Aaron's Daily WWW Newspaper

SEATTLE - Even as Apple Inc. acknowledges that all is not well, the extent of Steve Jobs' health problems remains a closely guarded secret.

HONOLULU - Patients with a sore throat, high fever or mystery rash in Hawaii will now be able to bypass the waiting room and find a physician's care just a click away.

LOS ANGELES - Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's "Fantasy Island," died Wednesday morning at his home, his family said. He was 88.

Chris Paul made a big statement in Dallas. Down the road in San Antonio, the Spurs sent a message to the Los Angeles Lakers. Turning a point guard showdown with Jason Kidd into a rout, Paul nearly had a quadruple-double in New Orleans' 104-97 victory over Dallas on Wednesday night, finishing with 33 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and seven steals.

WASHINGTON - More than 2.3 million American homeowners faced foreclosure proceedings last year, an 81 percent increase from 2007, with the worst yet to come as consumers grapple with layoffs, shrinking investment portfolios and falling home prices.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co's fourth-quarter profit fell 76 percent as it wrote down bad loans and set aside more money to cover credit losses at its investment bank.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama's choice to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will be grilled Thursday on how she intends to overhaul an agency widely blamed for failing to help prevent the biggest financial crisis in decades.

FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The European Central Bank cut interest rates by a half point on Thursday in response to a global crisis which is casting fresh doubt on the ability of top banks to survive intact.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc chief and tech visionary Steve Jobs will take a leave of absence till end-June because of health problems "more complex" than thought, backtracking on reassurances, stunning investors and sending its shares skidding 10 percent on Wednesday.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza city on Thursday and unleashed their heaviest shelling of its crowded neighborhoods in three weeks of war, stepping up pressure on Hamas as the Islamist group weighed a ceasefire.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, thought to be recovering from serious illness, has picked his third and youngest known son to succeed him, a South Korean news report said on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan said on Thursday security forces had closed five training camps run by Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group blamed for the Mumbai attack, and arrested 124 of its leaders and those of a related charity.

(Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co said it will pay about $1.42 billion to settle both criminal and civil investigations related to the marketing of its antipsychotic drug Zyprexa and has agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

GAZA CITY (AFP) - The UN on Thursday suspended its operations in Gaza after Israeli shells smashed into its compound, setting fire to warehouses of badly-needed aid and prompting outrage from UN chief Ban Ki-moon as he arrived in Israel.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia and Ukraine remained deadlocked in their energy war Thursday with European governments becoming increasing angry and exasperated over the dispute.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Thursday that South Africa will lead new talks within a week with President Robert Mugabe to revive a stalled power-sharing deal.

SEOUL (AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has nominated his third son as successor and informed the ruling communist party leadership of his choice, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Thursday.

FRANKFURT (AFP) - The European Central Bank cut its main lending rate for the fourth time in a row on Thursday, bringing it down 0.50 points to 2.0 percent amid spreading fears of a deep recession.

TOULOUSE, France (AFP) - European aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus warned on Thursday of a "horrible" year ahead which will see its orders halved as the global economic crisis hits the airline industry.

LONDON (AFP) - The British government approved Thursday plans for a third runway at London's Heathrow airport, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said, despite angry opposition from green groups and locals.