WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five deaths have been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning linked to peanut butter, but the strain involved is not particularly virulent, U.S. health officials said on Friday.

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb exploded outside the German embassy and a U.S. base in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saturday, killing three civilians, witnesses said.

AP - A Palestinian health official says an Israeli tank shell has killed two near a United Nations school in Gaza.

AP - Kellogg Co. on Friday recalled 16 products containing peanut butter due to possible salmonella contamination, adding new urgency to the nationwide outbreak as federal officials confirmed contamination at a Georgia facility that ships peanut products to 85 food companies.

AP - Oprah Winfrey broke her silence Friday about former guest Herman Rosenblat, saying she's 'very disappointed' in his now discredited story about meeting his future wife in a Nazi concentration camp.

Reuters - Five deaths have been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella food poisoning linked to peanut butter, but the strain involved is not particularly virulent, U.S. health officials said on Friday.

Reuters - A suicide car bomb exploded outside the German embassy and a U.S. base in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saturday, killing three civilians, witnesses said.

AFP - Israel was poised on Saturday to call a unilateral halt to its 22-day-old offensive on Gaza after winning pledges from the US and Egypt to help prevent arms smuggling into the Hamas-run enclave.

AFP - A loud explosion rocked the busy centre of the Afghan capital Kabul Saturday, sending brown smoke into the air, witnesses said.

KABUL (Reuters) - Initial reports indicated a suicide car bomb killed two U.S. soldiers in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saturday, the U.S. military said, and officials and witnesses said four Afghan civilians were also killed in the blast.

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea has 'weaponised' enough declared plutonium stocks to produce four to five nuclear bombs, said Selig Harrison, a U.S. expert just returned from talks with officials in Pyongyang.

AP - Israeli aircraft pounded 50 Hamas positions early Saturday, keeping pressure on the Islamic militant group as the country's top leaders prepared for a crucial vote on whether to end Israel's punishing three-week-long campaign against Gaza's rulers.

Reuters - Initial reports indicated a suicide car bomb killed two U.S. soldiers in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saturday, the U.S. military said, and officials and witnesses said four Afghan civilians were also killed in the blast.

Reuters - North Korea has 'weaponised' enough declared plutonium stocks to produce four to five nuclear bombs, said Selig Harrison, a U.S. expert just returned from talks with officials in Pyongyang.

AFP - Israel pummelled Gaza with new strikes on Saturday, as it was poised to unilaterally halt a 22-day-old war on Hamas that has killed nearly 1,200 Palestinians and left much of the enclave in ruins.

AFP - A suicide car bomb exploded outside the biggest US military base in the Afghan capital Saturday, killing two US soldiers and two Afghans and wounding 35 people, Afghan and US officials said.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli bombardment killed two boys sheltering at a U.N. school and five other people in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, as Israel weighed a unilateral ceasefire to its three-week-old offensive against Hamas militants.

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb killed four Afghan civilians and wounded 13 more in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

AP - Divers and sonar operators hunted for two missing engines from a US Airways jetliner in challenging, nearly impossible conditions as investigators made plans to carefully hoist the damaged plane from the water to retrieve the flight and data recorders.

AP - What began as an investigation of bulk peanut butter shipped to nursing homes and institutional cafeterias has broadened with the Kellogg Co. recalling 16 products and federal officials confirming salmonella contamination at a Georgia facility that ships peanut products to 85 food companies

AP - Alabama briefly turned colder than Alaska, water fountains froze into ice sculptures in South Carolina and Florida shivered through its brush with the Arctic air blast that deadened car batteries in the Northeast and prompted scattered Midwest power outages.

AP - Jon Gruden is out, replaced by another young rising star as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Reuters - Israeli bombardment killed two boys sheltering at a U.N. school and five other people in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, as Israel weighed a unilateral ceasefire to its three-week-old offensive against Hamas militants.

Reuters - A suicide car bomb killed four Afghan civilians and wounded 13 more in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

AFP - Israel battered Gaza with new strikes on Saturday, as it was poised to unilaterally halt a 22-day-old war on Hamas that has killed nearly 1,200 Palestinians and left much of the enclave in ruins.

AFP - A suicide car bomb exploded outside the German embassy in Kabul Saturday, killing at least two Afghans and wounding dozens more people including US soldiers and German nationals, officials said.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel plans to halt its Gaza offensive without any agreement with Hamas, a senior Israeli official said on Saturday. Hamas vowed to fight on.

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb killed four Afghan civilians and wounded 19 more in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican will soon have its own channel on the video sharing site YouTube where the Catholic faithful or the curious will be able to see Pope Benedict or Church events, a Vatican source said on Saturday.

AP - Israeli forces pounded dozens of Hamas targets early Saturday as the army kept up pressure on the Islamic militant group ahead of a crucial vote on whether to end Israel's punishing three-week-long campaign against Gaza's rulers.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama said Saturday his inauguration will be more than simply a transfer of power; it should be a celebration of the American spirit.

AP - In rapper Biggie Smalls' old Brooklyn neighborhood, the building that once housed a coin laundry is now a plastic surgeon's office. A block away, a wine bar sells 'artisanal' cheeses and meats.

AP - A mixed martial arts fighter and avowed anarchist has been charged with malicious mischief, accused of spraying graffiti on the state Capitol.

Reuters - Israel plans to halt its Gaza offensive without any agreement with Hamas, a senior Israeli official said on Saturday. Hamas vowed to fight on.

Reuters - North Korea says it has 'weaponized' enough plutonium for four to five nuclear weapons, a U.S. expert said on Saturday after talks in Pyongyang.

Reuters - A suicide car bomb killed four Afghan civilians and wounded 19 more in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

Reuters - The Vatican will soon have its own channel on the video sharing site YouTube where the Catholic faithful or the curious will be able to see Pope Benedict or Church events, a Vatican source said on Saturday.

AFP - Russia and Ukraine on Saturday prepared for gas crisis talks that the European Union says are the 'last and best chance' to end their dispute as Europe struggles through winter without crucial gas supplies.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wall Street may be bruised and battered, but it still donated more money than any other U.S. industry to President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural festivities on Tuesday, a study has found.

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb killed a U.S. service member, four Afghan civilians and wounded 19 others in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital on Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Miriam Gorman wanted to retire more than a year ago, but steep financial losses in her retirement savings mean the 71-year-old bookkeeper now plans to work on indefinitely.

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea says it has 'weaponized' enough plutonium for four to five nuclear weapons, a U.S. expert said on Saturday after talks in Pyongyang.

AP - Investigators encountered more treacherous conditions Saturday as they embarked on the delicate task of trying to hoist the miracle US Airways jet from the Hudson River without damaging the airplane.

AP - Israel bombarded dozens of Hamas targets Saturday hours before a government vote on an Egyptian brokered cease-fire, prompting Egypt to demand an immediate halt to the 3-week-old Gaza offensive.

AP - Jon Gruden is out, replaced by another young rising star as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Reuters - Wall Street may be bruised and battered, but it still donated more money than any other U.S. industry to President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural festivities on Tuesday, a study has found.

Reuters - A suicide car bomb killed a U.S. service member, four Afghan civilians and wounded 19 others in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital on Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

Reuters - Miriam Gorman wanted to retire more than a year ago, but steep financial losses in her retirement savings mean the 71-year-old bookkeeper now plans to work on indefinitely.

AFP - Israel blasted Gaza with new strikes on Saturday ahead of an expected unilateral halt to its 22-day-old war on Hamas, which vowed to fight on as long as the Jewish state's troops remained in the battered enclave.

AFP - Russia and Ukraine on Saturday began gas crisis talks in Moscow that the European Union said were the 'last and best chance' to resolve a row that has left Europe struggling without key gas supplies.

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb killed a U.S. service member, four Afghan civilians and wounded 19 others in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital on Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

AP - Federal investigators said Saturday that the right engine of US Airways Flight 1549 is still attached to the plane, contradicting their earlier statements that it broke off after the aircraft hit the water.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama, tracing the train route Abraham Lincoln took nearly a century and a half earlier, undertook the final leg of his inaugural journey to the nation's capital Saturday, pledging to reclaim America's spirit but also warning of steep challenges facing the country.

Reuters - A suicide car bomb killed a U.S. service member, four Afghan civilians and wounded 19 others in an attack outside a U.S. military base and the German embassy in the Afghan capital on Saturday, officials and witnesses said.

AFP - Israeli troops assaulted Gaza from land, air and sea on Saturday as the Jewish state said it was close to reaching its goals and its powerful security cabinet prepared to vote on a unilateral ceasefire.

AFP - Barack Obama exhorted Americans Saturday to unite in a 'new declaration of independence' from bigotry, small thinking and ideology, as he set off to Washington to take power.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama, cheered by onlookers along the train route Abraham Lincoln took nearly a century and a half earlier, undertook the final leg of his inaugural journey to the nation's capital Saturday, pledging to reclaim America's spirit but also warning of steep challenges facing the country.

AP - George Washington, first president, said this: 'It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.'

AP - Painter Wei Haibin is carefully weighing every purchase as he heads home to Hebei province for China's biggest family holiday — a time when the economy typically enjoys a bounce.

Reuters - A suicide car bomb killed a U.S. soldier and four Afghan civilians in the Afghan capital on Saturday, and one other U.S. soldier was killed when a helicopter crash-landed in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

AFP - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was poised to announce a unilateral ceasefire to halt Israel's largest-ever assault on the territory on Saturday even as troops assaulted Gaza from land, air and sea.

AFP - Barack Obama exhorted Americans Saturday to unite in a 'new declaration of independence' from bigotry, small thinking and ideology, as he set off by train to Washington to take power.

AP - Tracking Abraham Lincoln's historic path to Washington, President-elect Barack Obama launched a four-day inaugural celebration Saturday before thousands of chilled but cheering onlookers from Philadelphia to the nation's capital. He promised to bring the country 'a new Declaration of Independence' — free from small thinking, prejudice and bigotry.

AP - Israel's top leadership met Saturday to approve a unilateral cease-fire that would halt the devastating 22-day offensive in Gaza but Hamas vowed to keep fighting until all Israeli forces pull out.

AP - William Potts calls himself the 'Homesick Hijacker.' U.S. authorities have another name for him: fugitive harbored by an enemy government — one of dozens of Americans hiding in communist Cuba.

AP - People should avoid eating cookies, ice cream and similar products that contain peanut butter until the government knows more about possible salmonella contamination. But there is no indication that major brands of peanut butter sold in stores are a problem.

AFP - Cheered Saturday by thousands thronging embankments and awash in history's echoes, Barack Obama vowed to lift America out of crisis as he trundled by train to Washington to claim the White House.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel called off its three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, saying Hamas was 'badly beaten,' but the Islamist group vowed to fight on in a war that has killed 1,200 Palestinians in the coastal enclave.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is seeking new ways to end a credit crisis that is roiling world economies and he warned on Saturday of the vast challenges a worsening economy poses for Americans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health authorities told consumers on Saturday to avoid eating products that contain peanut butter until they can determine the scope of an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning that may have contributed to six deaths.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The incoming Obama administration is considering setting up a government-run bank to acquire bad assets clogging the financial system, a person familiar with the Obama team's thinking said on Saturday.

AP - Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire Saturday in its 22-day offensive that turned Gaza neighborhoods into battlegrounds and dealt a stinging blow to the Islamic militants of Hamas. But Israeli troops will stay in the Palestinian territory for now and Hamas threatened to keep fighting until they leave.

AP - Investigators provided a dramatic detailed account Saturday of the ill-fated US Airways flight that crash-landed in the Hudson River, with the pilot telling controllers just moments after takeoff, 'We're gonna be in the Hudson.'

AP - George Washington, first president, said this: 'It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.'

AP - Gerald Henderson scored 23 points and No. 3 Duke held on to beat No. 13 Georgetown 76-67 on Saturday for its eighth straight victory.

Reuters - Israel called off its three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, saying Hamas was 'badly beaten,' but the Islamist group vowed to fight on in a war that has killed 1,200 Palestinians in the coastal enclave.

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is seeking new ways to end a credit crisis that is roiling world economies and he warned on Saturday of the vast challenges a worsening economy poses for Americans.

Reuters - U.S. health authorities told consumers on Saturday to avoid eating products that contain peanut butter until they can determine the scope of an outbreak of salmonella food poisoning that may have contributed to six deaths.

Reuters - The incoming Obama administration is considering setting up a government-run bank to acquire bad assets clogging the financial system, a person familiar with the Obama team's thinking said on Saturday.

AFP - Israel Saturday called a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza after a 22-day onslaught against its Islamist rulers which left more than 1,200 Palestinians dead and vast swathes of the territory in ruins.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel began a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, ending a three-week offensive against the Hamas Islamist movement in the Palestinian enclave.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is seeking new ways to end a credit crisis that is roiling world economies and he warned on Saturday of the vast challenges a worsening economy poses for Americans.

MIAMI (Reuters) - A missing Florida money manager is believed to be alive, his business associate said on Saturday as police investigated the possible disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars from investment funds.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The prime ministers of Russia and Ukraine have reached an outline deal in their gas dispute which should allow supplies to be resumed to Europe soon, a Russian government spokesman said early on Sunday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. mayors on Saturday welcomed the $825 billion stimulus plan introduced in Congress this week, but worried that much of the assistance would stop at the state level and not reach cities.

AP - Invoking hope and history, President-elect Barack Obama rolled into the capital city Saturday night pledging to help bring the nation 'a new Declaration of Independence' and promising to rise to the stern challenges of the times. He kicked off a four-day inaugural celebration with a daylong rail trip, retracing the path Abraham Lincoln took in 1861.

Reuters - Israel began a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, ending a three-week offensive against the Hamas Islamist movement in the Palestinian enclave.

Reuters - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is seeking new ways to end a credit crisis that is roiling world economies and he warned on Saturday of the vast challenges a worsening economy poses for Americans.

Reuters - A missing Florida money manager is believed to be alive, his business associate said on Saturday as police investigated the possible disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars from investment funds.

AFP - Word has spread among sheltering Gazans that Israel will soon hold its fire, but those who have fled its onslaught are wary of venturing back to homes that may no longer exist.

AFP - Feted by thousands and invoking history to steel the United States against crises at home and abroad, Barack Obama rode a hope-fuelled inaugural train to Washington Saturday, three days before he is sworn in as president.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel began a unilateral ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, ending a three-week offensive against the Hamas Islamist movement in the Palestinian enclave.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The prime ministers of Ukraine and Russia said on Sunday they had reached an outline deal to restore gas supplies after marathon talks which dragged on into the small hours of the morning.

AP - Israel implemented a unilateral cease-fire early Sunday in its 22-day offensive that turned Gaza neighborhoods into battlegrounds and dealt a stinging blow to the Islamic militants of Hamas. But Israeli troops will stay in the Palestinian territory for now and Hamas threatened to keep fighting until they leave.

AP - Invoking hope and history, President-elect Barack Obama rolled into the capital city Saturday night pledging to help bring the nation 'a new Declaration of Independence' and promising to rise to the stern challenges of the times. He kicked off a four-day inaugural celebration with a daylong rail trip, retracing the path Abraham Lincoln took in 1861.

AP - The pilot of a crippled US Airways jetliner made a split-second decision to put down in the Hudson River because trying to return to the airport after birds knocked out both engines could have led to a 'catastrophic' crash in a populated neighborhood, he told investigators Saturday.

AP - Federal health authorities on Saturday urged consumers to avoid eating cookies, cakes, ice cream and other foods that contain peanut butter until authorities can learn more about a deadly outbreak of salmonella contamination.

AP - The economic crisis that will dominate Barack Obama's first 100 days as president, and beyond, will give him a rare chance to enact big portions of his agenda that otherwise might have languished for months or years.

AP - William Potts calls himself the 'Homesick Hijacker.' U.S. authorities have another name for him: fugitive harbored by an enemy government — one of dozens of Americans hiding in communist Cuba.

AFP - Israel held its fire in Gaza Sunday after declaring a unilateral ceasefire in its 22-day onslaught which has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians and levelled vast swathes of the Hamas-run enclave.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel ceased fire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after declaring victory in its three-week offensive but Hamas guerrillas said the war that has cost 1,200 Palestinian lives would go on.

AP - No. 1 Pittsburgh's perfect run is over. Earl Clark had 16 points and 11 rebounds on his 21st birthday to lead No. 20 Louisville to a 69-63 victory over the Panthers on Saturday night.

Reuters - Israel ceased fire in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after declaring victory in its three-week offensive but Hamas guerrillas said the war that has cost 1,200 Palestinian lives would go on.