Obama pledged change, picks insiders
President-elect Barack Obama promised the voters change but has started his Cabinet selection process by naming several Washington insiders to top posts.
Ex-Gitmo detainee to taste freedom
Australian police said Thursday they will stop restricting the movements and communications of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee.
McDonald's courts moms as emissaries
McDonald's has recruited mothers to go behind the scenes of the company's operations, meet senior executives and then communicate what they see via the Web in a bid to brighten its image.
Scoop: Jennifer Aniston gets a kick out of ‘Friends'
The "Marley & Me" star tells New York Times magazine, "This is horrible to say, but there are times when I laugh my rear end off."
Community colleges suddenly in spotlight
Long the neglected stepchildren of American higher education, community colleges have come front-and-center in the eyes of students, policymakers and philanthropists.
Oil dives below $50 to near a two-year low
Oil prices fell below $50 to near a two-year low Thursday as investors worried about plummeting stock markets and the global economy.
ConsumerMan: Shady retirement seminars
Many Americans nearing retirement are bombarded with invitations to attend financial management seminars. A free lunch is offered. But that lunch may prove to pricey.
Global markets extend rout
European and Asian stock markets tumbled Thursday after recession fears sent Wall Street plunging the day before.
U.S. jobless claims jump to 16-year high
New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market.
Massive search for S. Pacific fishermen
The New Zealand air force searched for 29 fishermen Thursday after the charred remains of their boat was found abandoned near the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati.
