Sunday, February 15, 2009

2/15 Yahoo! News: Top Stories




Suspected US missile strike kills 27 in Pakistan (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 10:59 pm

Pakistani Imran Zargul, 71, from the tribal region of Bajur wait to get donated food during a distribution at the Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. Economic woes complicating Pakistan's struggle against Islamic militants are easing thanks to a tough rescue plan backed by the International Monetary Fund, but the program needs more than a year to succeed, the country's finance chief said Friday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)AP - Dozens of followers of Pakistan's top Taliban commander were in a compound when a suspected U.S. missile attack hit, killing 27 militants in an al-Qaida stronghold near the Afghan border, intelligence officials said.


Burris says Blagojevich's brother sought donation (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 10:59 pm

Former Illinois attorney general and senate appointee Roland Burris, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's choice to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama, speaks to the media at BWI airport on his way to Washington DC, in Baltimore, Maryland, January 5, 2009. (Molly Riley/Reuters)Reuters - Roland Burris, named to fill the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama, has disclosed he was asked for campaign contributions on behalf of the ousted Illinois governor who eventually appointed him.


Official: Captive Chinese man freed in Pakistan (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 10:37 pm

AP - An official says a Chinese engineer held captive by militants for six months in Pakistan has been set free and is safe.

US envoy meets Afghan president amid 'crisis' (AFP)
February 14, 2009 at 9:57 pm

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai (right) meets US special envoy Richard Holbrooke at the presidential palace in Kabul. The meeting is part of Washington's push to step up efforts against extremism.(AFP/Massoud Hossaini)AFP - American envoy Richard Holbrooke has held talks with President Hamid Karzai as part of a review of Washington's fight against extremism, after the Afghan leader warned of a "crisis" with his US backers.


GM, Chrysler labor talks slow as deadline nears (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 9:47 pm

AP - Concession talks between the United Auto Workers and the Detroit Three shifted into an odd phase Saturday as negotiations broke off with General Motors Corp., slowed at Chrysler LLC and picked up speed at Ford Motor Co., financially the healthiest of the three, according to people briefed on the bargaining.

Investigator: Plane fell flat onto Buffalo house (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 9:42 pm

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 - A commuter plane that smashed into a house apparently plunged flat to the ground rather than nose-diving, ending up pointed away from the airport it was trying to reach, investigators said Saturday.


Congress strengthens exec pay limits (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 9:34 pm

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, left, shakes hands with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., right, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 10,2009, prior to testifying before the committee. From left are, Geithner, Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, Den. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. and Dodd. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - President Barack Obama's economic team tried to keep Democratic allies negotiating the stimulus bill from limiting paychecks for executives at banks in need of a bailout. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and economic aide Lawrence Summers failed.


Australian wildfire victims mourned at church (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 9:31 pm

Resident of Marysville, Ashraf Doos, right, embraces his son, Jason, after they were bussed from Buxton to see their devastated town, north of Melbourne, Australia Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009. More than 400 fires ripped through Victoria, destroying more than 1,000 houses, leaving some 5,000 people homeless, and scorching 1,100 square miles (2,850 square kilometers) of land. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)AP - Australians mourned the victims of deadly wildfires at Sunday church services across the country, as news emerged of a class action lawsuit against a power company over the cause of one of the blazes.


U.S. officers probed on Iraq rebuilding: report (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 9:29 pm

Reuters - U.S. officials looking into irregularities in the early portion of the $125 billion U.S.-led effort to rebuild Iraq have expanded the inquiry to include senior U.S. military officers who oversaw the program, The New York Times reported on its website.

Burris confirms request for Blagojevich donation (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 9:27 pm

In this Dec. 30, 2008, file photo, former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris addresses the media in Chicago after being appointed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, left, to fill President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. Burris, now in the Senate, admitted Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 that former Gov. Blagojevich's brother had asked him for a campaign contribution before the governor appointed Burris. In his statement, Burris, a Democrat like the governor, said he told Blagojevich he would not raise money because it would look like he was trying to win favor from the governor for his appointment. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)AP - Raising fresh questions about his appointment to Congress, Sen. Roland Burris admitted in a document released Saturday that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before the governor named Burris as Illinois' junior senator.


Chavez confident ahead of key test for Venezuela (AFP)
February 14, 2009 at 9:27 pm

A man walks past grafitti encouraging Venezuelans to vote yes in a vote to change the constitution to allow unlimited re-election in the country. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday gambles big on a second bid to try to lift his presidential term limit, with a view to spending another decade in power.(AFP/Pedro Rey)AFP - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday gambles big on a second bid to try to lift his presidential term limit, with a view to spending another decade in power.


Climate warming gases rising faster than expected (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 8:57 pm

AP - Despite widespread concern over global warming, humans are adding carbon to the atmosphere even faster than in the 1990s, researchers warned Saturday.

Obama plans to sign stimulus measure Tuesday (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 8:55 pm

In this Dec. 4, 2008 file photo, Senate Banking Committee member Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, delivers his opening remarks during a hearing on a bailout of American automakers on Capitol Hill in Washington. Brown is returning from his mother's memorial services for what could be the decisive 60th vote needed to send the $787 billion economic stimulus plan to President Barack Obama. The White House has arranged a plane to fly the Ohio Democrat to Washington Friday night and then back to Ohio immediately after the scheduled vote so he can attend church services and the funeral for his mother in Mansfield Saturday morning, his office said. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)AP - Savoring his first big victory in Congress, President Barack Obama on Saturday celebrated the newly passed $787 billion economic stimulus bill as a "major milestone on our road to recovery. "


M.I.A. announces birth of baby boy on MySpace page (AP)
February 14, 2009 at 8:07 pm

In this Sunday, Feb. 6, 2009  file photo, M.I.A. poses for a photograph backstage at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Call her Mamma M.I.A. The Grammy and Oscar-nominated rapper has announced on her MySpace blog page that she has given birth to a son. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)AP - Call her Mamma M.I.A. The Grammy- and Oscar-nominated rapper has announced on her MySpace blog that she has given birth to a son.


U.S. envoy meets Afghan president as ties strained (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 7:26 pm

U.S. Special Representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke (L) meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul February 14, 2009. (Omar Sobhani/Reuters)Reuters - President Barack Obama's envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan met Hamid Karzai on Saturday, the first direct contact between the Afghan president and the new administration that has distanced itself from him.


Obama to sign stimulus bill Tuesday in Denver (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 6:59 pm

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a Caterpillar Plant in East Peroria, Illinois, February 12, 2009. (Jim Young/Reuters)Reuters - President Barack Obama will sign the $787 billion economic stimulus bill on Tuesday in Denver, a White House official said on Saturday.


GM, UAW talks break off; Chrysler talks stall (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 6:41 pm

A General Motors employee works the assembly line at the GM assembly plant in Arlington, Texas November 18, 2008. (Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)Reuters - Talks between the United Auto Workers and General Motors Corp central to a turnaround plan for the struggling automaker have broken down over the issue of retiree healthcare costs, a person briefed on the talks said on Saturday.


Global warming seen worse than predicted (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 4:46 pm

A general view shows chimneys from a cement plant in Baokang, Hubei province January 6, 2008. (Stringer/Reuters)Reuters - The climate is heating up far faster than scientists had predicted, spurred by sharp increases in greenhouse gas emissions from developing countries like China and India, a top climate scientist said on Saturday.


U.S. investigators sift site of deadly plane crash (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 3:24 pm

A car drives by a sign announcing a religious service to remember victims of Continental flight 3407 in Clarence, New York February 14, 2009. (Peter Jones/Reuters)Reuters - Investigators sifted through wreckage and searched for bodies on Saturday after a commuter plane nosedived into a western New York state neighborhood on Thursday night, killing 50 people.


Israel says no truce without release of captured soldier (AFP)
February 14, 2009 at 2:57 pm

An Israeli woman walks past a large poster of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Saturday that Israel would not agree to any truce with the Islamist Hamas movement without the release of an Israeli soldier seized by Palestinian militants in 2006.(AFP/File/Yehuda Raizner/Afp)AFP - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Saturday that Israel would not agree to any truce with the Islamist Hamas movement without the release of an Israeli soldier seized by Palestinian militants in 2006.


U.S. missile strike kills 25 militants in Pakistan (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 1:24 pm

Reuters - A U.S. missile attack killed at least 25 al Qaeda-linked militants in a Pakistani tribal region on Saturday, security and Taliban officials said, the highest death toll of militants in a single such strike.

GM considering Chapter 11 filing, new company: report (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 12:28 pm

A General Motors vehicle is seen at a car dealership in Toronto December 12, 2008. (Mike Cassese/Reuters)Reuters - General Motors Corp, nearing a Tuesday deadline to present a viability plan to the U.S. government, is considering as one option a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing that would create a new company, the Wall Street Journal said in its Saturday edition.


British investor in Madoff scheme kills himself (Reuters)
February 14, 2009 at 9:19 am

Accused swindler Bernard Madoff exits the Manhattan federal court house in New York January 14, 2009. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)Reuters - A former British soldier killed himself after losing his life savings in an alleged $50 billion fraud run by Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff, the dead man's son said.




2/15 BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition




Pollution link to asthma in womb
February 14, 2009 at 7:04 pm

Children exposed to high levels of traffic pollution in the womb could be at risk of developing asthma because of key genetic changes, research suggests.

Under pressure
February 14, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Poland's Catholic Church blighted by consumerist society

Call of the wild
February 14, 2009 at 6:27 pm

How mating sounds lure rampaging bull elephants

US plane 'crashed flat on house'
February 14, 2009 at 6:00 pm

An aircraft that crashed in New York state, killing 50 people, fell flat onto a house, investigators say.

Lloyds defends staff bonus plan
February 14, 2009 at 5:54 pm

Banking group Lloyds defends plans to reward retail and commercial staff with bonuses, worth a reported £120m.

Clashes at Turkish Ocalan rally
February 14, 2009 at 5:46 pm

Police in Turkey break up a demonstration marking the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Test in Antigua given green light
February 14, 2009 at 5:10 pm

The hastily arranged third Test between England and the West Indies at the Antigua Recreation Ground will start as scheduled at 1400 GMT on Sunday.

Peru film wins Berlin Golden Bear
February 14, 2009 at 4:46 pm

Peruvian film The Milk of Sorrow wins the Berlin Film Festival's coveted Golden Bear award for best picture.

Drug firm in developing world vow
February 14, 2009 at 2:42 pm

The head of pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline says the firm will cut prices for drugs in the developing world.

Complex clues
February 14, 2009 at 2:15 pm

What kissing says about the kisser... and the kissed

Wales edge past improved England
February 14, 2009 at 2:13 pm

Wales maintain their pursuit of back-to-back Grand Slam titles with a 23-15 win over England in Cardiff.

Octuplets PR team 'death threats'
February 14, 2009 at 1:29 pm

A PR firm is to stop representing the California woman who gave birth to octuplets after it says it got death threats.

Then and now
February 14, 2009 at 1:24 pm

Looking back at Kabul, 20 years after Soviets left

Arrest 'aimed at Zimbabwe deal'
February 14, 2009 at 1:15 pm

The arrest of a top MDC leader in Zimbabwe is aimed at undermining the power-sharing agreement, PM Tsvangirai says.

Genocide expert dies in US crash
February 14, 2009 at 12:02 pm

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda says it is shocked at the death in an air crash of expert Alison Des Forges.

Clarke attacks 'failed' bank plan
February 14, 2009 at 12:01 pm

Shadow business secretary Kenneth Clarke calls the Lloyds TSB-HBOS merger a "disaster", and says government initiatives to get banks lending have failed.

G7 pledges to avoid protectionism
February 14, 2009 at 11:47 am

Leading industrial countries promise to avoid protectionism as they describe stabilising the world economy as the "highest priority".

Live text - Six Nations
February 14, 2009 at 11:13 am

England take on Six Nations champions Wales in Cardiff while Scotland go down to a 22-13 defeat by France in Paris.

Criminals in Italy make internet calls to avoid wiretaps
February 14, 2009 at 11:01 am

Investigators in Italy say more and more criminals are using the internet to make telephone calls to avoid wiretaps.

Israel puts terms on Gaza truce
February 14, 2009 at 9:49 am

Israel rules out a truce in Gaza unless an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militants is freed, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert says.

'US strike' kills 27 in Pakistan
February 14, 2009 at 9:13 am

Pakistani officials say a suspected US missile attack near the Afghan border has left at least 27 militants dead.

Major reshuffle in Saudi Arabia
February 14, 2009 at 9:06 am

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia sacks two powerful religious figures in a wide ranging shake-up of his administration.

Chavez test
February 14, 2009 at 8:23 am

Venezuelans vote on constitutional change

Obama hails bail-out 'milestone'
February 14, 2009 at 7:45 am

US President Obama says Congress approval of his $787bn stimulus plan is a "major milestone" to economic recovery.

Tanzanian teacher whipping move
February 14, 2009 at 7:28 am

A regional official in Tanzania is sacked for instructing police to whip primary school teachers for arriving at school late.

Lebanon remembers Hariri killing
February 14, 2009 at 7:19 am

Thousands of Lebanese mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Live text - FA Cup and Premier League
February 14, 2009 at 7:00 am

Chelsea travel to Watford in Saturday's late kick-off after Coventry, Sheff Utd and Swansea all earn replays while Portsmouth beat Man City.

Secret meetings
February 14, 2009 at 7:00 am

Testing the ground for Zimbabwe's power sharing

White House plans Wonder tribute
February 14, 2009 at 6:38 am

Motown legend Stevie Wonder is to be honoured with a concert and special award at the White House later this month.

Jade Goody 'has months to live'
February 14, 2009 at 6:34 am

Former reality TV star Jade Goody has been told she has only months to live, her publicist Max Clifford says.

Light 'could detect Parkinson's'
February 14, 2009 at 5:39 am

A light as bright as a million-watt bulb could help identify early signs of Parkinson's disease, British researchers say.

Divisive untruths
February 14, 2009 at 4:20 am

Rushdie's Satanic Verses still spark controversy

Venezuela expels Spanish deputy
February 14, 2009 at 12:58 am

Venezuela expels a Spanish deputy of the European parliament for reportedly calling Hugo Chavez a dictator.



2/15 CNN.com Recently Published/Updated




U.S.: Financial crisis spread to emerging markets
February 14, 2009 at 8:43 pm

Making his international debut at the Group of Seven meetings in Rome, new U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said swift and decisive action is needed on several levels to address the global financial crisis.

Stimulus amendment puts tough limits on executive pay
February 14, 2009 at 6:24 pm

An amendment in the $787 billion economic stimulus package passed by Congress Friday would severely restrict bonuses and other forms of compensation for top executives at companies receiving federal bailout money.

Unemployed workers heading back to school
February 14, 2009 at 5:51 pm

Janice McFadden's story hardly stands out.

2 would-be passengers feel relief, sadness: 'It could have been me'
February 14, 2009 at 5:19 pm

One person credits bad weather and the other a long line.

Burris: Blagojevich's brother asked me to help raise funds
February 14, 2009 at 4:53 pm

Democratic former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother asked Roland Burris to contribute or help raise up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Burris was named a U.S. senator on December 30, according to a Burris spokesman.

Lebanon: Thousands mark Hariri's assassination
February 14, 2009 at 4:18 pm

Thousands gathered in downtown Beirut's Martyrs' Square on Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination, a traumatic event in the nation's post-civil war history.

Anelka hat-trick puts Chelsea into sixth round
February 14, 2009 at 3:46 pm

A hat-trick from Nicolas Anelka helps Chelsea come from behind to see off second-flight Watford 3-1 to reach the sixth round of the FA Cup.

Wie closing on elusive first LPGA Tour win
February 14, 2009 at 3:19 pm

Michelle Wie is closing on her first LPGA Tour win after claiming a share of the lead with one round to go in the $1.2 million SBS Open in her native Hawaii.

Wales edge England in Six Nations thriller
February 14, 2009 at 3:07 pm

Reigning Six Nations champions Wales stayed on course for successive grand slams with a nail biting 23-15 victory over a much-improved England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Venezuela ousts EU politician for insulting Chavez
February 14, 2009 at 2:13 pm

Venezuela on Friday expelled a Spanish member of the European Parliament after he called President Hugo Chavez a dictator and criticized Chavez's handling of a referendum on term limits that the lawmaker had been set to observe.

Leading light in African human rights killed in Buffalo crash
February 14, 2009 at 1:20 pm

A leading human rights official known for her expertise on the Rwandan genocide was traveling on the Newark-to-Buffalo flight that crashed into a house, killing all 49 people aboard the plane and one person on the ground.

Nosediving plane damaged just one house
February 14, 2009 at 1:09 pm

A commuter airliner whose crash late Thursday killed 50 people was in such a sharp nosedive when it hurtled into a residential area that only one house was damaged, local authorities said Saturday.

Knee injury forces Serena out in Paris
February 14, 2009 at 1:08 pm

World number one Serena Williams pulled out of the WTA tournament in Paris with a knee injury but a battling performance from Amelie Mauresmo in the second semifinal sent the French crowd home more than satisfied.

Managerless Pompey beat woeful City
February 14, 2009 at 1:04 pm

Premier League strugglers Portsmouth eased their relegation fears with a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Fratton Park on Saturday.

5 high-ranking Kurds leave Iraqi president's party
February 14, 2009 at 12:14 pm

The second-highest ranking official in Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's political party resigned Saturday, along with four other high-ranking Kurdish politicians, officials said.

Beckham's move to Milan under doubt
February 14, 2009 at 11:17 am

David Beckham will rejoin LA Galaxy after his bid to remain with AC Milan fell over, according to a statement on the U.S. side's Web site.

Murray earns final place in Rotterdam
February 14, 2009 at 11:05 am

Andy Murray continued his superb form in 2009 with a straight sets dismissal of Croatia's Mario Ancic to reach the final of the ATP tournament in Rotterdam.

Gandhi hails arrival of international flights to Kashmir
February 14, 2009 at 11:04 am

The Srinagar airport opened Saturday to international traffic, part of an effort to encourage tourism and trade.

Cartoon Clicks: What is the greatest risk for the stimulus?
February 14, 2009 at 10:54 am


Ukraine: Train collides with bus killing at least 6
February 14, 2009 at 10:43 am

Six people were killed and at least 14 were injured Saturday when a train crashed into a passenger bus in Ukraine, officials said.

Blyth claims slender lead in Malaysia
February 14, 2009 at 10:36 am

Australian Adam Blyth will go into the final round of the Malaysian Open with a one stroke advantage after carding a six-under 66 on Saturday.

Roddick continues fine form in San Jose
February 14, 2009 at 10:32 am

Top-seed Andy Roddick stepped up his bid for a fourth tournament victory in San Jose with a 7-5 6-4 win over Germany's Tommy Haas on Friday night.

UK: Birth of 13-year-old dad's child sparks outrage
February 14, 2009 at 10:03 am

The birth of a child fathered by a 13-year-old boy has sparked an uproar in Britain.

Saudi King appoints first woman to council
February 14, 2009 at 9:37 am

Saudi King Abdullah has appointed a woman to the council of ministers for the first time as part of a Cabinet reshuffle, networks including Saudi state-run Channel One reported Saturday.

Riesch takes gold as friend Vonn slides out
February 14, 2009 at 9:25 am

Germany's Maria Riesch claimed her first gold at a world championships in a dramatic finale to women's competition at Val d'Isere on Saturday.

Schneider: Bipartisanship? What bipartisanship?
February 14, 2009 at 9:24 am

"It is time for Congress to act, and I hope they act in a bipartisan fashion," President Obama said when he went to Peoria, Illnois, on Thursday to argue for his economic stimulus plan.