Jobless rate jumps to 7.2 percent
The Labor Department reported Friday that the jobless rate rose to 7.2 percent in December and payrolls dropped by 524,000 jobs.
Death row inmate pulls out eye, eats it
A Texas death row inmate with a history of mental problems pulled out his only good eye and told authorities he ate it.
Boeing plane division to cut 4,500 jobs
Airplane maker Boeing Co. says it plans to cut about 4,500 jobs this year due to the global economic slowdown.
Gaza aid held as U.N. truce plan rejected
Israeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza Friday and Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets on at least two cities as both sides defied a U.N. call for an immediate cease-fire.
Stocks end sharply lower on bleak jobs data
Stocks slumped Friday after the U.S. unemployment rate shot above 7 percent, signaling that Americans will be sticking to their tightened budgets for a while.
Jobs outlook adds urgency to stimulus
Friday's employment report confirms an already bleak job market outlook. Analysts say that even if all goes well hiring probably won't pick up again until early 2010.
Citigroup director Robert Rubin resigns
Citigroup says board member Robert Rubin, the former U.S. Treasury secretary, has resigned as a senior adviser to the big financial services company.
Microsoft's Ballmer raises pressure on Yahoo
Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer has told the Financial Times newspaper that the current period of transition for Yahoo is a good time for a search deal between the two companies.
American set on fire by Afghan dies
An anthropologist embedded with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan to help soldiers understand local customs has died more than two months after she was doused with fuel and set on fire.
Stevie Wonder: Touch-screens alienate blind
The craze for touch-screen gadgets, sparked by Apple Inc's popular iPhone, is raising worries that a whole generation of consumer electronics will be out of the reach of the blind.
