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.

Phillies reliever suspended 50 games for drug

Phillies reliever J.C. Romero and Yankees minor league pitcher Sergio Mitre were suspended for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned substance.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Boy, 6, misses bus, tries to drive to school
Having missed his bus, a 6-year-old Virginia boy tried to drive to school in his family's sedan — and crashed.

Rise in monoxide poisonings feared

Power outages spurred by the combination of bad weather and utility shutoffs in a bad economy could boost cases of carbon monoxide poisonings this year, health officials fear.

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.