilateralist tilt of the Bush years by emphasizing cooperation and diplomacy in a major weekend foreign policy speech in Germany, U.S. officials said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped to a 26-year high last week, according to government data on Thursday that pointed to a rapid deterioration in the economy.

(Reuters) - A list of clients who invested money with accused swindler Bernard Madoff was made public Wednesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England slashed interest rates to a record low on Thursday to help Britain out of recession, while dire German industry orders and Spanish industrial output confirmed European businesses were struggling.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has collected more than $271 million in dividends from ownership stakes in American banks and needs to develop an investment strategy for its holdings, a government watchdog said in a Thursday report.

BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan's parliament will vote next week on whether to shut a U.S. air base, an important staging post for U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, Kyrgyz officials said on Thursday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fifteen people were killed by a suicide bomber in northeastern Iraq on Thursday, shortly before election authorities were due to give the first official results of last week's provincial ballot.

FRANKFURT (AFP) - The European Central Bank kept its key interest rate steady at 2.0 percent Thursday while the Bank of England cut its own benchmark rate by a half percentage point to a record low of 1.0 percent.

MOGADISHU (AFP) - Somali pirates on Thursday freed a Ukrainian ship they had held since September with battle tanks and other weaponry on board after receiving a ransom of more than three million dollars.

COLOMBO (AFP) - The Sri Lankan government on Thursday offered an amnesty to Tamil Tiger rebels who surrender, but rejected international appeals for ceasefire talks and vowed to crush those who fight on.

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea on Thursday warned North Korea to scrap any plans to launch its longest-range missile, saying it would violate United Nations resolutions passed after the last test in 2006.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Global protectionism fears were heightened after the US Senate voted to keep a "Buy American" clause in the huge US stimulus bill, as more dismal corporate news signalled deepening economic woes.

PARIS (AFP) - Stunned scientists have found the fossilized remains of the world's greatest snake -- a record-busting serpent that was as long as a bus and snacked on crocodiles.

FRANKFURT (AFP) - Germany's biggest lender, Deutsche Bank, on Thursday posted its first annual loss since World War II after a terrible fourth quarter but said it would survive the global meltdown without state aid.