Israel conditionally welcomes cease-fire plan

Israel tentatively welcomed a proposal for a Gaza cease-fire and briefly halted its offensive to allow aid to reach civilians, but also gave the military a green light to press ahead with its assault on Hamas.

Cubans pin hopes on Obama

In central Havana, many people hope that President-elect Barack Obama will do something — almost anything — to help end the official hostilities between Cuba and the U.S.

CBO sees record $1.2 trillion '09 deficit
The U.S. federal budget deficit will hit an unparalleled $1.2 trillion for the 2009 budget year, according to grim new Congressional Budget Office figures.

Al-Qaida No. 2 blames Obama for Gaza

Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader lashed out at President-elect Barack Obama in a new message, accusing him of not doing anything to stop Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, according to a monitoring center.

Scoop: Spears' tour gets off to shaky start

According to Us Weekly, Britney Spears just doesn't have the work ethic she used to and it's affecting her upcoming tour.

Gaza Palestinians: ‘Everywhere is dangerous'

Msnbc.com's Kari Huus on Wednesday interviewed two young Palestinians in Gaza by phone to hear their accounts of life in the battle zone.

Satyam scandal could be 'India's Enron'

The head of Indian outsourcing firm Satyam Computer Services resigned on Wednesday, disclosing that profits had been falsely inflated for years.

Europe shivers as Russia cuts gas shipments

Russia shut off all gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine on Wednesday — leaving more than a dozen countries scrambling to cope during a winter cold snap.

Stores fear holiday sales may stick

Shoppers are getting used to those 75 percent off sales, and that's bad news for merchants who worry they will also have to quickly slash prices on spring goods to attract customers.