Saturday, February 14, 2009

2/14 Yahoo! News: Top Stories




NYTSB: Pieces being gathered from NY plane crash (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 7:59 am

This image from television shows the tail section of Continental Connection Flight 3407 as it sits amidst still smoking wreckage Friday Feb. 13, 2009 in Clarence Center, N.Y. The firewas burning so hot it took until around nightfall Friday for workers to begin removing the bodies. The crew of the commuter plane that fell on a house, killing all 49 people aboard and one person on the ground, noticed significant ice buildup on the wings and windshield just before the aircraft began pitching and rolling violently, investigators said Friday. (AP Photo/CTV via APTN)AP - Investigators began gathering pieces of the incinerated wreckage of a commuter airliner early Saturday in search of clues to the cause of the fiery crash that killed 50 people.


Flights resume but delays hit London City Airport (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 7:57 am

The scene showing the British Airways aeroplane at London City Airport on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009.  A British Airways passenger jet carrying 71 people crash-landed Friday evening after part of its landing gear failed, officials said. One person was taken to a hospital with a minor injury.  BA Flight 8456 was flying from Amsterdam to London and the airline said in a statement the four-engine aeroplane's nosewheel failed on landing. Emergency slides were deployed to evacuate the passengers. British Airways said the plane was carrying 67 passengers and four crew. (AP Photo / pa, Stefan Rousseau)AP - Flights resumed but delays plagued London City Airport on Saturday, a day after 71 people escaped serious injury when their plane's front wheel gear collapsed upon landing.


G7 finance ministers reject protectionist measures (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 7:50 am

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, left, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, center, and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury Mark Sobel, right, attend the Group of Seven (G7) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting, in Rome, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009. Officials from the leading industrial nations will discuss new financial markets rules, concerns about protectionist measures in stimulus plans, and the effect of the crisis on poorer countries. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)AP - Rejecting protectionism, the Group of Seven finance ministers pledged Saturday to work together to support growth and employment and strengthen the banking system so the world can overcome its worst financial crisis in 50 years, according to a draft communique.


Zimbabwe PM: aide's arrest undermines accord (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 7:46 am

Zimbabwean opposition and ruling party ministers are sworn in as cabinet ministers by President Robert Mugabe, unseen, in Harare, Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. Roy Benett, an ally of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who was expected to join Zimbabwe's unity government was arrested Friday, the party said — an early indication the country's new political partnership will be rocky.  (AP Photo)AP - Zimbabwe's new prime minister on Saturday blamed the arrest of one of his top aides on factions who want to destroy the country's coalition government.


US envoy to meet Afghan president (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 7:40 am

U.S. Special Representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke speaks during a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Sapanta, unseen, at the foreign ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)AP - President Barack Obama's new envoy to Afghanistan met with the Afghan foreign minister on Saturday, hours ahead of a planned meeting with President Hamid Karzai that comes amid a downturn in U.S.-Afghan relations.


Obama: Stimulus bill 'major milestone' (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 7:25 am

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D- Ohio, arrives from his mother's wake to cast the final vote to pass the stimulus bill on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 in Washington.  At right is his wife Connie Schultz.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)AP - President Barack Obama, savoring his first major victory in Congress, said Saturday that newly passed $787 billion economic stimulus legislation marks a "major milestone on our road to recovery."


Murder trial in Italy: US student had scratches (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 6:40 am

U.S. murder suspect Amanda Knox, right, is escorted by an Italian penitentiary police officer as she arrives in a courtroom to stand trial, in Perugia, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009. Sounding confident and speaking fluent Italian, Knox charged with murdering her British roommate told a court Friday she was innocent and was sure the truth would come out. Knox, a 21-year old from Seattle, and Raffaele Sollecito, a 24-year-old Italian who was her boyfriend at the time, are being tried on charges of murder and sexual violence. Both deny wrongdoing. (AP Photo/Stefano Medici)AP - An American student accused in the stabbing death of her British roommate had a scratch on her neck hours after the killing, a witness testified Saturday at the murder trial in Italy.


Ice buildup reported on US plane before crash (AFP)
February 14, 2009 at 6:40 am

An investigator walks through the scene of the Continental Airlines crash in Clarence Center, New York, just north and east of Buffalo. An ice buildup may have contributed to the crash, killing 50 people, federal investigators have suggested.(AFP/File/Stan Honda)AFP - An ice buildup may have contributed to the crash of a Continental Airlines plane that went down outside of the northern US city of Buffalo, killing 50 people, federal investigators have suggested.


G7 strives to couple crisis response and free trade (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 6:23 am

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner (R) talks with U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during a G7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Rome February 14, 2009. (Tony Gentile/Reuters)Reuters - The G7 industrial powers, fearing a rise of protectionism, will do all they can to combat recession and avoid distorting free trade on the way, according to a joint statement being prepared for release after talks on Saturday.


Obama hails stimulus plan as 'major milestone' (AFP)
February 14, 2009 at 6:22 am

US President Barack Obama, seen here on February 13, early Saturday hailed a 787-billion-dollar economic stimulus plan passed by Congress, calling it AFP - US President Barack Obama early Saturday hailed a 787-billion-dollar economic stimulus plan passed by Congress, calling it "a major milestone on our road to recovery."


Obama vows to act fast on economic stimulus (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 6:11 am

President Barack Obama speaks on the economy in the East Room of the White House in Washington February 13, 2009. (Jason Reed/Reuters)Reuters - President Barack Obama on Saturday hailed congressional approval of a $787 billion economic stimulus bill as a "major milestone on our road to recovery" and vowed to move swiftly to set the plan in motion.


Suspected US missile strike kills 27 in Pakistan (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 5:08 am

This is an image from mobile phone footage released by Online Photos Friday Feb. 13 2009, purportedly showing John Solecki, a seized American U.N. worker. The kidnappers have threatened to kill Solecki within 72 hours unless more than 100 prisoners are released. The threat was contained in a letter delivered with a grainy video of the hostage to a Pakistani news agency on Friday.  Solecki appears blindfolded in the short clip and appeals to the world body to act quickly to secure his release. (AP Photo/Online Photos via APTN) ** NO SALES NO ARCHIVE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT IMAGE FROM VIDEO RELEASED BY ONLINE PHOTOS.AP - A suspected U.S. missile strike by a drone aircraft flattened a militant hide-out in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing 27 local and foreign insurgents, intelligence officials said.


Residents return to fire-destroyed Australian town (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 3:57 am

In this Feb. 7, 2009 file photo, a fire truck moves away from out of control flames from a bushfire in the Bunyip Sate Forest near the township of Tonimbuk, 125 kilometers (78 miles) west of Melbourne, Australia. In the aftermath of the most lethal wildfires in Australia's history, officials are again considering whether enough is being done to reduce the risk through controlled burns. (AP Photo/FILE)AP - Residents of the town worst hit by Australia's wildfire disaster made a brief and emotional return Saturday but were not allowed to stay because the entire village is being treated as an arson crime scene.


Congress sends $787 billion stimulus to Obama (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 11:04 pm

House leadership members speak following the passage in the House of Representatives of the stimulus package on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 13, 2009. From L-R are, Representative David Obey, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Majority Leader Representative Steny Hoyer. (Larry Downing/Reuters)Reuters - The U.S. Congress, handing President Barack Obama a major legislative victory, approved on Friday a $787 billion stimulus bill that aims to rush emergency government spending and tax cuts to a nation in the grip of a severe recession.


Kidnappers threaten American abducted in Pakistan (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 9:50 pm

This is an image from mobile phone footage released by Online Photos Friday Feb. 13 2009, purportedly showing John Solecki, a seized American U.N. worker. The kidnappers have threatened to kill Solecki within 72 hours unless more than 100 prisoners are released. The threat was contained in a letter delivered with a grainy video of the hostage to a Pakistani news agency on Friday.  Solecki appears blindfolded in the short clip and appeals to the world body to act quickly to secure his release. (AP Photo/Online Photos via APTN) ** NO SALES NO ARCHIVE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT IMAGE FROM VIDEO RELEASED BY ONLINE PHOTOS.AP - Kidnappers threatened on Friday to kill an American employee of the United Nations within 72 hours and issued a grainy video of the blindfolded captive saying he was "sick and in trouble." A letter accompanying the video delivered to a Pakistani news agency said the hostage, John Solecki, would be killed unless authorities released 141 women it said were being held in Pakistan.


Clinton makes offer to North Korea, appeals to China (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 7:35 pm

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to an audience at the Asia Society in New York February 13, 2009. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday offered North Korea a peace treaty, normal ties and aid if it eliminates its nuclear arms program and stressed her desire to work more cooperatively with China.


Jet's nosewheel collapses during landing in London (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:37 pm

The scene showing the British Airways aeroplane at London City Airport on Friday, Feb. 13, 2009.  A British Airways passenger jet carrying 71 people crash-landed Friday evening after part of its landing gear failed, officials said. One person was taken to a hospital with a minor injury.  BA Flight 8456 was flying from Amsterdam to London and the airline said in a statement the four-engine aeroplane's nosewheel failed on landing. Emergency slides were deployed to evacuate the passengers. British Airways said the plane was carrying 67 passengers and four crew. (AP Photo / pa, Stefan Rousseau)AP - The nosewheel of a British Airways passenger jet collapsed with a loud bang as it landed Friday at London City Airport, sending the plane scraping across the tarmac with 71 people aboard, officials and witnesses said. All aboard escaped by emergency slides, but one person was taken to a hospital with a minor injury.


Kidnappers threaten American abducted in Pakistan (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:32 pm

This is an image from mobile phone footage released by Online Photos Friday Feb. 13 2009, purportedly showing John Solecki, a seized American U.N. worker. The kidnappers have threatened to kill Solecki within 72 hours unless more than 100 prisoners are released. The threat was contained in a letter delivered with a grainy video of the hostage to a Pakistani news agency on Friday.  Solecki appears blindfolded in the short clip and appeals to the world body to act quickly to secure his release. (AP Photo/Online Photos via APTN) ** NO SALES NO ARCHIVE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT IMAGE FROM VIDEO RELEASED BY ONLINE PHOTOS.AP - Kidnappers threatened on Friday to kill an American employee of the United Nations within 72 hours and issued a grainy video of the blindfolded captive saying he was "sick and in trouble." A letter accompanying the video delivered to a Pakistani news agency said the hostage, John Solecki, would be killed unless authorities released 141 women it said were being held in Pakistan.


Peanut Corp. of America files for bankruptcy (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:31 pm

The Peanut Corp. of America plant is seen on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009, in Blakely, Ga. The plant that may be linked to a nationwide salmonella outbreak. Peanut Corp. of America voluntarily recalled peanut butter produced at the plant, pending the outcome of an investigation. (AP Photo/Elliott Minor)AP - The peanut processing company at the heart of a national salmonella outbreak is going out of business. The Lynchburg, Va.-based Peanut Corp. of America filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia Friday, the latest bad news for the company that has been accused of producing tainted peanut products that may have reached everyone from poor school children to disaster victims.


VA clinic warns of possible contaminant exposure (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:24 pm

AP - Thousands of patients at a Veterans Administration clinic in Tennessee may have been exposed to the infectious body fluids of other patients when they had colonoscopies in recent years, and now VA medical facilities all over the U.S. are reviewing their own procedures.

US churches to discuss evolution vs creation (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:24 pm

The Rev. Thurmond Tillman, pastor at Savannah's 221-year-old First African Baptist Church, poses in the sanctuary of the church, Friday, Feb. 13, 2009 in Savannah, Ga. Tillman doesn't oppose evolution, but he argues that black Americans have other social issues to address, and the faithful should focus on uniting mankind — not dividing his origins. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)AP - After a lifetime in the church, the Rev. William L. Rhines Jr. lately has started to question one of the Bible's fundamental teachings, that God created man. It's an especially touchy topic in his Wilmington, Del., congregation, where generations of black worshippers have leaned on faith to endure the indignities of racism.


Kisses unleash chemicals that ease stress levels, study finds (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:22 pm

A couple dances and kisses inside a heart shaped made from candles during a flash mob ahead of Valentine's Day in the centre of Ukrainian city of Lviv, February 13, 2009. REUTERS/Vitaliy Hrabar  (UKRAINE)AP - "Chemistry look what you've done to me," Donna Summer crooned in Science of Love, and so, it seems, she was right. Just in time for Valentine's Day, a panel of scientists examined the mystery of what happens when hearts throb and lips lock. Kissing, it turns out, unleashes chemicals that ease stress hormones in both sexes and encourage bonding in men, though not so much in women.


Heat swap Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:20 pm

In this jan. 30, 2009 file photo, Toronto Raptors forward Jermaine O'Neal looks on after being ejected from the game by referee Monty McCutchen  while playing against the Milwaukee Bucks during second half NBA action in Toronto. O'Neal has been traded from the Raptors to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion .As part of the deal, Marcus Banks goes to Toronto and Jamario Moon to Miami. The Heat also get a conditional draft pick, cash considerations, or both. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette, File)AP - Shawn Marion's most memorable play with the Miami Heat was his last. Hours after Marion's last-second dunk lifted the Heat past the Chicago Bulls, he was traded Friday to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jermaine O'Neal, ending a weekslong saga involving the expected deal. NBA officials approved the swap Friday afternoon by conference call, the Heat said.


Key human rights advocate dies in U.S. plane crash (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 6:15 pm

Reuters - A prominent human rights advocate who documented genocide in Rwanda was among the victims of Thursday's commuter plane crash near Buffalo, associates said on Friday.

Man hoping to get fired allegedly trashes eatery (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:13 pm

AP - A restaurant worker was accused of trashing the place in an attempt to get fired and collect unemployment compensation. A criminal complaint filed Thursday said a 35-year-old man showed up at a Qdoba restaurant and started throwing brownies and cookies on the floor.

Salmonella-hit peanut company files for bankruptcy (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 5:14 pm

The building of the now-closed Peanut Corporation of America plant is pictured in Blakely, Georgia on January 29, 2009. (Matthew Bigg/Reuters)Reuters - Peanut Corporation of America sought bankruptcy protection on Friday after a salmonella outbreak traced to one of its plants led to one of the biggest product recalls in U.S. history.


Clinton makes offer to North Korea, appeals to China (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 4:08 pm

Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday offered North Korea a peace treaty, normal ties and aid if it eliminates its nuclear arms program and stressed her desire to work more cooperatively with China.

Indian rail official: 3 dead in train derailment (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 11:26 am

AP - A railway official says three people were killed after 14 train coaches derailed in eastern India.

Kevin Costner and wife become parents of baby boy (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 11:23 am

This July 24, 2008 file photo shows actor Kevin Costner as he arrives with his wife Christine Baumgartner at the premiere of the film  'Swing Vote'  in Los Angeles. Kevin Costner and his wife are proud parents of a baby boy, his publicist Arnold Robinson said.  Costner's wife Christine Baumgartner gave birth to Hayes Logan Costner on Thursday night Feb. 12, 2009, in Los Angeles.     (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, FILE)AP - Kevin Costner and his wife are proud parents of a baby boy. Costner's wife Christine Baumgartner, 34, gave birth to Hayes Logan Costner on Thursday night in Los Angeles, said his publicist Arnold Robinson. He weighs 8 pounds, 15 ounces.


APNewsBreak: Blackwater dumps tarnished brand name (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 11:22 am

AP - Blackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name. Blackwater officials said Friday its family of two dozen business will now operate under the name Xe (zee), pronounced like the letter "z."

Survey: peanut recall known but misunderstood (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 11:18 am

House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., left, watches as Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., right, holds up a container of food items that were recalled due to the recent salmonella outbreak associated with peanut products manufactured by the Peanut Corporation of America, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - Most Americans know about a peanut-driven national salmonella outbreak but many are wrong about what products are involved and few have confidence in food safeguards, according to a Harvard survey released Friday.


City, county officials to vote on Marlins ballpark (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 11:14 am

AP - South Florida politicians are set to vote on a new stadium in downtown Miami for the Florida Marlins.

Plane hits house near Buffalo, 50 dead (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 11:12 am

A view of the wreckage of a Continental Express flight, which crashed near Buffalo, New York February 13, 2009. (Gary Wiepert/Reuters)Reuters - Fifty people were killed when a commuter plane nosedived into a house in snowy western New York state and burst into flames that burned through the night.


Obama: Crucial to confront U.S. housing crisis (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 11:00 am

Family belongings are put out on the curb by a worker after McLennan County Deputy Constables delivered a court order of eviction to a family in Waco, Texas, December 31, 2008. (Larry Downing/Reuters)Reuters - President Barack Obama, who plans to unveil a plan soon to stem home foreclosures, said on Friday that grappling with that problem was crucial to getting the economy moving again.


Fiery scene after US plane crashes on house, 50 dead (AFP)
February 13, 2009 at 10:59 am

An investigator walks through the scene of a Continental Airlines crash in Clarence Center, New York, just north and east of Buffalo. Rescue teams battled on Friday to douse a raging firestorm still burning hours after a US commuter plane crashed into a house in New York state and exploded in a deadly fireball, killing 50 people.(AFP/Stan Honda)AFP - Firefighters battled Friday to douse walls of flame still burning hours after a US commuter plane crashed into a house in New York state, exploding in a fireball and killing 50 people.


Fiery plane crash in upstate NY kills 50 (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 10:56 am

A plane burns after it crashed into a house in Clarence Center, N.Y., Thursday Feb. 12, 2009.  Authorities say it was Continental Airlines Flight 3407 operated by Manassas, Va.-based Colgan Air.  (AP Photo/David Duprey)AP - A commuter plane dropped out of the sky without warning and nose-dived into a suburban Buffalo house in a fiery crash that killed all 49 people aboard and one person in the home. It was the nation's first deadly crash of a commercial airliner in 2 1/2 years.


Hamas says long-term truce with Israel imminent (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 10:54 am

A Palestinian man walks outside the Al Aqsa Mosque compound before Friday prayers in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, Feb. 13, 2009.(AP Photo/Dan Balilty)AP - Hamas officials said Friday an agreement with Israel on a long-term cease-fire in Gaza could be announced within days, but a new cycle of attacks by both sides strained a temporary truce.


Iraqi police: Female suicide bomber kills 40 (AP)
February 13, 2009 at 10:18 am

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims are travelling to the holy city of Karbala for Arbaeen. A black-clad woman suicide bomber blew herself up in a crowd of Shiite pilgrims south of the Iraqi capital, killing at least 32 people.(AFP Graphic)AP - A female suicide bomber attacked a tent filled with women and children resting from a pilgrimage to a Shiite holy city south of Baghdad on Friday, killing 40 people and injuring 60 others, said officials. It was the deadliest attack in Iraq this year and the third straight day of bombings against Shiite pilgrims.


New U.S. envoy in Afghanistan to assess security (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 10:11 am

Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, attends a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad February 10, 2009. (Faisal Mahmood/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama's new envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan met key ministers in the Afghan capital on Friday, two days after triple Taliban attacks in the city demonstrated just how much security is deteriorating.


U.S. offers Moscow concession on missile shield (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 10:06 am

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) during a ceremony in the Kremlin, February 9, 2009. (RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Dmitry Astakhov/Reuters)Reuters - The United States is ready to look at re-modeling its missile defense plans to include Moscow, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Friday in a concession to Russian opposition.


G7 powers converge on Rome as crisis rages (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 9:03 am

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner arrives in central Rome February 13, 2009. Finance ministers and central bankers from the G7 industrial powers plus Russia meet in Rome on Friday for the first of a series of meetings that will show whether governments worldwide can respond effectively to the worst financial and economic crisis since World War Two. (Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters)Reuters - G7 finance ministers headed to Rome to discuss the global economic crisis on Friday with a warning from Germany that the world could be plunged back into the dark days of the 1930s if governments resorted to protectionism.


Female bomber kills 32 on Iraqi pilgrimage route (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 8:28 am

Shoes lay strewn on the ground as Iraqi security close off the scene of an explosion in the southern holy city of Karbala, 120 kms from Baghdad on February 12. At least 30 Shiite pilgrims have been killed and 25 wounded in a suicide bombing south of the Iraqi capital, police told AFP.(AFP/File/Mohammed Sawaf)Reuters - A female suicide bomber blew herself up in a crowd of Shi'ite pilgrims on Friday, killing 32 people and wounding 84 others south of Baghdad during one of the holiest events of the Shi'ite calendar, police said.


Woman bomber kills 32 Shiite pilgrims in Iraq (AFP)
February 13, 2009 at 6:51 am

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims are travelling to the holy city of Karbala for Arbaeen. A woman suicide bomber dressed in a black abaya blew herself up in a crowd of women and children Shiite pilgrims south of the Iraqi capital on Friday, killing 35 worshippers, officials have said.(AFP Graphic)AFP - A woman suicide bomber dressed in a black abaya blew herself up in a crowd of women and children Shiite pilgrims south of the Iraqi capital on Friday, killing 32 worshippers, officials said.


Clinton aims to soothe jittery allies, woo China (Reuters)
February 13, 2009 at 1:31 am

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listens during a 'town hall meeting' she hosted with employees of the State Department in Washington February 4, 2009. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)Reuters - Hillary Clinton hopes to reassure allies jittery about U.S. policy on North Korea and to set the tone for a productive relationship with China when she visits Asia next week on her first trip as secretary of state.



2/14 BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition




Record nails broken in US car crash
February 13, 2009 at 9:37 pm

An American woman who held the record for having the world's longest fingernails has them broken off in a car crash.

No scents
February 13, 2009 at 7:29 pm

The allergic woman who must avoid all perfumed products

History lesson
February 13, 2009 at 7:04 pm

Soviet veterans see mistakes repeated in Afghan war

Search for justice
February 13, 2009 at 6:34 pm

Four years after his death, Rafik Hariri's son wants answers

Darling defends bailout of HBOS
February 13, 2009 at 6:28 pm

Alistair Darling defends the government's handling of the banking crisis, in light of expected record losses at HBOS.

US 'keen to strengthen Asia ties'
February 13, 2009 at 6:26 pm

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tells the BBC the US is keen to deepen its Asia ties, ahead of a tour of the region.

'Ice build-up' on crashed plane
February 13, 2009 at 6:10 pm

The crew of a plane that crashed in New York state killing 50 people noticed "significant ice build-up", investigators say.

Oil rises on stimulus plan hopes
February 13, 2009 at 4:59 pm

Oil prices jump after a week of falling crude prices on hopes US President Obama's stimulus plan will revive the economy.

MDC nominee 'on treason charge'
February 13, 2009 at 4:56 pm

Zimbabwean police charge a senior MDC figure with treason, hours after a power-sharing cabinet is sworn in.

Rows mar Zimbabwe oath ceremony
February 13, 2009 at 3:14 pm

The swearing-in of Zimbabwe's new power-sharing cabinet is marred by the arrest of one minister and a row over others.

Day in pictures
February 13, 2009 at 3:00 pm

Eye-catching images from around the world

US House approves stimulus plan
February 13, 2009 at 2:44 pm

The US House of Representatives backs President Obama's $787bn economic stimulus plan, with senators expected to vote later.

Investigators enter NY crash site
February 13, 2009 at 2:42 pm

The fire where a plane crashed in New York state, killing 50 people, is finally out and a full probe is starting, say officials.

UN man in Pakistan kidnap video
February 13, 2009 at 2:29 pm

Kidnappers who seized a senior United Nations official in Pakistan release a video of him appealing for freedom.

Test abandoned over poor outfield
February 13, 2009 at 2:13 pm

The second Test between West Indies and England in Antigua is abandoned because of an unfit outfield and a third Test will take place at a new venue on Sunday.

Train crash in India 'kills 15'
February 13, 2009 at 2:07 pm

At least 15 people are killed and dozens more injured in a train derailment in the Indian state of Orissa, officials say.

New Somali prime minister named
February 13, 2009 at 1:16 pm

Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke is chosen by the president as the new prime minister of war-torn Somalia.

Man guilty of head-on-beach murder
February 13, 2009 at 12:05 pm

A Lithuanian man is found guilty of torturing and killing a woman whose head was found by children on a beach.

Doubts over Swiss attack claims
February 13, 2009 at 11:36 am

A Brazilian woman who said she miscarried twins after an alleged racist attack in Zurich was not pregnant, investigators say.

Microsoft to launch retail chain
February 13, 2009 at 11:20 am

Software giant Microsoft announces plans for branded stores selling computers installed with its software.

Three more albums for Girls Aloud
February 13, 2009 at 11:02 am

Girls Aloud sign a new deal with record label Fascination, promising three more albums, including one in 2010.

St Valentine? No - it should be St Raphael, says Catholic Church
February 13, 2009 at 10:08 am

The Catholic Church in Britain says that lovelorn singles should pray to St Raphael, not St Valentine as often believed.

Israel air strike hits Gaza Strip
February 13, 2009 at 10:00 am

Israel launches an air strike on a target close to Khan Younis in Gaza, killing one Palestinian and injuring at least one other.

MPs urge intervention to save Gandhi auction items
February 13, 2009 at 9:52 am

A group of Indian MPs calls for Mahatma Gandhi's personal possessions, due for auction in New York next month, to be returned to India.

Jilted man jailed for fire attack
February 13, 2009 at 9:02 am

A Pakistani man is sentenced to 20 years in prison for setting fire to an ex-girlfriend in France after she refused to marry him.

Hard times
February 13, 2009 at 8:14 am

America's favourite motorsport faces credit crunch impact