Yahoo! News: Top Stories
Top Stories


Israel to briefly halt Gaza ops to allow aid (AP)

AP - The Israeli military says it will briefly halt its operations in Gaza during the day to allow in humanitarian aid and fuel.

Stimulus aside, Obama vows future budget restraint (AP)

AP - To a public wary of government spending, President-elect Barack Obama is offering a salve with his massive economic stimulus package: the promise of long-term fiscal discipline.

Democratic opposition to seating Burris cracks (AP)

AP - Senate Democrats are looking for ways to defuse the standoff that has denied Roland Burris the vacated Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama of Illinois, but maybe not much longer.

Russia stops all gas supply to Europe via Ukraine (AP)

AP - Russia has shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine — the latest move in a pricing dispute that has reduced or halted fuel deliveries to a dozen countries during a winter cold snap.

Transcript: Mumbai gunmen were commanded by phone (AP)

AP - "We have three foreigners, including women," the gunman said into the phone. The response was brutally simple: "Kill them." Gunshots then rang out inside the Mumbai hotel, followed by cheering that could be heard over the phone.

CNN: Gupta approached about surgeon general post (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's reported choice for surgeon general, CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, could bring a dose of star power to a job that hasn't had that much clout in decades.

Lisa Marie Presley defends Scientology (AP)

AP - Lisa Marie Presley is expressing her condolences over Jett Travolta's death and defending Scientology, the religion that Presley, John Travolta and Kelly Preston follow.

Increase of sick brown pelicans baffles experts (AP)
AP - Wildlife experts are trying to figure out why sick, disoriented and bruised California brown pelicans are being found in record numbers along more than 1,000 miles of coastline.

Alcoa to cut 13 percent of global work force (AP)

AP - Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. is cutting roughly 13 percent of its global work force by the end of the year as it slashes costs in the face of a deteriorating world economy.

Tulsa pummels No. 23 Ball State 45-13 in GMAC Bowl (AP)

AP - Tulsa and No. 23 Ball State both had the best seasons in their respective programs' history. Only the Golden Hurricane felt particularly good about it Tuesday night, when they appeared faster and stronger on both sides of the ball and rolled to a 45-13 win in the GMAC Bowl.

Egypt floats truce plan after Gaza school deaths (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel and Hamas studied an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday that won immediate backing from the United States and Europe, hours after Israeli shells killed 42 Palestinians at a U.N. school.

Pakistani spy chief says no war with India (Reuters)

Reuters - The chief of Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has said there will not be a war with India over November's militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai, Der Spiegel reported. Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha told the German magazine in an interview terrorism, not India, was Pakistan's enemy, and he said he took orders from the civilian president.

Russian gas flow through Ukraine to Europe halted (Reuters)

Reuters - Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine shut down completely on Wednesday, leaving growing numbers of European Union member states without Russian fuel in freezing mid-winter temperatures.

Lawyer says Madoff cooperating with probes (Reuters)

Reuters - Bernard Madoff is cooperating with government investigations into his alleged $50 billion fraud, one of his lawyers said on Tuesday, as prosecutors sought to revoke his bail and jail him.

Democrat Roland Burris blocked from Senate (Reuters)

Reuters - Roland Burris proclaimed himself the new junior senator from Illinois -- but it appeared only one fellow Democrat in the U.S. Senate chamber publicly agreed with him.