HEADLINE NEWS

Yahoo! News - Top Stories

• SC gov resurfaces after mystery trip to Argentina (AP)
  AP - Gov. Mark Sanford told a newspaper he was in Argentina, not hiking the Appalachian Trail as his staff had told the public to explain his sudden absence. He said he "wanted to do something exotic" to unwind after losing a fight over federal stimulus money.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:49:36 GMT
• Mousavi wife compares Iran state to martial law (AP)
  AP - Iran's supreme leader said Wednesday that the government would not yield to demonstrators who want a disputed presidential election annulled, effectively closing the door to compromise with the opposition.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:41:50 GMT
• Citi boosting salaries to offset lower bonuses (AP)
  AP - Citigroup Inc. is increasing base salaries for many of its employees — reportedly by as much as 50 percent for some workers — as it restructures its compensation program amid new restrictions on bonus payments.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:33:49 GMT
• May new home sales dip 0.6 percent (AP)
  AP - New U.S. home sales fell slightly last month, in another sign that the housing market's recovery is likely to be gradual and prolonged.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:24:32 GMT
• HHS secretary to press lawmakers on health care (AP)
  AP - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told lawmakers Wednesday that President Barack Obama is willing to listen to suggestions on how to pay for a health care overhaul, as long as they don't increase the deficit.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:50:54 GMT
• Investigators seek why automated train didn't stop (AP)
  AP - Federal investigators planned to test the automated controls for Metro trains for the first time Wednesday, looking to see why the computerized system designed to prevent such disasters failed.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:33:53 GMT
• Fed mulls tweaks to economic revival programs (AP)
  AP - With signs the economy is improving but still fragile, Federal Reserve policymakers are considering whether some programs intended to drive down rates on mortgages and other consumer debt should be slowed down.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:18:19 GMT
• No more 'Celebrity' for Patti Blagojevich (AP)
  AP - Illinois' former first lady won't be queen of the jungle. Patti Blagojevich was voted off NBC's reality series "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" on Tuesday. She lasted 23 days in the Costa Rican jungle as a replacement for her husband, who was barred by a judge from leaving the country amid his pending corruption charges.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:40:09 GMT
• Woman pleads guilty in drunken breast-feeding case (AP)
  AP - A North Dakota woman accused of breast-feeding her 6-week-old baby while drunk has pleaded guilty to child neglect.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:19:48 GMT
• Maria Sharapova is upset by Dulko at Wimbledon (AP)
  AP - Maria Sharapova won seven straight games during one stretch but let a late lead slip away Wednesday and lost to Gisela Dulko, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round at Wimbledon.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:40:19 GMT
• Iranians protest against election result: witness (Reuters)
  Reuters - A group of over 200 Iranians gathered Wednesday in southern Tehran to protest against the presidential election result, a witness told Reuters, adding there were no clashes so far.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:52:17 GMT
• Orders for big-ticket items surge, housing data mixed (Reuters)
  Reuters - An unexpected jump in U.S. durable goods orders last month backed hopes that the economy was healing, but news from the hard-hit housing market remained mixed.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:44:28 GMT
• Fed to hold fire on buying, talk down rate hikes (Reuters)
  Reuters - The Federal Reserve is expected to emphasize the U.S. economy's fragile state in a policy statement on Wednesday as it talks down expectations for a rate hike this year and holds fire on expanding asset purchases.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:35:21 GMT
• "Missing" U.S. governor was on private Argentina trip (Reuters)
  Reuters - South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford returned to the United States on Wednesday from a secret private trip to Argentina, ending days of speculation over his whereabouts and raising questions about his judgment.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:08:18 GMT
• Public health plan could save money faster: policy group (Reuters)
  Reuters - A nationwide health insurance exchange that includes a Medicare-like government option could save $1.8 trillion more than if only private plans are offered, a prominent private U.S. health policy group said on Wednesday.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:00:01 GMT
• U.S. to send ambassador to Syria after 4 years (Reuters)
  Reuters - President Barack Obama has decided to return a U.S. ambassador to Syria after a four-year hiatus as talks between the two nations intensify, U.S. media reported Tuesday.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:00:14 GMT
• U.S. recession to bottom out this year: OECD (Reuters)
  Reuters - A severe U.S. recession will bottom out this year, but any recovery will be weak due to anemic markets and shrunken consumer wealth, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said on Wednesday.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:37:46 GMT
• U.S. drones prowl over Pakistan's South Waziristan (Reuters)
  Reuters - U.S. drones prowled the sky over Pakistan's South Waziristan on Wednesday, a day after one of the aircraft attacked a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, killing about 70 militants.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:05:50 GMT
• Khamenei insists Iran will not back down over vote (AFP)
  AFP - Iran's supreme leader warned on Wednesday that the regime would not back down in the face of opposition protests over the disputed presidential vote, amid soaring tensions between Tehran and the West.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:09:43 GMT
• Attacks, clashes kill 61 in Afghanistan (AFP)
  AFP - A bomb tore through a vehicle in Afghanistan Wednesday and killed seven civilians while authorities reported that 54 people, mostly militants, were killed in other insurgency-linked violence.
  Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:52:41 GMT