Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

NEW YORK - Bernard Madoff could be forced to trade his luxurious penthouse for a jail cell.

NEW YORK - Citigroup and Morgan Stanley may announce as early as Monday a deal to combine their brokerages, a move analysts say could trigger a fresh wave of consolidation in the troubled and thinning banking industry.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Heath Ledger got his Golden Globe, and Kate Winslet came away with two. Yet the Globes otherwise went slumming, with "Slumdog Millionaire" taking top honors and other key prizes going to a newcomer, an underdog and a poster boy for the classic Hollywood comeback.

TOKYO - Japanese are taking their noses global with a Web site that describes different odors around the world and pinpoints where they can be found on a map.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsbrugh Steelers have advanced to next weekend's NFL conference championship games.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops fought fierce gun battles with Hamas fighters on Monday, keeping military pressure on the Islamist group while avoiding all-out urban warfare that would complicate ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the Gaza war.

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The break-up of U.S. banking powerhouse Citigroup moved a step closer, and Britain took control of a big stake in another top lender on Monday as the reshaping of the global financial landscape gathered pace.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate will not approve more bailout money for banks unless it includes limits on executive pay and help for struggling homeowners, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said on Monday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Policymakers facing mounting job losses prepared new measures to ease the pain on Monday and a gathering of top central bankers said the world's major economies would shrink this year but should then recover.

PARE-PARE, Indonesia (Reuters) - Nearly 250 people are still missing from an Indonesian ferry which sank in heavy seas at the weekend, officials said on Monday, as bad weather hampered rescue efforts.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Automakers put on a brave face at the world's biggest auto show on Sunday, with the sales outlook bleak for the coming year and fabled firms struggling for survival despite massive government aid.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran called on U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Monday not to repeat what it said were false accusations leveled against the Islamic Republic by the outgoing administration in Washington.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Vice President-elect Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad Monday for talks with leaders of Iraq, where the withdrawal of some 140,000 American troops is seen as a key challenge facing the incoming U.S. administration.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - Israeli infantry units battled with Hamas fighters across Gaza on Monday as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he hoped Egyptian peace efforts could bring about a swift end to the war.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russian energy giant Gazprom is ready to resume gas supplies to the EU "as soon as possible" once Ukraine fulfils conditions on gas transit, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Monday.

POLEWALI, Indonesia (AFP) - Around 250 people missing after a ferry capsized in heavy seas off Indonesia's Sulawesi island are feared dead, officials said Monday as bad weather hampered the search for survivors.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal on Monday reinstated corruption charges against ruling party chief Jacob Zuma, clouding his presidential hopes in this year's elections.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A spate of Monday morning rush hour bomb blasts in Baghdad killed at least eight people and injured 25, government and military officials said.

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AFP) - British movie "Slumdog Millionaire" emerged as the big winner at the 66th Golden Globes late Sunday, scooping four awards to underline its credentials ahead of next month's Oscars.

DETROIT, Michigan, (AFP) - The glint of a host of greener cars failed to lift the pall hanging over the Detroit auto show, as the industry faced tanking sales and General Motors and Chrysler fought for their very survival.