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This edition was generated on Thu Feb 28 08:45:01 EST 2008
WASHINGTON - The economy skidded to a near halt in the final quarter of last year, clobbered by dual slumps in housing and credit that caused people and businesses to spend and invest more sparingly.
BAGHDAD - Help wanted: possibly life-threatening risks, little freedom outside work, long hours but competitive pay. Must be willing to relocate to Iraq.
SAN FRANCISCO - Google, already the world's most popular spot for finding Web sites, is aiming to become the go-to place for creating Web sites too.
LOS ANGELES - Car-building legend Boyd Coddington, whose testosterone-injected cable TV reality show "American Hot Rod" introduced the nation to the West Coast hot rod guru, has died. He was 63.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - When tourists found a 5-inch green sea turtle bloody and missing three of her flippers, the people who run a hospital for the endangered animals here gave her little chance of survival.
LeBron James hopped off the court and limped to the locker room, unsure if he'd be able to return for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sure enough, the All-Star forward came back and became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 points. That still wasn't enough to beat the Boston Celtics.
ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States called on Thursday for NATO ally Turkey to end its major ground offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels in northern Iraq as soon as possible, but Ankara said it would stay until the job was done.
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes a landmark trip to Iraq on Sunday seeking to show that Iran is an influential player in Iraqi politics which the United States can ill afford to isolate or ignore.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided not to run for the U.S. presidency, he said in the New York Times, ending long-running speculation that he could launch a challenge as an independent candidate.
GAZA (Reuters) - Israel responded to the death of an Israeli in a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip by stepping up air strikes on Thursday that raised to 17 the number of Palestinians killed in the territory in the past two days.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian voters will hand Dmitry Medvedev victory in a one-sided presidential election on Sunday, a choice that should ensure his mentor President Vladimir Putin stays on as the power behind the throne.
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan police have killed 25 Taliban fighters including an insurgent commander in a clash in the south of the country, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made an emotional return from exile on Thursday, preaching reconciliation and forgiveness in a country still polarized by his five years in elected office.
WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A missile struck a house in a Pakistani region known as being a safe haven for al Qaeda early on Thursday, killing 10 suspected militants including foreigners, intelligence officials and residents said.
NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenya's rival leaders have agreed to form a coalition government to end a two-month political crisis that has claimed some 1,500 lives, former UN chief Kofi Annan said Thursday.
GAZA CITY (AFP) - Israel pounded militants in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip with deadly strikes on Thursday as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to make the Islamists pay a heavy price for rocket attacks.
BANGKOK (AFP) - Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra vowed Thursday to clear his name on corruption charges and called for national unity as he flew home to a jubilant welcome from thousands of supporters.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) - A suspected US missile strike destroyed an Al-Qaeda and Taliban hideout in a Pakistani region, killing 13 alleged militants including several Arabs, security officials said Thursday.
TOKYO (AFP) - Scientists at a Japanese university said Thursday they believed another planet up to two-thirds the size of the Earth was orbiting in the far reaches of the solar system.
TAILANDIA, Brazil (AFP) - Brazilian police have launched a new operation against illegal loggers stripping the Amazon forest, making it known that their crackdown was just the first phase of a wider campaign.
TOKYO (AFP) - A senior Microsoft Corp. executive expressed optimism Thursday about the software giant's takeover bid for Internet firm Yahoo, saying the two companies' top managers were in close discussions.
DUBLIN (AFP) - An Irishman blinded by an explosion two years ago has had his sight restored after doctors inserted his son's tooth in his eye, he said on Wednesday.
TYLER, Texas (Reuters) - Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama faced off on Wednesday in a possible prelude to a U.S. presidential election battle, tangling over whether Iraq would be prey for al Qaeda if U.S. troops are withdrawn.
BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyz rights activists will offer a prize of up to $1,000 in a contest for the 'best song' to protest against the presence of U.S. troops in the Central Asian republic, the event's organizer said.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A huge survey of the world's Muslims released Tuesday challenges Western notions that equate Islam with radicalism and violence.
TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice voiced concern on Thursday about Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, but stopped short of an explicit call for Israel to exercise restraint.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Roger Clemens declined to say whether he was aware Congress had asked the Justice Department to investigate whether he lied in sworn testimony about steroid use. A letter drafted by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman and ranking Republican Tom Davis was sent to Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON - Freddie Mac on Thursday said its loss widened to $2.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007 as defaults mounted on home mortgages and it set aside cash in expectation of further losses.