Franken tops recount, lawsuit looms

The Minnesota state Canvassing Board certified results showing Democrat Al Franken the winner of the state's contested Senate race on Monday.

Ukraine: Russia slashed gas to Europe
Ukraine's gas company Naftogaz said Tuesday that Russia cut natural gas supplies to Europe by about two-thirds, raising the stakes in a dispute between the two neighbors that bodes ill for European consumers.

Obama sees fast stimulus passage

President-elect Barack Obama met  with congressional leaders Monday, declaring the national economy was "bad and getting worse" and embracing tax cuts now expected to reach $300 billion.

Cuba allows access to Hemingway papers

Cuba on Monday began accepting requests for electronic access to more than 3,000 documents from Ernest Hemingway's home on the island, including the unpublished epilogue of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and coded messages the author sent when using his yacht to hunt for German submarines during World War II.

Obama, CNN Twitter accounts hacked
Social networking tool Twitter was hit by a major hacker attack on Monday, with several "high profile" accounts — including that of President-elect Barack Obama — taken over by computer criminals, the company said.

Richardson, Obama teams trade blame

The camps of President-elect Barack Obama and N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson have exchanged comments over the disclosure of information about an investigation into Richardson's gubernatorial office.

Some cities drop criminal-history question

Some major U.S. cities are eliminating questions from their job applications that ask whether prospective employees have ever been convicted of a crime.

Israel ignores cease-fire calls

As Israel seized control of much of Gaza Strip on Monday, President George W. Bush said he understands "Israel's desire to protect itself" from the militant group Hamas.