Oil dives below $50 to near a two-year low

Oil prices fell below $50 to near a two-year low Thursday as investors worried about plummeting stock markets and the global economy.

Obama pledged change, picks insiders

President-elect Barack Obama promised the voters change but has started his Cabinet selection process by naming several Washington insiders to top posts.

Governors pledge fight on global warming

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his counterparts in 12 states and regional leaders from four other countries signed a declaration Wednesday pledging to work together to combat global warming.

eHarmony agrees to provide same-sex matches
Online dating service eHarmony said Wednesday it will launch a new Web site which caters to same-sex singles as part of a discrimination settlement with New Jersey's Civil Rights Division.

Michael Jackson to testify in London

Michael Jackson's lawyer says the pop star has agreed to come to London to respond to a Bahraini sheik's $7 million lawsuit.

U.S. shifts its approach in Iraq

With violence down sharply this year, the U.S. military is broadening its efforts to reconcile Sunnis and Shiites.

Bush set to relax rules protecting species
Animals in danger of becoming extinct could lose the protection of government experts who make sure that dams and other projects don't pose a threat, under a regulation the Bush administration is set to put in place.

Bush to sign legislation to extend jobless aid
Because of the tight job market, the White House says President George W. Bush would sign legislation pending in Congress to further extend unemployment benefits.

Over 1,000 melamine babies still in hospitals
Over a thousand Chinese infants are still in hospital receiving treatment for kidney damage caused by tainted milk, China's Health Ministry said on Thursday, more than two months after the scandal broke.

Massive search for S. Pacific fishermen
The New Zealand air force searched for 29 fishermen Thursday after the charred remains of their boat was found abandoned near the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati.