AP - About 1,500 Boeing machinists went out on strike at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after last minute talks broke down between their union and the company unit that operates the Delta rocket program.

AP - Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 111-108 in double-overtime.

Reuters - Palestinian gunmen shot dead an Israeli soldier on a raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli airstrike killed two militant commanders in the Gaza Strip.

Reuters - A suicide car bomber killed at least four people in an attack on a busy highway in Indian Kashmir on Wednesday hours before a new chief minister was due to be sworn in, police said.

Reuters - The CIA has been holding and interrogating al Qaeda captives at a secret facility in Eastern Europe, part of a covert prison system established after the September 11, 2001, attacks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

AP - The New Orleans Hornets felt right at home in Oklahoma City, and the San Antonio Spurs picked up where they left off last season. Opening night in the NBA on Tuesday featured four games, including the Hornets' first "home" game in Oklahoma City, a championship ceremony in San Antonio, Maurice Cheeks' return to Philadelphia and a thrilling rematch of last year's conference semifinals between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

Reuters - Kurdish rebels detonated a car bomb in front of security headquarters in a town in southeast Turkey, injuring 23 people and damaging dozens of buildings, officials and media reports said on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Times - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday offered no letup in its fight against inflation, raising its benchmark short-term interest rate another quarter-point for the 12th consecutive time while stating that more hikes are coming.

Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON — Preparing for the possibility of a devastating flu pandemic, President Bush outlined a $7.1-billion plan Tuesday to provide enough vaccine for the nation and to create stockpiles of drugs to treat those who become infected.

Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Tuesday forced a surprise, closed-door debate about an investigation into the White House's justification for the war in Iraq, signaling a new determination to challenge President Bush and triggering a bitter fight with Republicans.

Los Angeles Times - WASHINGTON — Samuel A. Alito Jr. was quickly branded a hard-core conservative after President Bush announced his nomination, but a surprising number of liberal-leaning judges and ex-clerks say they support his elevation to the Supreme Court.

Los Angeles Times - AUSTIN, Texas — Chaundra Smith got pregnant last spring. Awash in conflicting emotions, she was sure about one thing: Telling her parents wasn't an option.

AP - The Department of Health and Human Services is releasing details today on how the administration's plan to fight the flu will work, including how cities and states will get vaccine and medications to panicked citizens.

AP - A U.S. Marine attack helicopter crashed in Iraq on Wednesday, killing two service members, the military said. The AH-1W Super Cobra went down shortly after 8 a.m. (midnight EST) near Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, killing the two crew members, the military said.

AP - Security has been tightened at the U.S. military prison in Afghanistan following the escape of a suspected al-Qaida leader, a U.S. official said Wednesday, as Indonesian terror officials accused Washington of failing to inform them of the breakout.

AP - About 1,500 Boeing machinists went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after last-minute talks broke down between their union and the company unit that operates the Delta rocket program.

AP - Outsiders will get their first peek at the National Zoo's baby giant panda starting next week.

Reuters - A U.S. helicopter crashed in the area of Ramadi west of Baghdad on Wednesday killing two Marines, the U.S. military said.

Reuters - The Pakistani government on Wednesday dramatically increased the official death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit the north of the country last month to 73,276 and said it could rise further.

Reuters - Eleven Iraqis were killed in three separate attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday and U.S. airstrikes destroyed three houses the military said were used by al Qaeda militants in western Iraq near the Syrian border.

Los Angeles Times - Salama Khafaji did not make a powerful first impression. When I met her, she had just been appointed to the U.S.-backed Iraqi Governing Council as the replacement for a female official who had been assassinated, and she barely spoke during our interview. She wore, as she always does, the traditional head abaya favored by religious Shiite women in Iraq, a flowing black robe that covers everything but the face. In response to most of my questions she deferred to a man — her chief advisor, Sheik Fatih Kashif Ghitaa — who sat nearby. ...

AP - The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday cleared the way for Johnson & Johnson to acquire the struggling medical device maker Guidant Corp. in a $25.4 billion deal, provided that the companies shed several product lines.

Reuters - The CIA has been holding and interrogating al Qaeda captives at a secret facility in Eastern Europe, part of a covert prison system established after the September 11, 2001, attacks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Reuters - At least 20 people were killed and 46 wounded in a car bombing at a Shi'ite mosque in the town of Musayyib on Wednesday, the Interior Ministry said.

Reuters - Iran will process a new batch of uranium at its Isfahan nuclear plant beginning next week, despite pressure from the United States and European Union to halt all sensitive nuclear work, diplomats said on Wednesday.

AP - Sustained person-to-person spread of the bird flu or any other super-influenza strain anywhere in the world could prompt the United States to implement travel restrictions or other steps to block a brewing pandemic, say federal plans released Wednesday.

AP - Thousands of people waited in long lines in the chilly morning Wednesday to honor Rosa Parks at her funeral and pay final respects to the civil rights pioneer.

AP - Four U.S. troops were killed — two in a helicopter crash Wednesday and two from a roadside bomb — as American ground forces fought insurgents around the city of Ramadi, and a suicide car bomb south of Baghdad killed about 20 Iraqis.

AP - Security has been tightened at the U.S. military prison in Afghanistan following the escape of a suspected al-Qaida leader, a U.S. official said Wednesday. Indonesian anti-terrorism officials accused Washington of failing to tell them of the breakout.

AP - Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, brought their U.S. tour to the nation's capital where a private lunch and a lavish White House dinner with President Bush and first lady Laura Bush awaited them.

AP - Johnson & Johnson indicated Wednesday it might cancel its planned $25.4 billion acquisition of struggling medical device maker Guidant Corp. even as federal regulators gave conditional approval for the deal.

AP - Pat Gillick will become the Philadelphia Phillies' new general manager, replacing Ed Wade, fired after failing to get the team into the playoffs during eight years on the job. Gillick's impressive resume includes two World Series championships and nine playoff appearances.

Reuters - The Bush administration sent officials to Congress on Wednesday to explain details of its $7.1 billion avian influenza pandemic plan, but was already under attack from critics who said it offered too little, too late.

Reuters - A car bomb outside a Shi'ite mosque in central Iraq killed at least 23 people and wounded 46 on Wednesday, targeting Iraqis on one of the last days of the holy month of Ramadan.

AP - A soaring rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" moved thousands of mourners at the funeral of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks on Wednesday, with a preacher bidding: "Mother Parks, take your rest."

AP - The CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al-Qaida captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe, according to U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the arrangement, the Washington Post reported.

AP - Nokia Corp., the world's top mobile phone maker, launched three new multimedia handsets Wednesday that let users watch TV, play music and swap content between electronic devices at home.

AP - Johnson & Johnson indicated Wednesday it might cancel its planned $25.4 billion acquisition of struggling medical device maker Guidant Corp. even as federal regulators gave conditional approval for the deal.

AP - Rap feuds aren't usually about differing opinions on President Bush. However, that appears to be the case between 50 Cent and Kanye West.

AP - Pat Gillick, whose resume includes two World Series championships and nine playoff appearances, signed a three-year contract to become the Philadelphia Phillies' new general manager. He replaces Ed Wade, fired after failing to get the team into the playoffs in eight years on the job.

Reuters - The Bush administration sent officials to Congress on Wednesday to explain details of its $7.1 billion avian influenza pandemic plan, but was already under attack from critics who said it offered too little, too late.

Reuters - The CIA has been hiding and interrogating al Qaeda captives at a secret facility in Eastern Europe, part of a covert global prison system that has included sites in eight countries and was set up after the September 11, 2001, attacks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Reuters - Omar al-Faruq, one of al Qaeda's most senior global operatives, escaped from an American military prison in Afghanistan in July, a U.S. defense official said on Wednesday.

AP - Pakistan's official earthquake death toll jumped by 16,000, and officials warned Wednesday that it is likely to rise further as relief supplies fail to reach thousands of victims stranded in remote parts of the Himalayas.

AP - Johnson & Johnson indicated Wednesday it might cancel its planned $25.4 billion acquisition of struggling medical device maker Guidant Corp. even as federal regulators gave conditional approval for the deal.

AP - Tyra Banks has gone undercover as a 350-pound woman.

AP - A partygoer dressed as 'Belligerent Drunk Man' was a hit at a Halloween bash until he started acting the part.

Reuters - Thousands of mourners, some waiting in line for hours in the cold, paid a final tribute on Wednesday to Rosa Parks, who galvanized the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man.

Reuters - The Bush administration sent officials to Congress on Wednesday to explain details of its $7.1 billion avian influenza pandemic plan, but was already under attack from critics who said it offered too little, too late.

AP - A church packed with 4,000 mourners celebrated the life of Rosa Parks Wednesday in an impassioned, song-filled funeral, with a crowd of notables giving thanks for the humble woman whose dignity and defiance helped transform a nation.

AP - A suicide bomber detonated a minibus Wednesday in an outdoor market packed with shoppers ahead of a Muslim festival, killing about 20 people and wounding more than 60 in a Shiite town south of Baghdad. Six U.S. troops were killed, two in a helicopter crash west of the capital.

AP - One simple question — Do you have trouble breathing? — may reveal as much about someone's risk of dying as the most relied-upon sign, chest pain.

AP - Joey Buttafuoco is working on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" — at the show's concession stand, anyway.

AP - Stocks moved sharply higher Wednesday on strong earnings from Time Warner Inc. and declining oil prices. A big upswing in tech stocks lifted the Nasdaq composite index well over 1 percent.

AP - Former All-Star outfielder Matt Lawton was suspended Wednesday for a positive steroids test, becoming the 12th player penalized for violating major league baseball's policy.

Reuters - Omar al-Faruq, one of al Qaeda's most senior global operatives, escaped from an American military prison in Afghanistan in July, U.S. defense officials said on Wednesday.

Reuters - Federal health officials said on Wednesday they have persuaded drug makers to speed delivery of medications to fight influenza, including a possible bird flu pandemic, as part of $7.1 billion plan they also hope will modernize the vaccine industry.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Thousands of mourners, some of whom waited for hours in the cold, paid a final tribute on Wednesday to Rosa Parks, who galvanized the U.S. civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in the segregated South a half a century ago.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Wednesday warned against efforts to impose new conditions on a controversial civilian nuclear power agreement with India saying such amendments would be 'deal breakers.'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal health officials said on Wednesday they have persuaded drug makers to speed delivery of medications to fight influenza, including a possible bird flu pandemic, as part of $7.1 billion plan they also hope will modernize the vaccine industry.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, denied on Wednesday that he or his staff received fake documents in 2002 that showed Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger, a claim that formed part of the administration's case for going to war.

KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - A car bomb outside a mosque in central Iraq killed at least 23 people and wounded 46 on Wednesday, targeting Shi'ite Muslims in an apparent sectarian attack as the holy month of Ramadan drew to a close.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Iran will process a new batch of uranium at its Isfahan atomic plant beginning next week, despite pressure from the United States and European Union to halt all sensitive nuclear work, diplomats said on Wednesday.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - At least 23 people were killed and 150 wounded in clashes in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday, medical sources said, as police battled protesters in the giant African country's worst political unrest in months.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, visited the White House on Wednesday on their first formal trip together to the U.S. capital, where memories of the late Princess Diana are still strong.

AP - A flu pandemic that hits the United States would force cities to ration scarce drugs and vaccine and house the sick in hotels or schools when hospitals overflow, unprecedented federal plans say.

AP - Iran's government announced Wednesday that 40 ambassadors and senior diplomats, including supporters of warmer ties with the West, will be fired, continuing a purge of reformers as the regime takes an increasingly tough stance at home and abroad.

The Christian Science Monitor - It is rare that all 15 members of the United Nations Security Council approve a tough resolution on a Middle Eastern question.

AP - Ron Artest expected boos, and he got them. He also handled them well. Artest was perfectly behaved in his return to the NBA on Wednesday night. He played OK, too, especially considering he missed most of last season.

Reuters - Federal health officials said on Wednesday they had persuaded companies to speed delivery of flu drugs and that a new bird flu pandemic plan would jump-start a needed modernization of the vaccine industry.