WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin suggested in an interview broadcast on Monday that she might run for higher office in 2012 if the right opportunity presents itself.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two roadside bombs exploded in a crowd of part time laborers in central Baghdad Tuesday, killing at least two people and wounding 17, police said.

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese astronaut and mother of one has been picked as a crew member of the space shuttle Atlantis, Japan's space agency said Tuesday, making her the country's first mom to go into space.

AP - All smiles and compliments, President-elect Obama and his wife, Michelle, called on President Bush and first lady Laura Bush Monday in a White House visit that was part political ritual, part practical introduction and a striking symbol of the historic transfer of power to come.

AP - Kurt Warner's ageless arm and an improbable goal-line stand at the finish saved the Arizona Cardinals from an ugly loss on a national stage.

Reuters - Two roadside bombs exploded in a crowd of part time laborers in central Baghdad Tuesday, killing at least two people and wounding 17, police said.

Reuters - A Japanese astronaut and mother of one has been picked as a crew member of the space shuttle Atlantis, Japan's space agency said Tuesday, making her the country's first mom to go into space.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Evidence of a weakening Chinese economy, feeble data from Australia and Britain and a darkening corporate outlook in the United States reinforced fears of a prolonged global recession on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama plans to try a more regional approach to the war in Afghanistan including possible talks with Iran, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing national security advisers to Obama.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global institutional investors holding more than $6 trillion in assets pushed policymakers Tuesday to quickly hash out a binding agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean technology.

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. authorities have received information that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il suffered a second stroke late last month, Japanese broadcaster TBS reported, fuelling speculation about the reclusive leader's health.

AP - A pair of roadside bombs exploded in quick succession during the morning rush hour in east Baghdad on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding 14 others, police and hospital officials said.

AP - Pakistan's leader said Monday he expects President-elect Barack Obama to re-evaluate the need for U.S. military strikes on al-Qaida and Taliban targets on Pakistan's side of the Afghan border.

AP - Oil prices fell to near an 18-month low of $60 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as optimism waned that a huge Chinese spending plan will avert a prolonged slowdown in the global economy.

Reuters - Evidence of a weakening Chinese economy, feeble data from Australia and Britain and a darkening corporate outlook in the United States reinforced fears of a prolonged global recession on Tuesday.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama plans to try a more regional approach to the war in Afghanistan including possible talks with Iran, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing national security advisers to Obama.

Reuters - Global institutional investors holding more than $6 trillion in assets pushed policymakers Tuesday to quickly hash out a binding agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean technology.

Reuters - U.S. authorities have received information that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il suffered a second stroke late last month, Japanese broadcaster TBS reported, fuelling speculation about the reclusive leader's health.

AFP - Eight members of an ultra-left anarchist group have been arrested in connection with a string of attacks on France's rail network, French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie announced Tuesday.

SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - Evidence of a weakening Chinese economy, poor data from Japan and Britain and a grim corporate outlook reinforced fears on Tuesday of a prolonged recession fostered by the worst financial crisis in 80 years.

ZURICH (Reuters) - A U.S. probe into whether Switzerland's UBS illegally helped wealthy Americans dodge taxes is targeting senior and mid-level executives and could result in one or more indictments, the New York Times reported.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's intelligence agency Tuesday rejected a Japanese television report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had suffered a second stroke, with the South playing down further speculation about Kim's hold on power.

AP - No matter how people remember President Bush's time in office, let there be no doubt about how he wants to end it: gracefully.

AP - The fate of an agreement that would keep U.S. troops here for three more years rests with Iraq's largest Shiite party, which must choose between its two main partners: the United States and Iran.

AP - Former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Tuesday was led from a prosecutor's office in handcuffs after being questioned for five hours on money-laundering allegations.

AP - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she was puzzled by the amount of attention her wardrobe got at the end of her unsuccessful vice presidential run.

AP - For more than a decade, the federal government has spent millions of dollars pumping elevated levels of carbon dioxide into small groups of trees to test how forests will respond to global warming in the next 50 years.

AP - Kurt Warner's ageless arm and an improbable goal-line stand at the finish saved the Arizona Cardinals from an ugly loss on a national stage.

Reuters - Evidence of a weakening Chinese economy, poor data from Japan and Britain and a grim corporate outlook reinforced fears on Tuesday of a prolonged recession fostered by the worst financial crisis in 80 years.

Reuters - A U.S. probe into whether Switzerland's UBS illegally helped wealthy Americans dodge taxes is targeting senior and mid-level executives and could result in one or more indictments, the New York Times reported.

Reuters - South Korea's intelligence agency Tuesday rejected a Japanese television report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had suffered a second stroke, with the South playing down further speculation about Kim's hold on power.

AFP - Europe was to mark Tuesday the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I, the last major memorial for its handful of surviving veterans as the conflict slips from memory into history.

LONDON (Reuters) - Weak economic readings from China, Japan and Britain and a grim corporate outlook worldwide reinforced fears on Tuesday of a prolonged recession, prompting investors to look to a world leaders' summit for solutions.

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland said on Tuesday it had not passed Swiss-based account details of U.S. clients of UBS bank to the United States, which is seeking the information as part of a tax probe that may threaten Swiss bank secrecy.

AP - President-elect Obama suggested to President Bush that struggling U.S. automakers need more federal help, aides to the Democrat say, in the first face-to-face meeting the pair had since Obama's election victory.

AP - President-elect Obama planned to honor fallen troops Tuesday, taking a short break from his primary task of mapping out his administration to mark Veterans Day.

AP - Citigroup says it is imposing a moratorium on most foreclosures as part of a series of initiatives aimed at helping at-risk borrowers remain in their homes — making Citi the latest big bank to announce sweeping efforts to try to curtail losses from souring mortgages.

AP - Hundreds of people joined Iraqi officials on Tuesday in reopening a major bridge linking Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad — a further sign of improving security in the Iraqi capital.

AP - Eat your heart out, Eddie Haskell. Tony Dow, best known as the actor who portrayed The Beav's big brother, Wally, in the '50s TV series 'Leave It to Beaver,' will have one of his abstract sculptures on display at the Louvre. Several sculptors from the Karen Lynne Gallery — including Dow — will have their works shown at the historic art museum in Paris as part of the Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts exhibition.

AP - A one-eyed, three-legged dog that won the title of world's ugliest pooch this summer has died. The St. Petersburg Times in Florida reports that Gus, a Chinese crested dog, had cancer. He was 9. Gus was rescued from a bad home and went on to win the annual World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in northern California.

Reuters - Weak economic readings from China, Japan and Britain and a grim corporate outlook worldwide reinforced fears on Tuesday of a prolonged recession, prompting investors to look to a world leaders' summit for solutions.

Reuters - Switzerland said on Tuesday it had not passed Swiss-based account details of U.S. clients of UBS bank to the United States, which is seeking the information as part of a tax probe that may threaten Swiss bank secrecy.

AFP - French police raided alleged anarchist cells in three cities on Tuesday and arrested at least 10 suspects following a series of sabotage attacks on the country's high-speed rail network.

LONDON (Reuters) - Weak economic readings from China, Japan and Britain and a grim corporate outlook worldwide reinforced fears on Tuesday of a prolonged recession, prompting investors to look to a world leaders' summit for solutions.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sunnis and Shi'ites made an emotional reach across the sectarian divide on Tuesday, reopening a Baghdad bridge between the two communities closed since a 2005 stampede, the deadliest incident of the war.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted to parliament a draft law on extending the presidential term of office, a Kremlin spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A blast went off outside a stadium in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, soon after a sports tournament had ended, causing some casualties, police said.

AP - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she wouldn't hesitate to run for the presidency in four years if it's God's will, even though she never thought Campaign 2008 would be 'as brutal a ride as it turned out to be.'

Reuters - Weak economic readings from China, Japan and Britain and a grim corporate outlook worldwide reinforced fears on Tuesday of a prolonged recession, prompting investors to look to a world leaders' summit for solutions.

Reuters - Sunnis and Shi'ites made an emotional reach across the sectarian divide on Tuesday, reopening a Baghdad bridge between the two communities closed since a 2005 stampede, the deadliest incident of the war.

Reuters - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted to parliament a draft law on extending the presidential term of office, a Kremlin spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged President George W. Bush to pass a second stimulus package to help the U.S. economy and asked him to use existing bailout measures to help the ailing auto industry, an aide said on Tuesday.

ZURICH (Reuters) - A UBS AG spokesman said on Tuesday U.S. authorities have requested U.S. onshore client data from UBS. The spokesman said UBS is complying with the request.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures fell more than $4 on Tuesday, testing below $59 a barrel, on persistent concerns about weaker demand in a slowing economy as global equities slumped.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted to parliament a draft law on extending the presidential term of office, a Kremlin spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

AP - In the most sweeping effort so far to help troubled homeowners, the federal government and the mortgage industry on Tuesday will announce a plan to streamline the assistance process for hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AP - President Bush, marking Veterans Day at a Manhattan pier that is home to the World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid, praised veterans past and present who have defended U.S. liberty.

AP - A 22-year-old Danish poker professional won the World Series of Poker early Tuesday, turning a wheel straight on the last hand to become the youngest champion in the history of the no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event.

AP - Herb Score, the Cleveland Indians pitcher and former broadcaster whose promise on the mound was shattered by a line drive, has died. He was 75.

Reuters - Weak economic data from China, Japan and Britain reinforced fears of a prolonged recession, sending global stock markets lower, and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged the Bush administration to aid the ailing auto industry.

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged President George W. Bush to pass a second stimulus package to help the U.S. economy and asked him to use existing bailout measures to help the ailing auto industry, an aide said on Tuesday.

Reuters - A UBS AG spokesman said on Tuesday U.S. authorities have requested U.S. onshore client data from UBS. The spokesman said UBS is complying with the request.

Reuters - U.S. crude futures fell more than $4 on Tuesday, testing below $59 a barrel, on persistent concerns about weaker demand in a slowing economy as global equities slumped.

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Weak economic data from China, Japan and Britain reinforced fears of a prolonged recession, sending global stock markets lower, and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged the Bush administration to aid the ailing auto industry.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The regulator for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said it would unveil on Tuesday a new loan modification program that is meant to make mortgage payments more affordable and prevent foreclosures.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Shares of General Motors Corp plummeted 15 percent to a 65-year low on Tuesday, extending recent steep declines on lingering concerns that the automaker's cash holdings might fall below the necessary minimum during the first quarter.

PRAGUE (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's stated readiness for dialogue with Iran without preconditions could make Tehran more forthcoming with his agency, the IAEA.

ZURICH (Reuters) - UBS, the world's biggest bank to the rich, said Tuesday it had given details to the United States of U.S. onshore bank accounts as part of a tax probe that is testing Swiss bank secrecy and UBS's reputation.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled 5 percent to $59 a barrel on Tuesday as the deepening global economic crisis dragged down markets and raised expectations energy demand will slow further.

AP - The government and the mortgage industry are set to announce the most sweeping effort yet to help troubled homeowners by speeding up the process for renegotiating hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AP - President Bush thanked veterans Tuesday for serving their country, noting wistfully that he'll 'miss being commander in chief of such a fabulous group.'

AP - President-elect Obama honored fallen troops Tuesday by placing a wreath at a memorial and making a Veterans Day pledge to the many Americans who have served in the military.

AP - Retail gasoline prices dipped for a 17th week since July 4, falling below $2 a gallon in a number of states and as low as $1.77 in Des Moines, Iowa.

AP - An Associated Press-GfK poll shows that when it comes to the economy, most people are voicing the hope Barack Obama made a touchstone of his presidential campaign.

AP - Demonstrators in Cairo demanded Tuesday that Saudi Arabia release an Egyptian doctor sentenced to 15 years in prison and 1,500 lashes after he was convicted of malpractice — reportedly after treating a Saudi princess.

AP - Eat your heart out, Eddie Haskell.

AP - Herb Score, the Cleveland Indians pitcher and former broadcaster whose promise on the mound was shattered by a line drive, died Tuesday. He was 75.

Reuters - The regulator for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said it would unveil on Tuesday a new loan modification program that is meant to make mortgage payments more affordable and prevent foreclosures.

Reuters - Shares of General Motors Corp plummeted 15 percent to a 65-year low on Tuesday, extending recent steep declines on lingering concerns that the automaker's cash holdings might fall below the necessary minimum during the first quarter.

Reuters - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's stated readiness for dialogue with Iran without preconditions could make Tehran more forthcoming with his agency, the IAEA.

Reuters - UBS, the world's biggest bank to the rich, said Tuesday it had given details to the United States of U.S. onshore bank accounts as part of a tax probe that is testing Swiss bank secrecy and UBS's reputation.

Reuters - Oil prices tumbled 5 percent to $59 a barrel on Tuesday as the deepening global economic crisis dragged down markets and raised expectations energy demand will slow further.

AFP - Government forces went on a rampage of looting and rape against civilians on Tuesday, the UN said, amid warnings of 'humanitarian black holes' opening up in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fresh signs of economic weakness from China, Japan and Britain reinforced fears of a prolonged recession, sending global stock markets lower, and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged the Bush administration to aid the ailing auto industry.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing agencies announced on Tuesday a plan to ease mortgage payments for troubled borrowers through mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell 5 percent to $59 a barrel on Tuesday as the deepening global economic crisis dragged down markets and raised expectations energy demand will slow further.

AP - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for 'emergency and limited financial assistance' for the battered auto industry on Tuesday, to be completed within days in a postelection session of Congress.

AP - President Bush wistfully saluted the nation's veterans Tuesday as he prepares to hand two ongoing wars over to his successor, saying he'll 'miss being the commander in chief of such a fabulous group.'

AP - Tim Lincecum won the National League Cy Young Award by a comfortable margin Tuesday, taking home pitching's highest honor in his second major league season. The slender kid with the whirling windup joined Mike McCormick (1967) as the only San Francisco Giants pitchers to win a Cy Young.

Reuters - Fresh signs of economic weakness from China, Japan and Britain reinforced fears of a prolonged recession, sending global stock markets lower, and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged the Bush administration to aid the ailing auto industry.

Reuters - Housing agencies announced on Tuesday a plan to ease mortgage payments for troubled borrowers through mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Reuters - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday federal aid for the failing domestic automobile industry was urgent and that she was confident Congress could act on emergency legislation next week.

Reuters - Oil prices fell 5 percent to $59 a barrel on Tuesday as the deepening global economic crisis dragged down markets and raised expectations energy demand will slow further.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fresh signs of economic weakness from China, Japan and Britain reinforced fears of a prolonged recession, and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged the Bush administration to back a second economic stimulus package and aid the ailing auto industry.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday federal aid for the failing U.S. automobile industry was urgently needed and that she was confident Congress could act on emergency bailout legislation next week.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The regulator for the two largest U.S. mortgage finance companies on Tuesday unveiled a plan to cut monthly payments for struggling homeowners in an effort to reverse a wave of defaults threatening the economy.

AP - President Bush wistfully saluted the nation's veterans Tuesday as he prepares to hand two ongoing wars over to his successor, saying he'll 'miss being the commander in chief of such a fabulous group.' Bush marked his last Veterans Day as president at a New York pier, speaking to a crowd of thousands bundled against the windy November chill for the rededication ceremony of the USS Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

AP - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has put the 'brutal' 2008 campaign behind her and has the next presidential race in her sights, with a flurry of national television interviews and a high-profile appearance at the Republican Governors Association meeting this week.

AP - President-elect Obama has told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he's not interested in seeing the Democrats oust Connecticut's Joe Lieberman from their ranks over his endorsement of Republican John McCain.

AP - The government and the mortgage industry are launching the most sweeping effort yet to help troubled homeowners by speeding up the process for renegotiating hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AP - Obese children as young as 10 had the arteries of 45-year-olds and other heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease, say doctors who used ultrasound tests to take a peek inside.

AP - Jennifer Aniston says Angelina Jolie was out of line when she spilled details about her relationship with Brad Pitt while they were filming 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith.' In an interview in the December issue of Vogue, Aniston talks about the magazine's 2007 profile of Jolie, who talked about growing chummy with Pitt — then married to Aniston — while shooting the action film in 2004.

AP - Police in said they arrested a Connecticut man after he tried to steal communion wafers during a church service. The Martin County Sheriff's Office said 33-year-old John Samuel Ricci, of Canton, was cornered by fellow churchgoers when he grabbed a handful of wafers from the priest during communion services Saturday.

AP - In one of the economy's darkest hours in decades, it looks as if people are taking Barack Obama up on his exhortations for hope and change. Seven in 10, or 72 percent, voice confidence the president-elect will make the changes needed to revive the stalling economy, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll released Tuesday.

Reuters - Fresh signs of economic weakness from China, Japan and Britain reinforced fears of a prolonged recession, and U.S. President-elect Barack Obama urged the Bush administration to back a second economic stimulus package and aid the ailing auto industry.

Reuters - The regulator for the two largest U.S. mortgage finance companies on Tuesday unveiled a plan to cut monthly payments for struggling homeowners in an effort to reverse a wave of defaults threatening the economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought legislation on Tuesday to bail out failing automakers, saying she was confident an emergency measure would be approved next week.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The regulator for the two largest U.S. mortgage finance companies on Tuesday unveiled a plan that could cut payments for hundreds of thousands of struggling homeowners to help reverse a wave of defaults threatening to swamp the economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aides to President-elect Barack Obama distanced themselves on Tuesday from reports that President George W. Bush had pressed Obama to back a free trade deal with Colombia in exchange for help for the struggling automobile industry.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she is not interested in running for the U.S. Senate and prefers her current position as governor of Alaska.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In the three years since Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston ended their Hollywood marriage, Aniston has barely said a word about the break-up and the woman who stole Pitt's heart, Angelina Jolie.

AP - Once again, the government has offered another plan to help troubled homeowners. Once again, critics say it doesn't go far enough. The plan announced Tuesday by federal officials and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sounds sweeping in its approach: Borrowers would get reduced interest rates or longer loan terms to make their payments more affordable.

AP - After a confab about the state of the world, President-elect Obama wanted to scope out his young daughters' future bedrooms in the White House, President Bush said Tuesday, recounting the tour he gave his successor this week.

AP - An Oklahoma woman invited to a rural Louisiana campsite for a Ku Klux Klan initiation ritual was shot and killed after she asked to be taken back to town, the sheriff of a New Orleans suburb said Tuesday. Eight people were arrested after authorities found the woman's body hidden under some brush, on the side of a road several miles from the remote campsite where the initiation was planned.

Reuters - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought legislation on Tuesday to bail out failing automakers, saying she was confident an emergency measure would be approved next week.

Reuters - The regulator for the two largest U.S. mortgage finance companies on Tuesday unveiled a plan that could cut payments for hundreds of thousands of struggling homeowners to help reverse a wave of defaults threatening to swamp the economy.

Reuters - Aides to President-elect Barack Obama distanced themselves on Tuesday from reports that President George W. Bush had pressed Obama to back a free trade deal with Colombia in exchange for help for the struggling automobile industry.

Reuters - Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she is not interested in running for the U.S. Senate and prefers her current position as governor of Alaska.

AP - John McCain said Tuesday that Sarah Palin did not damage his presidential bid, and he dismissed as typical campaign sniping anonymous criticism aimed at her following their crushing defeat.

AP - After a confab about the state of the world, President-elect Obama wanted to scope out his young daughters' future bedrooms in the White House, President Bush said Tuesday, recounting the tour he gave his successor this week.

AP - John Edwards didn't have to dodge tough questions from an Indiana University audience Tuesday, when the former presidential candidate returned to the stage three months after admitting to an extramarital affair.

AP - Matt Holliday's trade to the Oakland Athletics was nearly completed Tuesday and an announcement was expected soon.

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Billionaire T. Boone Pickens expects to know within 100 days of Barack Obama taking over as president in January whether the U.S. government is going to adopt part of his ambitious and controversial energy plan.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil inched lower on Wednesday, after falling 5 percent a day ago to close below $60 for the first time since March 2007, as weakening energy demand more than offset news of more supply reductions.

BURBANK, California (Reuters) - Former U.S. presidential candidate John McCain on Tuesday shrugged off criticism leveled at his running mate, Sarah Palin, saying he expects her 'to play a big role in the future of this country.'

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sotheby's achieved a respectable result on Tuesday at its contemporary art auction, held amid a stumbling market struggling to hold on to at least some of its gains from recent years.

AP - President-elect Obama has hired former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn to help shepherd his Pentagon transition, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

AP - Maurice Greene won't be running around the 'Dancing with the Stars' ballroom anymore.

AP - LeBron James matched a season high with 41 points, finally putting Milwaukee away with a steal and soaring dunk in the final minutes, and Mo Williams scored 16 against his former team as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fifth straight, 99-93 over the Bucks on Tuesday night.

Reuters - Billionaire T. Boone Pickens expects to know within 100 days of Barack Obama taking over as president in January whether the U.S. government is going to adopt part of his ambitious and controversial energy plan.

Reuters - Oil inched lower on Wednesday, after falling 5 percent a day ago to close below $60 for the first time since March 2007, as weakening energy demand more than offset news of more supply reductions.

AFP - Taiwan's former president Chen Shui-bian, accused of graft during his time in office, was detained Wednesday after a court approved a bid by prosecutors to take him into custody, officials said.