Congress, Obama gird to fight slump

The House and Senate have convened for a new Congress that will immediately confront the country's struggling economy.

Burris rejected in bid for Senate seat

Roland Burris failed in his bid to take President-elect Barack Obama's Illinois Senate seat on Tuesday in a scripted piece of political theater staged just before the opening of the 111th Congress.

Obama: No pork in stimulus bill

President-elect Barack Obama says he will bar pork-barrel projects from the massive economic stimulus bill he wants Congress to pass.

Toyota to suspend car production in Japan

Toyota is suspending production at all 12 of its Japan plants for 11 days over February and March as it grapples with shrinking global demand.

Turn to generics slows ‘07 health care spending
Spending on health care slowed slightly in 2007 as consumers turned more to generic drugs instead of brand-names to fill their medicine cabinets, the government reported.

Jews in Europe targeted over Gaza

Signs are mounting that the conflict in Gaza is starting to spill over into violence in Europe's towns and cities, with Jews suffering assaults and arson attacks in France, Sweden and Britain.

Rise in monoxide poisonings feared

Power outages spurred by the combination of bad weather and utility shutoffs in a bad economy could boost cases of carbon monoxide poisonings this year, health officials fear.

Mortgages: What you need to know in 2009
Mortgage rates are at historic lows and may be poised to go even lower next year. It's a great time to buy a home — if you can.

Gladiators to ‘fight' again at Rome's Colosseum

Gladiators are to return to Rome's most famous fight arena almost 2,000 years after their bloody sport last entertained Roman crowds, local authorities announced.

Baby's corpse thrown out with hospital's trash
Police are searching garbage dumps in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the body of a baby that was apparently thrown out with the trash at a Jersey City hospital.