Yahoo! News: World News

Gaza civilian toll rises; diplomats seek truce (AP)
AP - GAZA CITY, Gaza — Israel ignored mounting international calls for a cease-fire Monday and said it won't stop its crippling 10-day assault until "peace and tranquility" are achieved in southern Israeli towns in the line of Palestinian rocket fire.

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Death certificate: Travolta son killed by seizure (AP)
AP - Jett Travolta's body shows no sign of head trauma and his death certificate says he was killed by a seizure, an undertaker said Monday, after doctors performed an autopsy on the 16-year-old son of the U.S actor.

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Wanted: Border monitors to oversee Gaza truce (AP)
AP - The contours of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas are emerging, with diplomacy focusing on international guarantees, including foreign border monitors to oversee any agreement.

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Yahoo! Sports

Texas looks to make point in Fiesta Bowl (AP)
Texas coach Mack Brown has a theory about bowl games. "If the teams are fairly even, the team that wants to be there the most and has the edge and is more motivated usually wins," Brown said. If third-ranked Texas had a choice, it would be in Miami preparing to face Florida for the BCS title. But the Longhorns still have plenty of motivation against No.

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Report: QB Cassel to get franchise tag (AP)
The New England Patriots plan to put the franchise tag on quarterback Matt Cassel, according to a published report. Cassel's future hinges heavily on Tom Brady's recovery from a season-ending knee injury in the first game this season. Franchising Cassel would keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent and give the Patriots an option if they feel Brady might not be ready for the start of the...

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Source: Cubs to give Bradley $30M deal (AP)
The Chicago Cubs and free agent Milton Bradley reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a $30 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The deal is subject to a physical scheduled for Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been finalized.

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Yahoo! News: Business

Car sales plunge heralding bleak 2009 (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. auto sales plunged by 36 percent in December led by outsized declines at Chrysler LLC, Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Toyota Motor Corp(7203.T) as the battered industry closed out its weakest year since 1992 in its largest single market.

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Asia stocks up on hopes of recovery (Reuters)
Reuters - Asian stocks edged up for a seventh day on Tuesday, boosted by hopes for a global economic recovery later in 2009, though the rising yen and falling high-yielding currencies suggested such optimism was limited.

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Prosecutors seek to jail Madoff (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. prosecutors asked a judge to jail accused swindler Bernard Madoff on Monday, saying he sent jewelry and other items worth more than $1 million to family and friends in violation of his bail.

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Yahoo! News: Most Viewed

Autopsy completed on Travolta's son (AP)
AP - Doctors in the Bahamas conducted an autopsy Monday on John Travolta's 16-year-old son, but authorities did not immediately disclose the results.

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Pink iguanas unseen by Darwin offer evolution clue (Reuters)
Reuters - Pink iguanas unknown to Charles Darwin during his visits to the Galapagos islands may provide evidence of species divergence far earlier than the English naturalist's famous finches, researchers said Monday.

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U.S. anti-kidnap expert's vanishing spins Mexico mystery (Reuters)
Reuters - The abduction of a U.S. anti-kidnap expert in northern Mexico last month remains a mystery with no clues to the man's whereabouts and no ransom demanded by his captors, police said on Monday.

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