Other News Sources (Non NPR/PBS)

Asian shares see record falls in 2008 as the financial turmoil and economic slowdown ends the stock market boom.

Investment company Aberdeen Asset Management is to take on £40bn of Credit Suisse's fund management business.

The financial brutality of 2008 is confirmed, as the FTSE 100 share index has its worst year since its inception in 1984.

Two mergers between building societies are being completed on Wednesday although the sector says it is strong.

Russia's Gazprom claims Ukraine is threatening to seize Russian gas being transported to Europe in a row over gas supplies.

The deadline has passed for online applications by UK residents reclaiming savings from collapsed bank Icesave.

Accountants KPMG predict that the number of people facing insolvency in 2009 will reach record levels.

Women's clothing store chain Morgan goes into administration, the latest retailer to be hit by the consumer slowdown.

Four milk firm executives go on trial in China over a contamination scandal that affected thousands of babies.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jerod Mayo firmly answered everyone who criticized the Patriots for taking him with the 10th pick in April's draft by winning The Associated Press 2008 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Two thirds of Britons feel the state pension is no enough for retirement, a survey for insurer Friends Provident finds.

Now that the Kodak moments have been filed away after fun trips to Salt Lake City, New York and Cancun, Mexico — and, oh yes, Columbia, S.C. — the No.1 UConn women are a week away from the serious business of winning another Big East championship.

No. 2 UConn's 74-63 loss to No.11 Georgetown was disheartening enough to leave coach Jim Calhoun apologizing, perplexed and frustrated. Still, there figured to be bumps in the road in the Big East.

Hartford cut a 16-point deficit to seven with 5:30 to play but could not sustain the rally Tuesday night, losing to unbeaten Stanford, 69-55.

Holding a 20-point lead late in the third quarter, Bloomfield was seemingly on its way to an easy victory against Bristol Eastern Tuesday night.

A year ago, the Avon girls basketball team watched as Northwest Catholic celebrated winning the Avon Holiday Basketball tournament on the Falcons' home court.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich exercised what is left of his power Tuesday with a stunning but probably futile move: appointing someone to the U.S. Senate seat that federal prosecutors accuse him of trying to sell.

President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to lead a full-scale marketing blitz to pass the massive new stimulus package that he says is needed to revive the slumping economy and put the nation on the course he laid out during his campaign.

Wall Street staged a big advance in the next to last session of 2008 Tuesday after Washington's latest lifeline to the auto industry bolstered hopes that the government will do whatever is necessary to cut the recession short.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich exercised what is left of his power Tuesday with a stunning but probably futile move: appointing someone to the U.S. Senate seat that federal prosecutors accuse him of trying to sell.