NewsDaily: Top Headlines

Ex-State Dept official pleads guilty to spying for Cuba (Reuters)

Jeremy Pelofsky — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:46:35 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- A former U.S. State Department official and his wife pleaded guilty on Friday to charges that they spied for almost three decades for the Communist-led Cuban government. ... > read full story

Obama job approval rating drops under 50 percent (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:31:58 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- President Barack Obama's job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long healthcare debate and weakness in the economy, Gallup said on Friday. ... > read full story

U.S. to drop charges against one Blackwater guard (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:47:45 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- U.S. Justice Department prosecutors asked a federal judge on Friday to dismiss the charges against one of five Blackwater security guards accused of killing 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in a 2007 shooting in Baghdad. ... > read full story

Swine flu may have hit one peak; more to come (Reuters)

Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:50:34 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over. ... > read full story

No Obama decision on Afghan until after Thanksgiving (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:26:56 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- President Barack Obama's announcement of a new strategy on Afghanistan will not take place until after the Thanksgiving holiday next week, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday. ... > read full story

Somalia to join child rights pact, only U.S. outside (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:14:05 EST

GENEVA, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- Somalia has announced it plans to ratify a global treaty aimed at protecting children, leaving the United States as the only country outside the pact, UNICEF said Friday. ... > read full story

Cautious optimism as job losses slow (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:02:13 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- The pace of job losses slowed in many U.S. states in October, and the unemployment rate slipped in hard-hit Michigan, the Labor Department said on Friday, hinting the recession may be easing in some areas. ... > read full story

Did U.S. make a swine flu mistake? (Reuters)

Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:25:31 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- As U.S. health officials struggle to vaccinate tens of millions of Americans against the pandemic of swine flu, some are looking regretfully at one easy way to instantly double or triple the number of doses available -- by using an immune booster called an adjuvant. ... > read full story

Six powers regret Iran's stance on nuclear deal (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:13:40 EST

BRUSSELS, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- Senior officials from six world powers expressed disappointment on Friday that Iran had not accepted proposals intended to delay its potential ability to make nuclear bombs and urged Tehran to reconsider. ... > read full story

New guidelines: Pap smears should start at age 21 (Reuters)

Julie Steenhuysen — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:18:31 EST

CHICAGO, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- Women in the United States should start cervical cancer screening at age 21 and most do not need an annual Pap smear, according to new guidelines issued on Friday that aim to reduce the risk of unnecessary treatment. ... > read full story

U.S. soldier admits may have driven car in Japan crash (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:50:46 EST

TOKYO, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- A U.S. soldier has admitted he may have run over a Japanese man found dead two weeks ago on the southern island of Okinawa, his lawyer said on Friday, in a case that may further strain ties between the two countries. ... > read full story

ElBaradei hopes for Iran fuel deal by end of year (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:26:40 EST

BERLIN, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- The chief of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said on Friday he hoped for an agreement with Iran on an offer to send enriched uranium abroad for further processing before the end of the year. ... > read full story

U.S. missile strike kills 8 in Pakistan (Reuters)

Alamgir Bitani — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:18:51 EST

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- Eight Islamist militants were killed in a U.S. missile strike in northwest Pakistan on Friday, officials said, after three policemen were killed in a bomb blast. ... > read full story

Philip Morris ordered to pay $300 million to smoker (Reuters)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:34:05 EST

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20, 2009 (Reuters) -- A Florida jury on Thursday ordered cigarette maker Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million in damages to a 61-year-old ex-smoker named Cindy Naugle who is wheelchair-bound by emphysema. ... > read full story

Bank bill delayed in House, Senate divided (Reuters)

Kevin Drawbaugh — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:37:30 EST

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2009 (Reuters) -- Progress toward tighter U.S. financial regulation faltered in the U.S. Congress on Thursday as a House committee postponed a pivotal vote and Republicans on a Senate committee aired stubborn opposition. ... > read full story

Oprah Winfrey to end talk show in Sept 2011 (Reuters)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:56:24 EST

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2009 (Reuters) -- Oprah Winfrey will end her popular television talk show at the end of its 25th season in September 2011, her production company Harpo Inc said on Thursday. ... > read full story

Newsman Lou Dobbs mulls run for White House, Senate (Reuters)

Tim Gaynor — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:58:17 EST

PHOENIX, Nov. 19, 2009 (Reuters) -- A week after abruptly quitting his longtime job as a CNN television news host and commentator, Lou Dobbs said on Thursday he is considering career options including possible runs for the White House or U.S. Senate. ... > read full story

Sen. John Kerry's daughter arrested in Hollywood (Reuters)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:56:51 EST

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2009 (Reuters) -- Senator John Kerry's elder daughter, Alexandra, who made a red-carpet splash at the Cannes film festival five years ago in a see-through dress, was arrested in Hollywood on Thursday on suspicion of drunken driving. ... > read full story

Belgian, Briton on course for EU top jobs (Reuters)

Darren Ennis and Adrian Croft — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:22:45 EST

BRUSSELS, Nov. 19, 2009 (Reuters) -- Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was on course on Thursday to become the European Union's president and Briton Catherine Ashton to become its foreign affairs chief, EU officials said. ... > read full story

Belgian PM Van Rompuy proposed for top EU job: diplomats (Reuters)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:57 EST

BRUSSELS, Nov. 19, 2009 (Reuters) -- Sweden is proposing Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy for the post of EU president and Britain's Catherine Ashton to become the EU's foreign policy chief, diplomats said on Thursday. ... > read full story