(Reuters) - The Treasury Department, signaling a new phase in its $700 billion financial rescue plan, is considering requiring that firms seeking future government money raise private capital in order to qualify for public assistance, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

AP - At a time when most administrations are getting ready to turn out the lights, the Bush administration is still struggling to get the biggest government rescue in history up and running.

AP - The odds of having a premature baby are lowest in Vermont and highest in Mississippi.

Reuters - The Treasury Department, signaling a new phase in its $700 billion financial rescue plan, is considering requiring that firms seeking future government money raise private capital in order to qualify for public assistance, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

AFP - A Taiwan court ordered former president Chen Shui-bian locked up Wednesday in a corruption probe, tightening pressure on the onetime leader whose tenure was marred by allegations of scandal and sleaze.

AFP - Nicaragua's opposition rejected results of weekend local elections which gave a large victory to the ruling Sandinistas, as fresh violence broke out between supporters of both parties.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's retail sales data on Wednesday pointed to slowing consumption and the World Bank said more countries are seeking its help, as evidence mounted that the rich-world downturn is spreading through emerging economies.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Reclusive North Korea said on Wednesday it will close its land border with the South from next month, largely putting a stop to the few exchanges that exist between the states divided since the Cold War.

AP - The U.S. military in Iraq is abandoning — deliberately and with little public notice — a centerpiece of the widely acclaimed strategy it adopted nearly two years ago to turn the tide against the insurgency. It is moving American troops farther from the people they are trying to protect.

AP - People want the tax cuts promised during the presidential campaign, but they may be willing to wait while President-elect Obama takes on the larger issue of fixing the economy.

AP - North Korea said Wednesday it will ban land crossings at its border with South Korea starting next month because of what it calls the South's confrontational stance.

Reuters - China's retail sales data on Wednesday pointed to slowing consumption and the World Bank said more countries are seeking its help, as evidence mounted that the rich-world downturn is spreading through emerging economies.

Reuters - Reclusive North Korea said on Wednesday it will close its land border with the South from next month, largely putting a stop to the few exchanges that exist between the states divided since the Cold War.

AFP - A secular hardliner was elected mayor of Jerusalem in a vote, ending a five-year rule of an ultra-Orthodox mayor after a campaign that highlighted the Holy City's deep divisions.

LONDON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A number of deals designed to cure the global financial crisis were in danger of unraveling on Wednesday, with losses mounting at banks and economies deteriorating.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Gunmen killed a U.S. aid official Wednesday outside his home in Peshawar, police said, the frontier Pakistani city near Afghanistan which has borne the brunt of a growing Islamist insurgency.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's greenhouse gas emissions rose to a record high in the year to March, putting the world's fifth-largest carbon dioxide producer at risk of an embarrassing failure to achieve its Kyoto target over the next four years.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell more than 2 percent on Wednesday to trade below $58 a barrel for the first time in 20 months as expectations of weaker energy demand more than offset news of reductions in supply.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Six months after China's Sichuan earthquake, local authorities are scrambling to build housing for millions made homeless as winter approaches.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Women still lag far behind men in top political and decision-making roles, a waste of talent given that their access to education and healthcare is nearly equal, the World Economic Forum said on Wednesday.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir announced Wednesday an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

AP - A suicide bomber driving an oil tanker detonated his explosives outside an Afghan government office during a provincial council meeting Wednesday, killing at least six people and wounding 42, officials said.

AP - A bomb exploded in a parked car in a bustling section of downtown Baghdad early Wednesday, killing four people and wounding 15 others, police said, the third consecutive day of morning rush hour blasts in the Iraqi capital.

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

AP - Trevor Ariza turned an offensive rebound into an emphatic, go-ahead dunk early in the fourth quarter and Kobe Bryant quickly stretched the lead, sending the Los Angeles Lakers to a 106-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Reuters - A number of deals designed to cure the global financial crisis were in danger of unraveling on Wednesday, with losses mounting at banks and economies deteriorating.

Reuters - Gunmen killed a U.S. aid official Wednesday outside his home in Peshawar, police said, the frontier Pakistani city near Afghanistan which has borne the brunt of a growing Islamist insurgency.

Reuters - Japan's greenhouse gas emissions rose to a record high in the year to March, putting the world's fifth-largest carbon dioxide producer at risk of an embarrassing failure to achieve its Kyoto target over the next four years.

Reuters - Oil fell more than 2 percent on Wednesday to trade below $58 a barrel for the first time in 20 months as expectations of weaker energy demand more than offset news of reductions in supply.

Reuters - Six months after China's Sichuan earthquake, local authorities are scrambling to build housing for millions made homeless as winter approaches.

Reuters - Women still lag far behind men in top political and decision-making roles, a waste of talent given that their access to education and healthcare is nearly equal, the World Economic Forum said on Wednesday.

AFP - North Korea said Wednesday it would close its border with South Korea from next month in protest at what it called Seoul's confrontational stance, a move that could cripple a joint industrial estate.

AFP - US president-elect Barack Obama is sending evaluators to study the sprawling US bureaucracy to help him determine how best to meet his administration's goals when he takes office on January 20.

LONDON (Reuters) - A number of deals designed to cure the global financial crisis were in danger of unraveling on Wednesday, with losses mounting at banks and economies showing further signs of serious deterioration.

LONDON (Reuters) - The world will have to bet on extreme measures to avoid serious global warming, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday, adding to growing worries that governments have under-estimated the problem.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. holiday retail sales will fall 1 percent this year, according to America's Research Group, marking the first time the research firm has forecast a decline in almost a quarter century of surveys.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, facing a possible indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Darfur, announced a ceasefire in the region on Wednesday.

AP - Jordan Staal and the Pittsburgh Penguins showed they still have plenty of talent, even with Marian Hossa now in Detroit.

Reuters - A number of deals designed to cure the global financial crisis were in danger of unraveling on Wednesday, with losses mounting at banks and economies showing further signs of serious deterioration.

Reuters - Iran said it test-fired a new generation of surface-to-surface missile Wednesday and that the Islamic Republic was ready to defend itself against any attacker.

Reuters - The world will have to bet on extreme measures to avoid serious global warming, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday, adding to growing worries that governments have under-estimated the problem.

Reuters - U.S. holiday retail sales will fall 1 percent this year, according to America's Research Group, marking the first time the research firm has forecast a decline in almost a quarter century of surveys.

AFP - Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on Wednesday announced an immediate ceasefire in Darfur and called for a campaign to disarm militias which have been ravaging the western region.

AFP - A blue-ribbon panel of experts said on Wednesday that German economic growth will grind to a halt next year, raising doubts about Berlin's plans to shield Europe's biggest economy from the global turmoil.

LONDON (Reuters) - A number of deals designed to cure the global financial crisis were in danger of unraveling on Wednesday, with losses mounting at banks and economies showing further signs of serious deterioration.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Home values in the United States posted their seventh consecutive quarterly decline, with nearly one-third of Americans who sold in the past year losing money, real estate website Zillow.com said on Wednesday.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday it has slowed the pace of disablement work at its key nuclear reactor because it is not getting compensated in a timely manner.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected U.S. proposals aimed at easing concerns over a missile defense system in Europe and said it would try again to resolve the row once Barack Obama is in the White House.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said it test-fired a new generation of surface-to-surface missile on Wednesday and that the Islamic Republic was ready to defend itself against any attacker.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell more than 2.5 percent to beneath $58 a barrel on Wednesday on expectations of weaker energy demand, before paring some of its losses after hints OPEC might consider another cut in oil production.

AP - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is scheduled to give an update today on the $700 billion bailout program for the U.S. financial system.

AP - Gay marriage is legal in Connecticut now that a judge has cleared the way. New Haven Superior Court Judge Jonathan Silbert ruled at a brief hearing Wednesday morning that gay and lesbian couples now may pick up marriage license forms at town and city clerks' offices statewide.

AP - Airline passengers looking for protection against being stranded for hours on tarmacs shouldn't count on help from a federal task force that's been wrestling with the problem for nearly a year.

AP - The U.S. military in Iraq is abandoning — deliberately and with little public notice — a centerpiece of the widely acclaimed strategy it adopted nearly two years ago to turn the tide against the insurgency. It is moving American troops farther from the people they are trying to protect.

AP - A California couple recently had an unexpected reunion with an old housemate: their pet cat who went missing more than 13 years ago.

AP - It's no surprise Kobe Bryant has the Los Angeles Lakers off to a fast start. But few would have expected the Atlanta Hawks to still be unbeaten two weeks into the season. Bryant scored 27 points and the Lakers improved to 6-0 — their best start since opening 7-0 in 2001-02 — with a 106-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Reuters - A number of deals designed to cure the global financial crisis were in danger of unraveling on Wednesday, with losses mounting at banks and economies showing further signs of serious deterioration.

Reuters - Home values in the United States posted their seventh consecutive quarterly decline, with nearly one-third of Americans who sold in the past year losing money, real estate website Zillow.com said on Wednesday.

Reuters - North Korea said on Wednesday it has slowed the pace of disablement work at its key nuclear reactor because it is not getting compensated in a timely manner.

Reuters - The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected U.S. proposals aimed at easing concerns over a missile defense system in Europe and said it would try again to resolve the row once Barack Obama is in the White House.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Wednesday said he was backing away from buying troubled mortgage assets using a $700 billion bailout fund, instead favoring a second round of capital injections into financial institutions that would match private funds.

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - California's vote last week to ban same-sex marriage will hit the state's economy by making it harder for cutting-edge industries like biotechnology to recruit top talent, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi soldier shot dead at least two U.S. troops Wednesday at a joint U.S.-Iraqi security station in Nineveh province, Iraqi police and a mortuary official said.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell almost 4 percent to nearly $57 a barrel on Wednesday, its lowest for 20 months, on expectations of weaker energy demand and as global stock markets headed downwards.

AP - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Wednesday the $700 billion government rescue program will not be used to purchase troubled assets as originally planned.

AP - A judge cleared the way Wednesday for gay marriage to begin Wednesday in Connecticut, a victory for advocates stung by California's referendum that banned same-sex unions in that state.

AP - The Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar in training exercises off the California coast, a defeat for environmental groups who say the sonar can harm whales.

AP - An already disheartened Wall Street turned sharply lower Wednesday after Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the government won't buy banks' soured mortgage assets after all, disappointing investors who hoped to see the bad debt wiped off companies' books. The Dow Jones industrials fell about 250 points, and all the major indexes dropped more than 2 percent as the market retreated for a third straight session.

AP - A federal task force approved voluntary guidelines Wednesday for airlines and airports dealing with passengers stranded for hours on the tarmac but produced no fixed limit on how long they can be delayed before being allowed to leave planes.

AP - Police say a fan of Paula Abdul has been found dead in a car parked near a home belonging to the 'American Idol' judge.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Wednesday said he was backing away from buying troubled mortgage assets using a $700 billion bailout fund, instead favoring a second round of capital injections into financial institutions that would match private funds.

Reuters - Dozens of gay and lesbian couples planned to wed in Connecticut on Wednesday after a judge cleared the way for the state to become the nation's second to allow same-sex marriage.

Reuters - An Iraqi soldier shot dead two U.S. soldiers and wounded six on a rampage at a joint security station in northern Iraq on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.

AFP - Four Palestinian militants were killed and an Israeli soldier wounded in clashes on the Gaza border on Wednesday in the latest flare-up to rattle a nearly five-month lull and imperil aid deliveries.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Treasury backed away from using a $700 billion bailout fund to cleanse bank balance sheets of toxic mortgage debt, while Europe reported more gloomy economic news and the World Bank warned that international trade may contract in 2009.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama's plans to overhaul the U.S. health care system would cost the federal government $75 billion but would provide health insurance for 95 percent of Americans, consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday said it would listen to ideas from Congress to help the ailing U.S. auto industry.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product growth was lowered to 1.3 percent this year and was projected to decline by 1.4 percent in 2009, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday in its monthly forecast.

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Dozens of gay and lesbian couples planned to wed in Connecticut on Wednesday after a judge cleared the way for the state to become the nation's second to allow same-sex marriage.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama has tapped former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and a former Republican congressman to meet foreign delegations at the global financial summit in Washington this weekend.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil fell 4 percent to below $57 a barrel on Wednesday as the U.S. government hacked its global demand growth forecast again due to the slumping global economy.

AP - The government has abandoned the original centerpiece of its $700 billion rescue effort for the financial system and will not use the money to purchase troubled bank assets.

AP - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called autos a 'critical industry in this country' on Wednesday but said the government's $700 billion financial rescue program wasn't designed to help automakers.

AP - Scientists have pinpointed the molecular on-off switch that the powerful drug tamoxifen uses to attack breast cancer and which prevents it from working in some women.

AP - Shareholders of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. on Wednesday approved the $52 billion sale of the nation's largest brewer to Belgium-based InBev SA, a deal that is set to create the world's largest brewer.

AP - Authorities are investigating battery allegations against Emmy-winning actor Brad Garrett in an incident involving a photographer in West Hollywood.

Reuters - The Treasury backed away from using a $700 billion bailout fund to cleanse bank balance sheets of toxic mortgage debt, while Europe reported more gloomy economic news and the World Bank warned that international trade may contract in 2009.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama's plans to overhaul the U.S. health care system would cost the federal government $75 billion but would provide health insurance for 95 percent of Americans, consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers said on Wednesday.

Reuters - The White House on Wednesday said it would listen to ideas from Congress to help the ailing U.S. auto industry.

Reuters - The estimate for U.S. real gross domestic product growth was lowered to 1.3 percent this year and was projected to decline by 1.4 percent in 2009, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday in its monthly forecast.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama has tapped former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and a former Republican congressman to meet foreign delegations at the global financial summit in Washington this weekend.

AFP - Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir on Wednesday called an immediate ceasefire in Darfur and a campaign to disarm feared militias in a speech dismissed by rebels as a propaganda stunt for the West.

AFP - Four Palestinian militants were killed and an Israeli soldier was wounded along the Gaza border on Wednesday in the latest flare-up to rattle a nearly five-month lull and imperil aid deliveries.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury backed away from using a $700 billion bailout fund to cleanse bank balance sheets of bad mortgage debt, while Europe reported more gloomy economic news, fanning fears of a worldwide recession.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday named a bipartisan duo of Washington veterans to meet foreign delegations at this weekend's global financial summit, opening communication between the next U.S. administration and its global counterparts.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday named an Islamic charity as a group aiding Hamas militants in the Middle East and prohibited Americans from dealing with the Union of Good organization.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told world leaders at a U.N. interfaith meeting on Wednesday that terrorism is the enemy of all religions, calling for a united front to combat it and promote tolerance.

AP - Same-sex couples began marrying in Connecticut on Wednesday after a judge cleared the way, a partial rebound for gay-rights activists still enraged over the vote last week that cost them the right to wed in California.

AP - A disheartened Wall Street fell for the third straight session Wednesday as investors absorbed another series of dismal corporate reports and news that the government won't buy banks' soured mortgage assets after all. The Dow Jones industrials fell 340 points, and all the major indexes dropped more than 3 percent.

AP - A federal task force approved voluntary guidelines Wednesday for airlines and airports dealing with passengers stranded for hours on the tarmac but produced no fixed limit on how long they can be delayed before being allowed to leave planes.

AP - Turns out men and women really are different at heart: New research finds that heart transplant patients have better odds of survival and a lower risk of rejection if they get organs from donors of the same sex. Size may be part of the explanation. Men's hearts are bigger than women's and have greater pumping capacity, and men who get men's hearts fare better.

AP - Joe Maddon easily won the American League Manager of the Year award Wednesday after guiding the Tampa Bay Rays from baseball's basement to the World Series.

Reuters - The U.S. Treasury backed away from using a $700 billion bailout fund to cleanse bank balance sheets of bad mortgage debt, while Europe reported more gloomy economic news, fanning fears of a worldwide recession.

Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday named a bipartisan duo of Washington veterans to meet foreign delegations at this weekend's global financial summit, opening communication between the next U.S. administration and its global counterparts.

Reuters - The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday named an Islamic charity as a group aiding Hamas militants in the Middle East and prohibited Americans from dealing with the Union of Good organization.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Bush administration officials on Wednesday expressed hope that G20 leaders would be able to identify measures for calming financial markets at their meeting this weekend, saying the time was right for them to come together.

AP - The Air Force general who runs the Pentagon's missile defense projects said Wednesday that American interests would be 'severely hurt' if President-elect Obama decided to halt plans developed by the Bush administration to install missile interceptors in Eastern Europe.

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney, getting ready to hand off the job as the nation's second-in-command, will sit down with Vice President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday at the Naval Observatory.

AP - An American man who suffered from AIDS appears to have been cured of the disease 20 months after receiving a targeted bone marrow transplant normally used to fight leukemia, his doctors said Wednesday.

AP - Despite Brett Favre and a three-game winning streak, the New York Jets don't have what it takes to finally get over the hump and pass the New England Patriots atop the AFC East. That's according to a pigskin-picking camel named Princess who is a perfect 10-0 so far this year in handicapping NFL games.

Reuters - Senior Bush administration officials on Wednesday expressed hope that G20 leaders would be able to identify measures for calming financial markets at their meeting this weekend, saying the time was right for them to come together.

AFP - Four Palestinian militants were killed and an Israeli soldier was wounded along the Gaza border on Wednesday in the latest flare-up to rattle a nearly five-month lull and imperil aid deliveries.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Efforts to reform the U.S. healthcare system got a big boost on Wednesday as a powerful Democratic senator unveiled a plan similar to President-elect Barack Obama's and an analysis said the financial crisis could accelerate any efforts, not hinder them.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers plan to question chief executives of stricken U.S. automakers on their pleas for an industry bailout, while the Bush administration responded coolly on Wednesday to an aid plan being shaped by Democrats.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chip giant Intel Corp cut its fourth-quarter revenue forecast by about 14 percent citing weak demand across the world and in all its products, indicating the economic crisis is set to hurt computer sales in the holiday season and beyond.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration said on Wednesday a weekend meeting of Group of 20 leaders should be able to identify some specific measures for calming anxious financial markets and said it was timely for them to meet now.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Former Guantanamo prisoners released after years of detention without charge went home to find themselves stigmatized and shunned, viewed either as terrorists or U.S. spies, according to a report released on Wednesday.

AP - Urgently shifting course, the Bush administration is abandoning the centerpiece of its massive $700 billion economic rescue plan and exploring new ways to shore up not only banks but credit-card, auto-loan and other huge nonbank businesses. Democrats are pressing hard to include a multibillion-dollar bailout for faltering automakers, too — over administration objections. Unimpressed by any of the talk on Wednesday, Wall Street dove ever lower.

AP - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday she would consider serving in the Senate if God gave her the opportunity and Alaskans wanted her to take the job. The state's senior senator, Republican Ted Stevens, held a dwindling lead as the count resumed in his re-election bid.

AP - Disgraced evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says he was sexually abused as a child and that the experience 'started to rage in my mind and in my heart' when he was caught up in a sex scandal involving a male prostitute. Haggard made the remarks in two recent sermons in Morrison, Ill., ABC's 'Good Morning America' reported Wednesday.

AP - Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience of the 1960s and the group's last surviving member, was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.

Reuters - Efforts to reform the U.S. healthcare system got a big boost on Wednesday as a powerful Democratic senator unveiled a plan similar to President-elect Barack Obama's and an analysis said the financial crisis could accelerate any efforts, not hinder them.

Reuters - Lawmakers plan to question chief executives of stricken U.S. automakers on their pleas for an industry bailout, while the Bush administration responded coolly on Wednesday to an aid plan being shaped by Democrats.

Reuters - Chip giant Intel Corp cut its fourth-quarter revenue forecast by about 14 percent citing weak demand across the world and in all its products, indicating the economic crisis is set to hurt computer sales in the holiday season and beyond.

Reuters - The Bush administration said on Wednesday a weekend meeting of Group of 20 leaders should be able to identify some specific measures for calming anxious financial markets and said it was timely for them to meet now.

Reuters - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told world leaders at a U.N. interfaith meeting on Wednesday that terrorism is the enemy of all religions, calling for a united front to combat it and promote tolerance.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Suddenly, Sarah Palin is everywhere.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided on Wednesday on whether a city violated a religious group's free-speech rights by refusing to put its monument in a public park near a similar Ten Commandments display.

AP - George Strait's poignant tune 'I Saw God Today' took song of the year honors Wednesday night at the CMA Awards, which was kicked off by a rollicking performance by two of country's biggest stars, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban.

AP - The restoration of a 130-year-old Massachusetts church organ was dealt a setback when a homeless man took a nap on four of its pipes. Officials at First Churches in Northampton said the man's weight severely damaged the delicate, 18-foot pipes, that were among about 50 stored in the basement during a $2 million restoration of the historic sanctuary.

Reuters - Suddenly, Sarah Palin is everywhere.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Wednesday largely abandoned its plan to buy up toxic mortgage assets and said it will focus its $700 billion financial bailout fund on making direct investments in financial institutions and shoring up consumer credit markets.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Japan stood ready to offer more than $100 billion to emerging economies as governments scrambled to come to grips with a fast-moving financial crisis that threatened to tip the world into a deep and long recession.

AP - Kenny Chesney won his fourth entertainer of the year award — tying Garth Brooks for the most wins in the category — at Wednesday's CMA awards, a ceremony highlighted by a lavish performance by Taylor Swift, a surprise appearance by rapper Lil Wayne, and the return of one of country's biggest stars, Shania Twain.

AP - This isn't music to anyone's ears: The restoration of a church's 130-year-old organ has been delayed because four delicate pipes were damaged when a visitor napped on them.

Reuters - Japan stood ready to offer more than $100 billion to emerging economies as governments scrambled to come to grips with a fast-moving financial crisis that threatened to tip the world into a deep and long recession.

AFP - Unidentified gunmen kidnapped an Iranian diplomat Thursday, killing his Pakistani police guard in the troubled northwestern province bordering Afghanistan, police said.