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.
Ex-Gitmo detainee to taste freedom
Australian police said Thursday they will stop restricting the movements and communications of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee.
U.S. jobless claims jump to 16-year high
New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market.
Scoop: Jennifer Aniston gets a kick out of ‘Friends'
The "Marley & Me" star tells New York Times magazine, "This is horrible to say, but there are times when I laugh my rear end off."
Global markets extend rout
World stocks tumbled, with benchmarks in Tokyo and Seoul losing almost 7 percent each, after recession fears sent Wall Street plunging and Japan suffered its biggest drop in exports in years.
ConsumerMan: Shady retirement seminars
Many Americans nearing retirement are bombarded with invitations to attend financial management seminars. A free lunch is offered. But that lunch may prove to pricey.
Senate leader calls off vote on auto bailout
The Senate's top Democrat has called off a planned vote this week on a $25 billion auto industry bailout.
Hungry in Zimbabwe: 'If you rest, you starve'
Katy Phiri, who is in her 70s, picks up single corn kernels spilled from trucks that ferry the harvest to market. She says she hasn't eaten for three days.
McDonald's courts moms as emissaries
McDonald's has recruited mothers to go behind the scenes of the company's operations, meet senior executives and then communicate what they see via the Web in a bid to brighten its image.
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.
