Stocks end up slightly after Fed notes' release

Stocks ended slightly higher Tuesday, as fresh details from the Federal Reserve on its efforts to combat the recession helped offset disappointing economic reports.

Toyota to suspend car production in Japan

Toyota is suspending production at all 12 of its Japan plants for 11 days over February and March as it grapples with shrinking global demand.

U.N.: 36 die in strike near Gaza school

Red Cross warns 500,000 civilians in danger; Israel rejects calls for truce.

Jews in Europe targeted over Gaza

Signs are mounting that the conflict in Gaza is starting to spill over into violence in Europe's towns and cities, with Jews suffering assaults and arson attacks in France, Sweden and Britain.

Prayer for laid-off workers: 'Calm my soul'
The Church of England published a prayer Tuesday to help comfort Britons who lose their jobs in the financial crisis.

Burris rejected in bid for Senate seat

Roland Burris failed in his bid to take President-elect Barack Obama's Illinois Senate seat on Tuesday in a scripted piece of political theater staged just before the opening of the 111th Congress.

Pending home sales hit record low

Pending sales of existing U.S. homes dropped to a seven-year low in November, data showed on Tuesday.

Brain pacemaker benefits Parkinson's patients

Parkinson's patients who had electrodes implanted in their brains improved more than those who took only medicine, according to the biggest test yet of deep brain stimulation.

Diet, not exercise, plays key role in weight loss
Though better nutrition coupled with exercise has long been the favored prescription for losing weight and avoiding obesity, a new study suggests diet actually plays the key role.

Apple cutting some iTunes prices

Apple is cutting the price of some songs in its market-leading iTunes online music store to 69 cents and plans to begin selling all tracks without copy protection.