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AP Top News at 8:44 a.m. EST(AP Online Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Economy Slows to Near CrawlWASHINGTON (AP) _ The economy skidded to a near halt in the final quarter of last year, clobbered by dual slumps in housing and credit that caused people and businesses to spend and invest more sparingly. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the gross domestic product increased at a scant 0.6 percent pace in the October-to-December quarter. The reading _ unchanged from an initial estimate a month ago _ underscored just how much momentum the economy has lost. In the prior quarter, the economy clocked in at a brisk 4.9 percent pace. Crowded Cribs Linked to Baby DeathsWASHINGTON (AP) _ Parents are putting their babies at risk when they place pillows and other soft bedding in their cribs, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned Thursday. From 2002 to 2004, 241 children under age 5 died in incidents involving nursery products. About 40 percent of the deaths involved cribs, with soft bedding cited as the leading contributing factor. Many of the children suffocated when lying face down on pillows or other bedding, the agency said. Clinton Offers Child Poverty PlanHANGING ROCK, Ohio (AP) _ Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton is offering a plan to improve childhood nutrition and setting a goal to reduce by half the 12 million youngsters living in poverty over the next dozen years. A package of proposals, to be unveiled Thursday, includes a "comprehensive" early education initiative that starts with nurse's visits for pregnant women, lets children begin the Head Start program earlier and calls for universal pre-kindergarten programs. Annan: Kenya Rivals Agree to CoalitionNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) _ Kenya's rival politicians reached an agreement Thursday on a coalition government after weeks of bitter negotiations on how to end the country's deadly postelection crisis, mediator Kofi Annan said. Annan offered no immediate details on the deal between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, who both claim to have won the country's Dec. 27 presidential election. Local and international observers have said the results were manipulated, making it unclear who won. Bloomberg: I'm Not Running for PresidentNEW YORK (AP) _ Mayor Michael Bloomberg has squashed the notion of running for president this year, declaring that he will not seek the White House but might put his support behind another candidate who embraces bipartisan governing. Apparently ending a dance of presidential speculation that began more than two years ago, the 66-year-old billionaire businessman said in an op-ed piece in Thursday's New York Times that he will not launch his own bid but will work to "steer the national conversation away from partisanship and toward unity; away from ideology and toward common sense; away from sound bites and toward substance." Iraq Rewards Trump Risks for Job SeekersBAGHDAD (AP) _ Help wanted: possibly life-threatening risks, little freedom outside work, long hours but competitive pay. Must be willing to relocate to Iraq. For many around the world, that is the sound of opportunity knocking. Google Gets Into Web Site Building BizSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Google, already the world's most popular spot for finding Web sites, is aiming to become the go-to place for creating Web sites too. The Mountain View-based company is taking its first step toward that goal Thursday with the debut of a free service designed for high-tech neophytes looking for a simple way to share information with other people working in the same company or attending the same class in school. Car-Building Legend Boyd Coddington DiesLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Car-building legend Boyd Coddington, whose testosterone-injected cable TV reality show "American Hot Rod" introduced the nation to the West Coast hot rod guru, has died. He was 63. Coddington died at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in suburban Whittier at 6:20 a.m. Wednesday. His La Habra office spokeswoman Amanda Curry wouldn't disclose the cause of death. Fake Flipper Sought for Sea TurtleSOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) _ When tourists found a 5-inch green sea turtle bloody and missing three of her flippers, the people who run a hospital for the endangered animals here gave her little chance of survival. But the turtle persevered, thanks to injections of antibiotics and a forced diet of squid. Somehow, she swam with just one flipper, even though she can only move in counterclockwise circles and has to push her now 10-pound body off the bottom with her head to breathe. LeBron Shakes Off Injury; Reaches 10,000LeBron James hopped off the court and limped to the locker room, unsure if he'd be able to return for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sure enough, the All-Star forward came back and became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 points. That still wasn't enough to beat the Boston Celtics. "It doesn't make me happy to do it in a losing effort," James said after the 92-87 loss Wednesday night. "To be in the record books is a tribute to my teammates, myself and my family." Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |