Somali pirates free Saudi supertanker

Somali pirates freed a Saudi supertanker seized in the world's biggest ship hijacking for a $3 million ransom on Friday, an associate of the gang said.

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.

At CES, progress a step at a time

The big debuts at the International Consumer Electronics Show aren't whiz-bang hardware systems. They're ideas designed to protect the environment and improve the technology consumers already use.

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.

Ill. court: Burris doesn't need 2nd signature

The Illinois Supreme Court says Secretary of State Jesse White doesn't need to sign Roland Burris' appointment to the U.S. Senate to make it valid.

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.

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.

Barkley to take leave of absence after DUI bust

NBA broadcaster' blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, test shows

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.

Kenya: 10 million at risk after harvests fail
Ten million people risk going hungry in Kenya after harvests failed because of drought, the government said Friday.