Russia Stops Gas Flows Through Ukraine - Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukraine altogether Wednesday, depriving the European Union of one fifth of its gas needs as a pricing dispute between Moscow and Ukraine continued to deteriorate.

Germany adds to global job woes - /BERLIN - Germany posted its first rise in unemployment in almost three years on Wednesday, a day after the global economic downturn forced U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa to announce 15,000 job cuts and slash output.

Cambodians mark 30 years since fall of Pol Pot - PHNOM PENH - Thousands of Cambodian survivors of the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields" marked 30 years Wednesday since the fall of Pol Pot's ultra-Maoist regime, blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people.

Madoff victims may get some cash within a month: report - - Investors who lost money in Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion fraud might begin recovering some of their funds as soon as next month, Securities Investor Protection Corp, President Stephen Harbeck told Bloomberg in an interview.

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CNN: Gupta approached about surgeon general post - President-elect Barack Obama's reported choice for surgeon general, CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, could bring a dose of star power to a job that hasn't had that much clout in decades....

Alcoa to cut 13 percent of global work force - PITTSBURGH - Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. is cutting roughly 13 percent of its global work force by the end of the year as it slashes costs in the face of a deteriorating world economy....

Obama says deficit may approach $1 trillion - President-elect Barack Obama said on Tuesday he expects to inherit a U.S. budget deficit approaching $1 trillion and his administration would have to make some tough budget choices.

Alcoa to slash jobs and sell 4 units - Alcoa Inc said on Tuesday it would slash more than 15,000 jobs, halve capital spending and sell four businesses as it reduces aluminum production in the face of the global economic downturn.

Gates projects Pentagon needs $70 billion more for wars - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates estimates the Pentagon will need about $70 billion more to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, on top of the $65.9 billion already approved by Congress.

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Increase of sick brown pelicans baffles experts - Wildlife experts are trying to figure out why sick, disoriented and bruised California brown pelicans are being found in record numbers along more than 1,000 miles of coastline....

Stimulus aside, Obama vows future budget restraint - To a public wary of government spending, President-elect Barack Obama is offering a salve with his massive economic stimulus package: the promise of long-term fiscal discipline....

Democratic opposition to seating Burris cracks - Senate Democrats are looking for ways to defuse the standoff that has denied Roland Burris the vacated Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama of Illinois, but maybe not much longer....

Pakistani spy chief says no war with India - ISLAMABAD - The chief of Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has said there will not be a war with India over November's militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai, Der Spiegel reported. Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha told the German magazine in an interview terrorism, not India, was Pakistan's enemy, and he said he took orders from the civilian president.

Apartment rents show first decline in over 5 years - Average rents for U.S. apartments fell in the fourth quarter, as a sharp economic downturn and rising unemployment left Americans unwilling to pay higher prices, according to data released on Wednesday.

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Egypt floats truce plan after Gaza school deaths - Israel and Hamas studied an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday that won immediate backing from the United States and Europe, hours after Israeli shells killed 42 Palestinians at a U.N. school.

Israel to halt ops for 3 hours for food aid - CITY, Gaza - Israel was set to pause its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or to expand the assault against Hamas....

DiCaprio, Eastwood are Palm Springs film winners - PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - The world economy is in dire straits, but you sure wouldn't know it from the red carpet at the 20th-annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. The actresses were dripping with jewels, actors donned high fashion, and logos of jeweler Cartier and automaker Mercedes-Benz loomed large behind all as they posed for photographers....

Russia stops all gas supply to Europe via Ukraine - KIEV, Ukraine - Russia has shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine - the latest move in a pricing dispute that has reduced or halted fuel deliveries to a dozen countries during a winter cold snap....

Tulsa pummels No. 23 Ball State 45-13 in GMAC Bowl - MOBILE, Ala. - Tulsa and No. 23 Ball State both had the best seasons in their respective programs' history. Only the Golden Hurricane felt particularly good about it Tuesday night, when they appeared faster and stronger on both sides of the ball and rolled to a 45-13 win in the GMAC Bowl....

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