MUMBAI (Reuters) - Guests trapped by Islamist militants in a luxury hotel were being evacuated room by room Friday as the end of a siege appeared imminent, while commandos stormed a nearby Jewish center where Israeli hostages were held.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stores across the United States hope to ring in billions of dollars in holiday sales beginning on Friday, but shoppers concerned about a shrinking economy have vowed to rein in their spending.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil fell toward $53 a barrel on Friday, ending the month down more than 20 percent, as OPEC ministers prepared to meet in Cairo to discuss potential further supply cuts as the global economic slowdown eats into oil demand.

AP - Two large explosions and gunfire have been heard from the Taj hotel in Mumbai where commandos are hunting for gunman.

AP - The nation's retailers are set to usher in the holiday shopping season Friday with pre-dawn openings, deep discounts and a downright dismal economic outlook that threatens to keep shoppers' credit cards securely in their wallets.

AP - Donovan McNabb got pulled for Kevin Kolb again. This time, he earned a seat on the bench with a superb performance instead of a stinker. McNabb threw four touchdown passes, Brian Westbrook tied a team record with four scores and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Arizona Cardinals 48-20 on Thursday night.

Reuters - Stores across the United States hope to ring in billions of dollars in holiday sales beginning on Friday, but shoppers concerned about a shrinking economy have vowed to rein in their spending.

Reuters - Oil fell toward $53 a barrel on Friday, ending the month down more than 20 percent, as OPEC ministers prepared to meet in Cairo to discuss potential further supply cuts as the global economic slowdown eats into oil demand.

AFP - Special forces stormed a Jewish centre in Mumbai Friday as part of efforts to end a hostage crisis and flush out Islamic militants behind an audacious assault on the city that left 130 people dead.

AFP - The secretary general of Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN said Friday that he had travelled to Thailand to assess whether the kingdom was still able to host a summit as protests shutter the main airports.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian commandos traded fire with Islamist militants as the endgame neared at a luxury hotel and a Jewish center in Mumbai on Friday, but the gunmen were thought to be still holding a handful of foreign hostages, officials said.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Japan's industrial output and household spending tumbled in October, evoking memories of the decade-long stagnation of the 1990s and highlighting how rapidly the global financial crisis was derailing major economies.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil fell below $54 a barrel on Friday, on course to end the month down more than 20 percent, as OPEC ministers prepared to meet in Cairo to discuss potential further supply cuts as the global economic slowdown crimps oil demand.

Reuters - Japan's industrial output and household spending tumbled in October, evoking memories of the decade-long stagnation of the 1990s and highlighting how rapidly the global financial crisis was derailing major economies.

Reuters - Oil fell below $54 a barrel on Friday, on course to end the month down more than 20 percent, as OPEC ministers prepared to meet in Cairo to discuss potential further supply cuts as the global economic slowdown crimps oil demand.

Reuters - Dozens of angry Afghans threw stones at police after a convoy of foreign troops killed one civilian and wounded four more in the capital, Kabul, on Friday, the Kabul police chief and witnesses said.

AFP - Special forces stormed a Mumbai Jewish centre and battled to free guests trapped at two luxury hotels Friday, as India reeled from an audacious Islamic militant attack that left 130 people dead.

AFP - Protesters occupying Bangkok's main airports vowed Friday to 'fight to the death,' as police said they would negotiate with the demonstrators before trying to evict them under emergency laws.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian commandos took control of Mumbai's Trident-Oberoi hotel on Friday, but battles raged on with militants who were still holed up in another luxury hotel and a Jewish center with about half a dozen foreign hostages.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Dozens of riot police with truncheons and shields gathered at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday after talks with anti-government protesters apparently failed to end a crippling blockade.

SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - Japan's industrial output tumbled in October, evoking memories of a decade-long stagnation in the 1990s, while major European companies warned of harsh times ahead.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's second-in-command said in an Internet video the U.S. financial crisis was caused by Washington's military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and taxpayers were paying the price.

KABUL (Reuters) - Dozens of angry Afghans pelted police with stones after a convoy of foreign troops killed one civilian and wounded three more in Kabul on Friday, the capital's police chief and witnesses said.

AP - The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC said Friday the British government will take majority control of the bank — buying close to a 60 percent stake — after its shareholders shunned a stock offering.

AP - The United States is sending investigators to India to help unravel who was behind the terrorist attacks that targeted largely foreigners in the commercial and tourist center of Mumbai. Three Americans are confirmed among those injured.

AP - You've heard of die-hard football fans, but a cemetery plot devoted to former University of Georgia players and their families takes the cliche beyond the grave.

Reuters - Indian commandos took control of Mumbai's Trident-Oberoi hotel on Friday, but battles raged on with militants who were still holed up in another luxury hotel and a Jewish center with about half a dozen foreign hostages.

Reuters - Dozens of riot police with truncheons and shields gathered at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday after talks with anti-government protesters apparently failed to end a crippling blockade.

Reuters - Japan's industrial output tumbled in October, evoking memories of a decade-long stagnation in the 1990s, while major European companies warned of harsh times ahead.

Reuters - Al Qaeda's second-in-command said in an Internet video the U.S. financial crisis was caused by Washington's military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and taxpayers were paying the price.

AFP - Special forces stormed a Mumbai Jewish centre and battled to free guests trapped at two luxury hotels Friday, as India reeled from an audacious Islamist militant attack that left 130 people dead.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan's spy chief has agreed to share intelligence with New Delhi on the brazen militant attacks in Mumbai, India said on Friday, as a siege at two hotels and a Jewish center neared its end amid gunfire and more deaths.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat sacked his national police chief on Friday, fuelling speculation that the government is preparing to crackdown on protesters besieging Bangkok's main airports.

LONDON (Reuters) - Asian economic powerhouses saw production tumbling on Friday, while in the United States Thanksgiving sales offered a key test of America's ability to spearhead recovery from global crisis.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 12 people in an Iraqi mosque on Friday while thousands of followers of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad after parliament passed a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain through 2011.

KABUL (Reuters) - Dozens of angry Afghans pelted police with stones after a convoy of foreign contractors rammed a minivan off a road and one civilian was killed and three more wounded in the Afghan capital on Friday, witnesses said.

AP - Commandos ended a siege of the luxury Oberoi hotel on Friday while other forces rappelled from helicopters to storm a besieged Jewish center, two days after a chain of militant attacks across India's financial center left at least 143 people dead and the city in panic.

AP - Shoppers, who had snapped their wallets shut since September, flocked to stores and malls before dawn Friday to grab deals on everything from TVs to toys for the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, feared to be the weakest in decades.

AP - Thailand's government demoted the national police chief on Friday after he failed to end a siege of the capital's airports by anti-government protesters.

Reuters - Pakistan's spy chief has agreed to share intelligence with New Delhi on the brazen militant attacks in Mumbai, India said on Friday, as a siege at two hotels and a Jewish center neared its end amid gunfire and more deaths.

Reuters - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat sacked his national police chief on Friday, fuelling speculation that the government is preparing to crackdown on protesters besieging Bangkok's main airports.

Reuters - Asian economic powerhouses saw production tumbling on Friday, while in the United States Thanksgiving sales offered a key test of America's ability to spearhead recovery from global crisis.

Reuters - A suicide bomber killed 12 people in an Iraqi mosque on Friday while thousands of followers of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad after parliament passed a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain through 2011.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The bodies of five hostages were found on Friday after Indian security forces attacked gunmen at a Jewish religious center in Mumbai, an Israeli diplomat told Israeli television by telephone from the scene.

LONDON (Reuters) - Asian economic powerhouses saw production tumbling on Friday, while in the United States Thanksgiving sales posed a key test of America's ability to spearhead recovery from global crisis.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 12 people in an Iraqi mosque on Friday while thousands of followers of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad after parliament passed a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain through 2011.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has intensified efforts to develop new ballistic missiles in response to U.S. plans to deploy an anti-missile system in Europe, Interfax news agency quoted a top Russian general as saying on Friday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil edged up toward $54 a barrel on Friday, drawing modest support from the possibility that OPEC ministers gathered in Cairo might opt for another output cut to bolster the market.

AP - Indian news reports say five hostages have been killed in the Mumbai headquarters of an ultra-orthodox Jewish group.

AP - Shoppers, who had snapped their wallets shut since September, flocked to stores before dawn Friday to grab deals on everything from TVs to toys on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, feared to be the weakest in decades.

AP - For the first time, federal legislation has set aside the day after Thanksgiving — for this year only — to honor the contributions American Indians have made to the United States.

AP - Wall Street is selling off modestly Friday as investors brace for what's expected to be a weak holiday shopping season.

AP - A Peruvian immigrant who found $20,000 (16,000 euros) while cleaning an airliner and turned it in to the police can now call the booty her own.

Reuters - The bodies of five hostages were found on Friday after Indian security forces attacked gunmen at a Jewish religious center in Mumbai, an Israeli diplomat told Israeli television by telephone from the scene.

Reuters - Asian economic powerhouses saw production tumbling on Friday, while in the United States Thanksgiving sales posed a key test of America's ability to spearhead recovery from global crisis.

Reuters - A suicide bomber killed 12 people in an Iraqi mosque on Friday while thousands of followers of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad after parliament passed a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain through 2011.

Reuters - Russia has intensified efforts to develop new ballistic missiles in response to U.S. plans to deploy an anti-missile system in Europe, Interfax news agency quoted a top Russian general as saying on Friday.

Reuters - Oil edged up toward $54 a barrel on Friday, drawing modest support from the possibility that OPEC ministers gathered in Cairo might opt for another output cut to bolster the market.

AFP - Thai premier Somchai Wongsawat replaced the national police chief Friday amid a mounting stand-off with protesters occupying Bangkok's airports, an official order from the prime minister said.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian commandos stormed a Jewish center in Mumbai on Friday evening, killing two Islamist gunmen but failing to save five hostages, after two days of bloodshed that have created fresh tensions with old foe Pakistan.

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil slipped below $53 a barrel on Friday on a developing view that OPEC ministers gathered in Cairo this weekend may decide to delay any cut in supply until they meet again in December.

AP - Commandos who stormed the Mumbai headquarters of an ultra-orthodox Jewish group found the bodies of five hostages inside, Indian and Israeli rescue officials said, as a fresh battle raged at the luxury Taj Mahal hotel and other Indian forces ended a siege at another five-star hotel.

AP - Thailand's prime minister demoted the national police chief Friday after thousands of protesters occupied the capital's airports in an anti-government campaign that has plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades.

AP - Somali pirates hijacked a chemical tanker with dozens of Indian crew members Friday and a helicopter rescued three security guards who had jumped into the sea, officials said.

AP - Space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven departed the international space station on Friday, ending a 12-day visit that left the orbiting complex with more modern and deluxe living quarters for bigger crews.

AP - Investors held off making big moves in the stock market early Friday following enormous gains earlier in the week, as Wall Street braced for what is expected to be a weak holiday showing from retailers.

AP - Police said Friday they talked to the suspect in the slaying of a TV anchorwoman before his arrest this week and gathered physical evidence they say links him to the slaying.

AP - Stephon Marbury was suspended one game without pay and docked additional salary Friday by the New York Knicks, who say he refused to play in Wednesday's 110-96 loss at Detroit.

Reuters - Indian commandos stormed a Jewish center in Mumbai on Friday evening, killing two Islamist gunmen but failing to save five hostages, after two days of bloodshed that have created fresh tensions with old foe Pakistan.

Reuters - Oil dropped more than 5 percent to below $52 a barrel on Friday as U.S. stock markets fell and on signs OPEC would defer cutting production when it meets this weekend.

AFP - Thai police on Friday ordered protesters to immediately leave one of Bangkok's besieged airports, as anti-government leaders rejected last-ditch attempts to negotiate an end to the crisis.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Commandos stormed a Jewish center and a luxury hotel in Mumbai on Friday to retake them from Islamist militants on the third day of attacks on the Indian financial capital in which at least 124 people have died.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shoppers turned up early for holiday sales at stores on Friday, but the annual pilgrimage appeared thinner this year and many consumers vowed to spend less due to a shrinking economy.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man working for Wal-Mart was killed on Friday when a throng of shoppers surged into a Long Island, New York, store and physically broke down the doors, a police spokesman said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil dropped more than 5 percent to below $52 a barrel on Friday on demand concerns and signs OPEC would defer cutting production when it meets this weekend.

AP - Thailand's prime minister pledged Friday to use peaceful means to end the siege of the capital's airports by anti-government protesters and demoted the national police chief, amid speculation that he had disagreed with government policy.

AP - Wall Street kept up a broad winning streak Friday, giving blue chip stocks their fifth straight advance as investors looked for clues about whether dire predictions for the holiday shopping season would prove accurate.

AP - Madonna's awakening to the crisis in Malawi — an impoverished African nation where one million children are orphaned by AIDS — had many consequences.

AP - Stephon Marbury was suspended one game and docked nearly $400,000 in salary Friday by the New York Knicks, who say he refused to play in a loss this week at Detroit.

Reuters - Commandos stormed a Jewish center and a luxury hotel in Mumbai on Friday to retake them from Islamist militants on the third day of attacks on the Indian financial capital in which at least 124 people have died.

Reuters - Shoppers turned up early for holiday sales at stores on Friday, but the annual pilgrimage appeared thinner this year and many consumers vowed to spend less due to a shrinking economy.

Reuters - A man working for Wal-Mart was killed on Friday when a throng of shoppers surged into a Long Island, New York, store and physically broke down the doors, a police spokesman said.

Reuters - Oil dropped more than 5 percent to below $52 a barrel on Friday on demand concerns and signs OPEC would defer cutting production when it meets this weekend.

AFP - Indian commandos stormed a Mumbai Jewish centre Friday and found five dead hostages as special forces battled to end an audacious Islamist militant attack blamed on Pakistan that killed 130 people.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Commandos stormed a Jewish center and a luxury hotel in Mumbai on Friday to retake them from Islamist militants on the third day of attacks on the Indian financial capital in which at least 130 people have died.

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shoppers headed to stores on Friday lured by promises of money-saving deals, but the annual kick-off to holiday sales appeared weaker this year and worries of a deep recession kept purchases down.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Poverty in the United States is spreading from rural and inner-city areas to the suburbs, according to a study, a situation that can worsen as the economy confronts what may be a protracted recession.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters in Bangkok blockaded one of Asia's busiest airports for a fourth day on Saturday, with riot police ruling out an immediate assault to end the stand-off.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil rose in late Friday trade on short-covering ahead of OPEC's meeting this weekend after slowing demand sent prices down nearly 20 percent in November.

AP - A New York rabbi and his wife were among the dead in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, slain in a Jewish center that they ran, the ultra-Orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement confirmed Friday.

AP - Parliament's approval of a security pact with the U.S. has propelled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki into a position of strength unsurpassed among Iraqi political leaders since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

AP - Whitney Houston has issued a statement denying the rumors of a reunion with Bobby Brown.

Reuters - Commandos stormed a Jewish center and a luxury hotel in Mumbai on Friday to retake them from Islamist militants on the third day of attacks on the Indian financial capital in which at least 130 people have died.

Reuters - Shoppers headed to stores on Friday lured by promises of money-saving deals, but the annual kick-off to holiday sales appeared weaker this year and worries of a deep recession kept purchases down.

Reuters - Poverty in the United States is spreading from rural and inner-city areas to the suburbs, according to a study, a situation that can worsen as the economy confronts what may be a protracted recession.

Reuters - Anti-government protesters in Bangkok blockaded one of Asia's busiest airports for a fourth day on Saturday, with riot police ruling out an immediate assault to end the stand-off.

Reuters - Oil rose in late Friday trade on short-covering ahead of OPEC's meeting this weekend after slowing demand sent prices down nearly 20 percent in November.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Gunfire and explosions rocked a luxury Mumbai hotel early on Saturday, the last battleground after three days of attacks by Islamist militants in India's financial capital that have killed at least 144 people.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defended the safety of infant formula sold in the United States on Friday despite tests that found the chemical melamine in one brand and a related compound in another.

AP - Indian forces fired grenades at the landmark Taj Mahal hotel Friday, the last stand of the suspected Muslim militants, just hours after elite commandos stormed a Jewish outreach center and found six hostages dead.

AP - Forensic evidence gathered at the home of a slain television anchorwoman led police to a man now also suspected of raping a school teacher in eastern Arkansas, officials said Friday.

AP - Search teams on Friday found the flight recorders from an Airbus A320 passenger jet that crashed off France's southern coast, killing two people and leaving five others missing and feared dead, officials said.

AP - Federal regulators set a safety threshold Friday for the industrial chemical melamine that is greater than the amount of contamination found so far in U.S.-made infant formula.

AP - Wall Street climbed again Friday, wrapping up its biggest five-day rally in more than 75 years, even as investors digested signs of a bleak holiday season for retailers and fears that a flurry of reports next week will show more economic distress.

AP - A Wisconsin radio station had to make two contestants an offer they couldn't refuse in order to get them to quit a game to win a new car.

AP - Tennessee and Lane Kiffin have reached a tentative agreement with the former Oakland Raiders coach to lead the Volunteers, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.

Reuters - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defended the safety of infant formula sold in the United States on Friday despite tests that found the chemical melamine in one brand and a related compound in another.

AFP - Thousands of people in Colombia, France and Spain turned out Friday to urge Colombian rebel group FARC to free hundreds of hostages, five months after they released Ingrid Betancourt, who fears other captives are being forgotten.

AP - Forensic evidence gathered at the home of a slain television anchorwoman led police to a man now also suspected of raping a school teacher in eastern Arkansas, officials said Friday.

AP - Madonna's awakening to the crisis in Malawi — an impoverished African nation where one million children are orphaned by AIDS — had many consequences.

AP - Want an example of the change Barack Obama is bringing to the country?

AP - LeSean McCoy scored his second touchdown with 52 seconds left to finish off a career-high 183-yard rushing performance, and Pittsburgh beat rival West Virginia 19-15 on Friday to make Cincinnati the Big East champions.

Reuters - Gunfire and explosions rocked a luxury Mumbai hotel early on Saturday, the last battleground after three days of attacks by Islamist militants in India's financial capital that have killed at least 144 people.

Reuters - Shoppers lured by money-saving deals filled U.S. stores on Friday, but the annual kick-off to holiday shopping appeared weaker this year as worries about a deep recession kept purchases down.

Reuters - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defended the safety of infant formula sold in the United States on Friday despite tests that found the chemical melamine in one brand and a related compound in another.

AFP - Indian commandos were battling into early Saturday to end an assault on Mumbai by suspected Pakistan-based Islamic militants that has left up to 155 dead, among them foreign hostages.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Gunfire and explosions rocked a luxury Mumbai hotel on Saturday, the last battleground after three days of attacks by Islamist militants in India's financial capital that have killed at least 144 people.

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shoppers lured by money-saving deals filled U.S. stores on Friday, but the annual kick-off to holiday shopping appeared weaker this year as worries about a deep recession kept purchases down.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration defended the safety of infant formula sold in the United States on Friday despite tests that found the chemical melamine in one brand and a related compound in another.

AP - The Federal Reserve boosted its lending to commercial banks and investment firms over the past week, indicating that a severe credit crisis was still squeezing the financial system.

AP - Search teams on Friday found the flight recorders from an Airbus A320 passenger jet that crashed off France's southern coast, killing two people and leaving five others missing and feared dead, officials said.

AP - Federal regulators set a safety threshold Friday for the industrial chemical melamine that is greater than the amount of contamination found so far in U.S.-made infant formula.

AP - LeBron James reacted strongly to Charles Barkley's comments that the Cavaliers star isn't showing respect for Cleveland fans and his teammates by discussing his possible free agency following the 2010 season.

AFP - Extremely heavy gunfire was heard from inside Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel at dawn Saturday, with a major blaze also breaking out as Indian commandos fought to clear the building of Islamic militants, an AFP correspondent said.

AFP - The UN's special envoy was set to meet Saturday with Congo rebel leader Laurent Nkunda after a fresh onslaught by his troops shattered a fragile truce and thousands more were displaced by clashes.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian commandos completed operations on Saturday to dislodge Islamist militants at Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel, officials said, ending three days of attacks in India's financial capital that have killed about 150 people.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hundreds of anti-government protesters forced several dozen Thai riot police to abandon a checkpoint on Saturday as they tightened their siege of the country's main airport, witnesses said.

AP - Indian commandos killed the last remaining gunmen holed up at a luxury Mumbai hotel Saturday, ending a 60-hour rampage through India's financial capital by suspected Islamic militants that left more than 150 people dead and rocked the nation.

Reuters - Hundreds of anti-government protesters forced several dozen Thai riot police to abandon a checkpoint on Saturday as they tightened their siege of the country's main airport, witnesses said.

AFP - Commandos have killed three holdout gunmen in Mumbai's Taj Hotel, bringing an end to a two-day Islamic militant assault on India's financial capital that left at least 155 dead, including 21 foreigners .

AFP - Anti-government protesters on Saturday ignored orders to leave one of Bangkok's besieged airports and faced off with Thai police, raising fears of clashes as crippling demonstrations escalated.