2009-03-04 06:47:01 -

TOP STORIES
US-OBAMA
WASHINGTON _ President Barack Obama's new $3.6 trillion budget meets fierce opposition from Republicans and a few Democrats in Congress, but his top economic aides defend the plan as a necessary blend of taxes, spending and higher deficits. Moved. AP Photos.
WITH: US-OBAMA-ENDANGERED SPECIES.
US-BRITAIN
WASHINGTON _ British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is taking his message of faith in free markets to the U.S. Congress, where lawmakers have been eager to protect American businesses against foreign competition. By Desmond Butler.
US-RUSSIA-ANALYSIS
WASHINGTON _ President Barack Obama's push to reset U.S.-Russian relations took a huge stride as he signaled the Kremlin he might forego an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe if Moscow uses its clout with a troublesome Iran. By Steven R. Hurst. AP Photos.
MEXICO-CABINET RESIGNATION
MEXICO CITY _ Transportation and Communications Secretary Luis Tellez resigns after receiving anonymous threats to ruin his career by leaking secretly recorded conversations. By E. Eduardo Castillo. Moved.
CANADA-BUS BEHEADING
WINNIPEG, Manitoba _ A man accused of beheading and cannibalizing a passenger on a Greyhound bus apologized to police when he was arrested and begged officers to kill him. The details emerged as Vince Li faced his murder trial by pleading not guilty. AP Photos.
US-CHANDRA LEVY
WASHINGTON _ An arrest warrant is issued for an imprisoned Salvadoran immigrant in the killing of U.S. government intern Chandra Levy, nearly eight years after the case captivated the U.S. capital and ended the career of a congressman. By Brian Westley. AP Photos.
US-SEX TAPE TRIAL
LAS VEGAS _ A man who was tracked down after a video of him sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl was found in the Nevada desert is convicted of that attack and another on a 6-year-old. By Ken Ritter. AP Photo.
COLOMBIA-WARLORD
BOGOTA _ A Colombian warlord awaiting sentencing in New York City after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking charges says former army chief Gen. Mario Montoya mounted a joint operation with his illegal, far-right militia in late 2002. By Frank Bajak.
UN-LEBANON-HARIRI
UNITED NATIONS _ The U.N. Security Council gives strong backing to the new international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, reiterating that all states should cooperate to ensure those responsible are brought to justice. By Edith M. Lederer.
WITH: UN-SUDAN-COURT.
CUBA-LEADERSHIP SHAKEUP
HAVANA _ Fidel Castro says that two of his closest lieutenants had become seduced by «the honey of power,» and hinted that they were demoted because their angling for leadership roles in a post-Castro Cuba had become unseemly. By Will Weissert. AP Photo.
PANAMA-CUBAN
PANAMA CITY _ Kidnappers release a Cuban-American businessman tied to an influential anti-Castro organization after holding him for nearly a year in Panama's jungle, family and officials say. By Kathia Martinez.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
US-AUTO SALES
DETROIT _ Offers of huge rebates and tempting low-interest loans weren't enough to entice car buyers out of their bunkers in this economic crisis, causing U.S. auto sales in February to hover near historic lows. Moved. By Tom Krisher and Bree Fowler. AP Photos. AP Graphic.
WITH: US-GM-DELPHI.
US-CLOSING STOCKS
NEW YORK _ Investors bruised by Wall Street's latest rout found little reason to pile back into the market. Stocks extended their losses in an erratic session as investors wrestled with the reality that the economy is still far from a recovery. Moved. By Tim Paradis.
WITH: US-GENERAL ELECTRIC-STOCK.
US-UBS SECRETS-CONGRESS
WASHINGTON _ An official of UBS AG will face questions from a Senate panel for the first time since Switzerland's biggest bank formally acknowledged responsibility for helping tens of thousands of American clients hide assets from the U.S. government. Moved. BY Marcy Gordon.
US-PFIZER-GENERICS
TRENTON, New Jersey _ Pfizer Inc. will begin selling dozens more generic drugs through new deals with an Indian generic company, becoming the latest brand-name drugmaker looking to expand in a generics market growing because of the push to cut medical costs and the recession. By Linda A. Johnson.


US-MADOFF SCANDAL
NEW YORK _ Bernard Madoff has agreed to give up the rights to his disgraced investment business and his company's prized artwork and entertainment tickets, as an official for an organization providing relief to investors says that some checks may be in the mail this month. By Larry Neumeister.
PUERTO RICO-ECONOMY
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico _ More than 30,000 government employees _ about 14 percent of the public work force _ could lose their jobs and new taxes will be introduced as Puerto Rico attempts to shore up its ailing economy, the governor of the U.S. island territory announced Tuesday. By Rebecca Banuchi.
US-VIRGIN MEGASTORES
LOS ANGELES _ After nearly two decades of rocking the music world with a mix of brash stunts and splashy CD releases, the remaining six Virgin Megastores in the United States will shut their doors this summer in another blow to recorded music. By Ryan Nakashima. AP Photos.
CARIBBEAN-INSURANCE
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico _ A bailout of troubled CL Financial Ltd. by Trinidad and Tobago's central bank has been having ripple effects across the Caribbean, where regulators are liquidating the sprawling firm's insurance subsidiaries to protect depositors. By David McFadden.
ARGENTINA-FARMERS
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina _ Argentina's government and disgruntled farm leaders reach a series of economic accords that a Cabinet minister said could bring an end to nearly a year of conflict _ but which farmers view as only a step in the right direction. By Jeannette Neumann.
WITH: VENEZUELA-PRICE CONTROLS.
FEATURES
US-AWASH IN OIL
NEW YORK _ Supertankers that once raced around the world to satisfy an unquenchable thirst for oil are now parked offshore, fully loaded, anchors down. In the United States, vast farms for storing oil are out of room. As demand for crude has plummeted, the world suddenly finds itself awash in oil that has nowhere to go. By Chris Kahn. AP Photo. AP Graphic.
US-RELIGIOUS ED FOR AUTISTIC
WARWICK, Rhode Island _ Two autistic boys sit inside a parochial school classroom. In a setting stripped of unnecessary furniture and toys to avoid distraction, they study pictograms of a bearded Jesus in a red sash and images of their family members. The program at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church is among a handful of programs at Catholic churches exclusively for autistic children. By Ray Henry. AP Photos.
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