AP - With opponents of Chrysler's planned partnership with Italy's Fiat having exhausted their appeals, the Obama administration-backed sale could close early Wednesday — putting the automaker close to its goal of a speedy exit from bankruptcy protection.

AP - Investigators searched a wrecked luxury hotel in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday for clues after a bold suicide bombing that killed 11 people, including aid workers, in what the U.N. condemned as a 'heinous terrorist attack.'

AP - Missing for two games, Orlando found its Magic touch.

AFP - Pakistani police have scoured the charred rooms of a luxury hotel in northwest Peshawar for clues after a suicide car bomb killed 15 people in the city troubled by Taliban violence.

WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the sale of Chrysler LLC to Italy's Fiat, while General Motors began to revamp its widely criticized board by naming former AT&T Inc chief executive Ed Whitacre as chairman.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Russia has information on North Korean plans to launch a ballistic missile but does not know when it will take place, Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian military source as saying on Wednesday.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Rescuers scoured the wreckage of Peshawar's top hotel for victims on Wednesday after a suicide bomb killed at least seven people, the latest militant attack retaliating for a Pakistani army offensive in the Swat valley.

AP - The remote Pacific island nation of Palau said Wednesday it has agreed to a U.S. request to temporarily resettle up to 17 Chinese Muslims now held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center on Cuba.

AP - Ahmed Ghailani already was a terrorism suspect with an extraordinary resume — alleged aide to Osama bin Laden, suspected bomb maker, former prisoner of war. Now he's the first Guantanamo detainee headed for trial in the United States.

AP - Iraqi officials say at least 15 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a car bombing in a Shiite area in the country's south.

AP - The U.S. military on Wednesday released a grainy video of a grenade explosion that killed two Afghans and wounded more than 50, while President Hamid Karzai ordered a government investigation into the incident.

AP - Investigators searched a wrecked luxury hotel in northwestern Pakistan for evidence Wednesday after a bold suicide bombing killed 11 people, including aid workers, in what the U.N. condemned as a 'heinous terrorist attack.'

AP - Pentagon employees have received millions of dollars in free travel and lodging from foreign countries, trade groups and companies with an interest in shaping policies or doing business with the U.S. military.

Reuters - Russia has information on North Korean plans to launch a ballistic missile but does not know when it will take place, Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian military source as saying on Wednesday.

Reuters - Rescuers scoured the wreckage of Peshawar's top hotel for victims on Wednesday after a suicide bomb killed at least seven people, the latest militant attack retaliating for a Pakistani army offensive in the Swat valley.

AFP - Pakistani police have pulled bodies from the charred rubble of a luxury hotel in northwest Peshawar after a suicide car bomb killed 16 people in the city troubled by Taliban violence.

PARIS (Reuters) - A French submarine with advanced sonar equipment is due to begin searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of the Air France airliner which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean last week, the French military said.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Rescuers scoured the wreckage of Peshawar's top hotel for victims on Wednesday after a suicide bomb killed at least seven people, the latest militant attack in retaliation for a Pakistani army offensive in the Swat valley.

AP - The tropical Pacific island nation of Palau announced Wednesday it will accept up to 17 Chinese Muslims who have languished in legal limbo at Guantanamo Bay despite a Pentagon determination that they are not 'enemy combatants.'

AP - Searchers will attempt to enter a North Carolina meat products plant that was ripped by an explosion that killed at least two workers. One person is still unaccounted for.

AP - Rashard Lewis stood at the free-throw line with less than one second left as several workers hurriedly broomed off confetti that had fallen prematurely onto the Amway Arena floor.

Reuters - A French submarine with advanced sonar equipment is due to begin searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of the Air France airliner which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean last week, the French military said.

Reuters - Rescuers scoured the wreckage of Peshawar's top hotel for victims on Wednesday after a suicide bomb killed at least seven people, the latest militant attack in retaliation for a Pakistani army offensive in the Swat valley.

AFP - A car bomb exploded in a market in a southern Iraqi town on Wednesday, killing 28 people including women and children in the bloodiest attack to hit the country in weeks.

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian car maker Fiat SpA was set to close its takeover of Chrysler on Wednesday in an ambitious move to survive and grow out of one of the worst crises in global auto industry.

PARIS (Reuters) - A French submarine with advanced sonar equipment was due to begin searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani security cameras showed on Wednesday barriers were lowered at the entrance to Peshawar's top hotel just before militants drove into the forecourt and exploded a truck bomb, killing at least nine people, including two foreign U.N. workers.

AP - Investigators searched a wrecked luxury hotel in northwestern Pakistan for evidence Wednesday after a bold suicide bombing killed 11 people, including aid workers, in what the U.N. condemned as a 'heinous terrorist attack.'

AP - A car bomb ripped through a market district Wednesday in a mainly Shiite area in southern Iraq, killing as many as 35 people and wounding dozens, officials said.

AP - The chain that claims it's 'way better than fast food' did better than its competitors in a new survey. Wendy's has been named the top fast-food chain by restaurant guide publisher Zagat.

AP - An Israeli woman mistakenly threw out a mattress with $1 million inside, setting off a frantic search through tons of garbage at a number of landfill sites, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

Reuters - Italian car maker Fiat SpA was set to close its takeover of Chrysler on Wednesday in an ambitious move to survive and grow out of one of the worst crises in global auto industry.

Reuters - A French submarine with advanced sonar equipment was due to begin searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.

Reuters - U.S. envoy George Mitchell assured the Palestinians Wednesday of Washington's commitment to a state of their own, calling its establishment the only viable solution to their conflict with Israel.

Reuters - Pakistani security cameras showed on Wednesday barriers were lowered at the entrance to Peshawar's top hotel just before militants drove into the forecourt and exploded a truck bomb, killing at least nine people, including two foreign U.N. workers.

AFP - A car bomb exploded in a market in a southern Iraqi town on Wednesday, killing 19 people including women and children in the bloodiest attack to hit the country in weeks.

(Reuters) - Chrysler Group LLC and Fiat SpA on Wednesday said they finalized their global strategic alliance.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb ripped through a crowded market in southern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people, and wounding 70, officials said.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan launched a new operation against Taliban fighters in the northwest on Wednesday, a day after an attack on a luxury hotel in Peshawar killed at least nine people, including two foreign U.N. workers.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - U.S. envoy George Mitchell assured the Palestinians on Wednesday of Washington's commitment to a state of their own, calling its establishment the only viable solution to their conflict with Israel.

AP - Italy's Fiat is the new owner of the bulk of Chrysler's assets, closing a deal Wednesday that saves the troubled U.S. automaker from liquidation and places a new company in the hands of Fiat's CEO.

AP - A rare car bomb ripped through a market in southern Iraq's Shiite heartland Wednesday as shoppers were buying meat and vegetables, killing at least 29 people and wounding dozens, officials said.

AP - Palau agreed to accept 17 Chinese Muslims who have languished in legal limbo at Guantanamo Bay, indicating a resolution to one of the major obstacles to closing the U.S. prison camp.

AP - She dared a deputy constable to shock her with a Taser.

Reuters - Chrysler Group LLC and Fiat SpA on Wednesday said they finalized their global strategic alliance.

Reuters - A car bomb ripped through a crowded market in southern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people, and wounding 70, officials said.

Reuters - Pakistan launched a new operation against Taliban fighters in the northwest on Wednesday, a day after an attack on a luxury hotel in Peshawar killed at least nine people, including two foreign U.N. workers.

AFP - Pakistani police on Wednesday pulled bodies from the charred rubble of a luxury hotel in northwest Peshawar after a suicide car bomb killed 18 people in the city troubled by Taliban violence.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb ripped through a crowded market in southern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 33 people and prompting angry protests by residents about the failure to protect them, officials and witnesses said.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - World powers on Wednesday agreed to expand sanctions to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test and weapons program, as Russia said it expected the North to launch another provocative missile test.

PARIS (Reuters) - A French submarine with advanced sonar equipment began searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A U.S. court on Wednesday convicted a naturalized American citizen who made videos of U.S. landmarks of conspiring to provide material support to terrorism.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former U.S. State Department official and his wife, accused of spying for the Cuban government for nearly 30 years, were ordered Wednesday to be kept in jail until their trial.

AP - Italy's Fiat is the new owner of most of Chrysler's assets, closing a deal Wednesday that saves the troubled U.S. automaker from liquidation and places a new company in the hands of Fiat's CEO.

AP - Diplomats say seven key nations have agreed on new U.N. sanctions against North Korea for conducting a second nuclear test.

AP - A car bomb ripped through a market in southern Iraq's Shiite heartland Wednesday as shoppers were buying meat and vegetables, killing about 30 people and wounding dozens more, officials said.

AP - Authorities say they have found a third body inside a Slim Jim factory in North Carolina a day after an explosion wrecked the building.

AP - The makers of the hit movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' have bought a new home for one of the two child stars discovered in Mumbai's slums.

Reuters - A car bomb ripped through a crowded market in southern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 33 people and prompting angry protests by residents about the failure to protect them, officials and witnesses said.

Reuters - World powers on Wednesday agreed to expand sanctions to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test and weapons program, as Russia said it expected the North to launch another provocative missile test.

Reuters - A French submarine with advanced sonar equipment began searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.

Reuters - A U.S. court on Wednesday convicted a naturalized American citizen who made videos of U.S. landmarks of conspiring to provide material support to terrorism.

Reuters - A former U.S. State Department official and his wife, accused of spying for the Cuban government for nearly 30 years, were ordered Wednesday to be kept in jail until their trial.

AFP - Seven key UN powers on Wednesday reached a tentative deal on a draft resolution that would broaden UN sanctions on North Korea in reaction to its nuclear test last month, a diplomat said.

AFP - Chrysler and Fiat announced Wednesday they have finalized a global strategic alliance, forming a new Chrysler Group that will begin operations immediately.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two people were shot at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Wednesday, police said.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - World powers on Wednesday agreed to expand sanctions to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test and weapons program, as Russia said it expected the North to launch another provocative missile test.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday the Obama administration wants Congress to pass new laws giving securities regulators power to force companies to let shareholders have more say in setting executive pay levels.

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting of experts on Thursday to discuss the spreading H1N1 flu outbreak, in a sign the U.N. agency may be poised to declare a pandemic.

AP - A gunman exchanged fire with security guards inside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday.

AP - The economy's sharp downhill slide eased in the late spring and hopes for future business activity improved, suggesting that the worst of the recession has passed.

AP - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the Obama administration doesn't want to place caps on executives' pay — even though it believes excessive compensation led to risk-taking that contributed to the financial crisis.

AP - Western powers joined with North Korea's key allies Wednesday on a proposal that would impose tough new sanctions against the reclusive communist nation for its second nuclear test, paving the way for quick approval by the U.N. Security Council.

AP - A car bomb blew up Wednesday in a packed outdoor food market in one of the most peaceful areas of Iraq's Shiite south, killing about 30 people and wounding dozens more.

AP - Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do.

Reuters - Two people were shot at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Wednesday, police said.

Reuters - World powers on Wednesday agreed to expand sanctions to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test and weapons program, as Russia said it expected the North to launch another provocative missile test.

Reuters - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday the Obama administration wants Congress to pass new laws giving securities regulators power to force companies to let shareholders have more say in setting executive pay levels.

Reuters - The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting of experts on Thursday to discuss the spreading H1N1 flu outbreak, in a sign the U.N. agency may be poised to declare a pandemic.

AFP - Rescuers have pulled at least nine bodies from the rubble of a luxury hotel in northwest Pakistan hit by a suicide car bomb, as blame fell Wednesday on Taliban rebels avenging a military push.

AFP - Seven key powers reached a tentative deal Wednesday on a draft UN Security Council resolution that would expand sanctions to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test, with a vote expected by week's end.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An elderly gunman, believed linked to an anti-Jewish website, shot a security guard at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday before being wounded when guards returned fire, officials said.

PARIS (Reuters) - A French nuclear submarine with advanced sonar equipment began searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.

AP - An elderly gunman opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, gravely wounding a security guard before being shot. Authorities said they were investigating a white supremacist as the suspect. The assailant and his victim were both hospitalized, said Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty, who added that the gunman was in critical condition.

AP - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the Obama administration doesn't want to place caps on executives' pay — even though it believes excessive compensation led to risk-taking that contributed to the financial crisis.

AP - Iran's hard-line president took a final shot at his rivals Wednesday during his last public pre-election rally, accusing them of resorting to a smear campaign against him similar to the one used by Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister.

AP - Senate Republicans are asking Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor to cough up more documents from her past. The GOP senators on the Judiciary Committee say Sotomayor's response to a detailed questionnaire was 'incomplete.' In a letter to Sotomayor Wednesday, they're requesting a long list of additions they say they need to evaluate her record.

AP - Nearly six months after the U.S.-Mexico border fence ordered by the Bush administration was supposed to be finished, its completion is in limbo while a judge waits answers to questions about private property in the fence's path.

AP - For more than a year, Virginia's largest women's prison rounded up inmates who had loose-fitting clothes, short hair or otherwise masculine looks, sending them to a unit officers derisively dubbed the 'butch wing,' prisoners and guards say.

AP - It's official: Controversial Miss California Carrie Prejean has heard the words 'you're fired' from pageant boss Donald Trump. Trump issued a statement Wednesday saying he sacked Prejean for failing to honor her commitments as Miss California USA.

Reuters - An elderly gunman, believed linked to an anti-Jewish website, shot a security guard at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday before being wounded when guards returned fire, officials said.

Reuters - Fiat SpA closed its acquisition of Chrysler's strongest assets on Wednesday, a key step in the Italian carmaker's ambitious plan to create a global player to ride out the worldwide auto sales downturn.

Reuters - The Obama administration on Wednesday named Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the government's compensation fund for victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, as its pay czar to police compensation of top earners at companies receiving 'exceptional' government aid.

Reuters - A French nuclear submarine with advanced sonar equipment began searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An elderly gunman linked to an anti-Jewish website killed a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Wednesday and was wounded when guards returned fire, officials said.

DETROIT/MILAN (Reuters) - Fiat SpA closed its acquisition of Chrysler's strongest assets on Wednesday, a key step in the Italian carmaker's ambitious plan to create a global player to ride out the worldwide auto sales downturn.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday named Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the government's compensation fund for victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, as its pay czar to police compensation of top earners at companies receiving 'exceptional' government aid.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Times Co has hired Goldman Sachs to manage the possible sale of The Boston Globe, and plans to request bids in the next couple of weeks, The Boston Globe reported on Wednesday.

AP - An 88-year-old gunman with a violent and virulently anti-Semitic past opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself by other officers, authorities said.

AP - Talking tough but stepping gently, the Obama administration rejected direct intervention in corporate pay decisions Wednesday even as officials argued that excessive compensation in the private sector contributed to the nation's financial crisis. Instead, the administration plans to seek legislation that would try to tame compensation at publicly traded companies through shareholder pressure and less management influence on pay decisions.

AP - A Nebraska doctor said Wednesday that he will perform third-term abortions in Kansas after the slaying of abortion provider George Tiller, but declined to say whether his plans include opening a new facility or offering the procedure at an existing practice.

AP - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee warned Republicans Wednesday against moving to the 'mushy middle,' arguing that only clearly stated conservative policies can bring the party back to power.

Reuters - An elderly gunman linked to an anti-Jewish website killed a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Wednesday and was wounded when guards returned fire, officials said.

Reuters - The Obama administration on Wednesday named Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the government's compensation fund for victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, as its pay czar to police compensation of top earners at companies receiving 'exceptional' government aid.

Reuters - The New York Times Co has hired Goldman Sachs to manage the possible sale of The Boston Globe, and plans to request bids in the next couple of weeks, The Boston Globe reported on Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's government risks a financial 'meltdown' within 50 days in light of its weakening May revenues unless Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers quickly plug a $24.3 billion budget gap, the state's controller said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Wednesday named Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the government's compensation fund for victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, as its pay czar to police compensation of top earners at companies receiving 'exceptional' government aid.

Reuters - California's government risks a financial 'meltdown' within 50 days in light of its weakening May revenues unless Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers quickly plug a $24.3 billion budget gap, the state's controller said on Wednesday.

Reuters - The Obama administration on Wednesday named Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who oversaw the government's compensation fund for victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, as its pay czar to police compensation of top earners at companies receiving 'exceptional' government aid.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Facing the worst job market in a generation, students graduating from America's universities say they are willing to do just about anything for work.

AP - It's an international mystery: How did a Missouri family's Christmas card photo end up in the Czech Republic, splashed across a huge storefront advertisement? Danielle Smith said Wednesday that the photo taken of her family last year got sent to family and friends, and was posted on her blog and a few social networking sites. The photo showed her and her husband Jeff holding their two young children.

AP - Mark Sanchez wanted no contract squabbles or training camp headaches. The New York Jets' rookie quarterback got his big deal — and a huge sense of relief — before minicamp was even completed, signing a five-year deal Wednesday that could be worth up to $60 million, including $28 million guaranteed.

AFP - An elderly white supremacist with a history of anti-Semitic tirades has opened fire inside the national Holocaust Memorial Museum, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot by return fire.

AFP - An Australian budget flight from Japan was forced into an emergency landing on the Pacific island of Guam after a fire broke out in the cockpit, company officials said on Thursday.

AP - An 88-year-old gunman with a violent and virulently anti-Semitic past opened fire with a rifle inside the crowded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, fatally wounding a security guard before being shot himself by other officers, authorities said.

AP - A car fleeing a robbery scene and being chased by police Wednesday night jumped a curb and crashed into a crowd, killing three young children in front of their home and gravely injuring a woman, authorities said.

AP - Chrysler may have been granted a fresh start, but it still faces old problems: how to sell enough cars and realign its fleet away from the trucks and SUVs consumers seem to no longer want or be able to afford.

AP - The number of U.S. households on the verge of losing their homes dipped in May from April, and the annual increase was the smallest in three years.

AP - Alcohol was found in the woman who was driving Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart before they were both killed in a collision in April, according to toxicology tests released Wednesday.

Reuters - California's government risks a financial 'meltdown' within 50 days in light of its weakening May revenues unless Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers quickly plug a $24.3 billion budget gap, the state's controller said on Wednesday.

AFP - An Australian flight has been forced to make an emergency landing on a remote Pacific island, just days after an Air France tragedy involving the same model of Airbus plane, officials have said.