NewsDaily: Top Headlines

U.S. to take control of Fannie and Freddie: reports (Reuters)

Glenn Somerville and Al Yoon — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:04:16 EDT

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Sep. 6, 2008 (Reuters) -- The U.S. government plans to put government sponsored mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae <FNM.N> and Freddie Mac <FRE.N> under federal control, the New York Times and Washington Post newspapers reported late Friday, in what could be the largest financial bailout in the nation's history. ... > read full story

Rice meets Gaddafi on historic Libya visit (Reuters)

Sue Pleming — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:01:35 EDT

TRIPOLI, Sep. 6, 2008 (Reuters) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- once reviled as a "mad dog" by a U.S. president -- on Friday on a historic visit which she said proved that Washington had no permanent enemies. ... > read full story

Pakistan presidency vote begins (Reuters)

Augustine Anthony — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:57:24 EDT

ISLAMABAD, Sep. 6, 2008 (Reuters) -- Members of Pakistan's parliament and four provincial assemblies began voting in a presidential election on Saturday to choose a replacement for Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last month. ... > read full story

Woman locked in cabin in Sweden for nine years (Reuters)

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:49:22 EDT

STOCKHOLM, Sep. 6, 2008 (Reuters) -- A 58-year-old man suspected of keeping a woman locked up in a tiny cabin in southern Sweden for nine years has been ordered by a court to be held in custody, local media reported. ... > read full story

U.S. urges N.Korea to make next move (Reuters)

Chris Buckley — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:40:41 EDT

BEIJING, Sep. 6, 2008 (Reuters) -- The United States remains willing to remove North Korea from a list of terror-sponsoring states as soon as the North agrees rules to check its nuclear disclosures, Washington's envoy in disarmament talks said on Saturday. ... > read full story

Hurricane Ike targets Gulf as Hanna hits Carolinas (Reuters)

Gene Cherry — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:43:37 EDT

SALVO, North Carolina, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Fierce Hurricane Ike weakened as it charged across the Atlantic on Friday and took aim at south Florida and the oil fields of the Gulf of Mexico, while Tropical Storm Hanna buffeted the Carolinas after killing at least 529 people in Haiti. ... > read full story

Boeing machinists to strike as contract talks fail (Reuters)

Bill Rigby and Laura Myers — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:42:43 EDT

NEW YORK/EVERETT, Washington, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Boeing Co's <BA.N> 27,000-strong machinists' union declared it will strike at midnight Pacific time on Friday, as the plane maker failed to improve its contract offer after two days of emergency talks. ... > read full story

Iraq wants explanation on reported U.S. spying on PM (Reuters)

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:01:56 EDT

BAGHDAD, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Iraq will seek an explanation from U.S. officials about a report asserting the United States spied on Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi government spokesman said on Friday. ... > read full story

U.S. jobless rate at 5-year high (Reuters)

Glenn Somerville — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:37:25 EDT

WASHINGTON, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- An unexpectedly steep 84,000 U.S. jobs were lost in August and the national unemployment rate hit a five-year high of 6.1 percent, fanning worry ahead of November's presidential vote about rising recession risks. ... > read full story

Serena and Jankovic to meet in title clash (Reuters)

Mark Lamport-Stokes — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:35:12 EDT

NEW YORK, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Jelena Jankovic and Serena Williams each had one eye on brewing thunderstorms as they booked their places in the U.S. Open women's final with efficient victories in blustery conditions on Friday. ... > read full story

Nearly 500 dead in flooded Haitian town: police (Reuters)

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:18:55 EDT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Haitian police found 495 corpses when muddy floodwaters began to recede on Friday from the port city of Gonaives following days of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Hanna, the town's police commissioner said on Friday. ... > read full story

Treasury near GSE bailout plan: report (Reuters)

Glenn Somerville and Al Yoon — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:51:23 EDT

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- The U.S. Treasury Department is close to finalizing a plan to buttress mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae <FNM.N> and Freddie Mac <FRE.N>, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. ... > read full story

Safety compliance gaps noted for some U.S. airlines (Reuters)

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:49:14 EDT

WASHINGTON, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Three major airlines were among 11 U.S. airlines that failed during an unprecedented industry review to demonstrate full compliance with government safety directives, regulators said on Friday. ... > read full story

McCain and Obama clash on economy (Reuters)

Jeff Mason — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:36:07 EDT

CEDARBURG, Wisconsin, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama, back on the campaign trail after their party conventions, clashed over the ailing U.S. economy on Friday as unemployment hit its highest monthly rate in nearly five years. ... > read full story

Boeing workers prepare to strike as deadline nears (Reuters)

Bill Rigby and Laura Myers — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:32:43 EDT

NEW YORK/EVERETT, Washington, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Boeing Co's machinists prepared for a strike on Friday as the plane-maker and its largest union tried to hammer out a last-ditch deal on their latest three-year contract. ... > read full story

U.S. appeals to Ukraine to unite with West (Reuters)

Tabassum Zakaria — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:23:29 EDT

KIEV, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney appealed to Ukraine's divided leaders on Friday to unite and forge closer links with the West, pledging Washington's support for Kiev to join the NATO military alliance. ... > read full story

Washington to pull plans for Russian nuclear deal (Reuters)

Susan Cornwell — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:50:00 EDT

WASHINGTON, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- The Bush administration will withdraw a civilian nuclear pact with Russia soon as a penalty for its invasion of Georgia last month, a State Department official said on Friday. ... > read full story

John McCain speech draws record TV ratings (Reuters)

Jill Serjeant — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:07:51 EDT

LOS ANGELES, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain beat Democratic rival Barack Obama in the crucial battle to attract U.S. television viewers during their race to the White House, according to figures released on Friday. ... > read full story

Voters say economy overshadows political hoopla (Reuters)

Andrea Hopkins — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:36:40 EDT

CINCINNATI, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Trudy Tucker doesn't know if the back-to-back U.S. political conventions addressed the financial worries she has raising four children -- she was too busy to watch. ... > read full story

Al Qaeda video vows more Denmark attacks (Reuters)

Firouz Sedarat — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:17:59 EDT

DUBAI, Sep. 5, 2008 (Reuters) -- Al Qaeda issued new threats against Denmark in an Internet video released on Friday, saying an attack on the Danish embassy in Pakistan was the start of its retaliation for perceived insults to the Prophet Mohammad. ... > read full story