Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

FREEPORT, Bahamas - The Bahamas will use two pathologists to ensure a careful autopsy on John Travolta's son, who died at the actor's vacation home in Grand Bahama, the territory's health minister said Saturday.

NEW ORLEANS - A man who initially told police gunmen kidnapped his 2 1/2-year-old son was arrested Saturday, accused of committing an "extremely hideous" murder because he was ordered to pay child support, Police Superintendent Warren Riley said.

KIEV, Ukraine - A top Ukrainian official has warned that European customers could see serious natural gas disruptions in about two weeks if the energy dispute between Russia and Ukraine is not resolved, and the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom accused Ukraine of boycotting contract negotiations.

SAN DIEGO - Peyton Manning has his MVP award and nothing more, outdone again in January by the San Diego Chargers. Speedy little Darren Sproles scooted 22 yards for the winning score 6:20 into overtime and the Chargers beat the Colts 23-17 in an AFC wild-card game Saturday night, ending Indianapolis' nine-game winning streak a day after Manning won his third Associated Press NFL MVP award.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Arizona Cardinals have consecutive home playoff victories — 61 years apart. Kurt Warner opened with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and connected with Anquan Boldin on a 71-yard scoring play as the Cardinals beat Atlanta 30-24 Saturday before a raucous, towel-waving crowd.

* Israelis and Palestinians battle in Gaza

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats are considering a major expansion of government-assisted health care insurance and unemployment benefits as part of a two-year economic recovery program, The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military took a step toward pulling combat troops from Iraqi cities on Saturday, moving out of a Baghdad base that Iraqi officials said would be dismantled and converted back into a shopping mall.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Michael Bennet, head of the Denver public school system, was named to replace Sen. Ken Salazar, the Colorado Democrat who is leaving the Senate to become secretary of the interior in the Obama administration, Colorado's governor said on Saturday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats will pack greater clout when the new Congress convenes on Tuesday but they face enormous expectations from voters as they grapple with two wars, a financial crisis and record budget deficits.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Everyone caught up in the scandal of accused Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff wants to know where the money is.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Former U.S.-installed Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has denounced the policies of President George W. Bush as an "utter failure" that gave rise to the sectarian venom that ravaged his country.

KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ukraine accused Russia on Sunday of deliberately reducing gas flows to customers in Europe as they face freezing winter temperatures.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - Thousands of Israeli troops and scores of tanks pushed deep into Gaza on Sunday, battling Hamas fighters and moving towards the enclave's capital on a mission to end militant rocket attacks.

PARIS (AFP) - Israel's tank and troop assault on the Gaza Strip unleashed cries of alarm worldwide on Sunday, but Israel won US backing as moves for an immediate ceasefire foundered at the United Nations.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A female suicide bomber killed at least 35 people, including women and children, and wounded 65 others on a religious march near the holy Kadhimiyah shrine in northern Baghdad on Sunday.

MANOKWARI, Indonesia (AFP) - A string of powerful earthquakes rocked Indonesia on Sunday, leaving at least one dead and dozens injured, and triggering panic in the nation hardest hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami.

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka (AFP) - The Sri Lankan army said it was moving in on the jungle stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels, in a final assault aimed at ending the longest-running ethnic war in Asia.

SYDNEY (AFP) - Saving the planet by eating kangaroos and wild camels may seem like pie in the sky, but the offbeat menu comes with a scientific stamp of approval in Australia.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian energy giant Gazprom on Sunday called on Ukraine to return to negotiations on a gas row that has caused shortfalls in central Europe -- even as Kiev insisted talks were in fact ongoing.