With McGrady locked down, Alston steps up as Rockets take over top West spot - Rafer Alston scored 31 points and hit eight 3-pointers, both career highs, and the Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 104-92 to stretch their streak to 22 and claim sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.
Historic agreement for Israel, Germany - Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert chaired a joint session of members of the two countries' Cabinets, at which both governments signed off on a range of projects, including in education, the environment and defense. The two sides agreed to hold such meetings once a year, alternating as hosts.
U.S. Markets Volatile After Fed Actions - Stocks got off to a rocky start on Monday as Wall Street weighed a stunning series of weekend developments that confirmed investors’ worst fears about the fragile state of the financial industry.
China Blocks YouTube After Videos of Tibet Protests Are Posted - Internet users in China were blocked from seeing YouTube.com on Sunday after dozens of videos about protests in Tibet appeared on the popular American video Web site. The blocking added to the Communist government’s efforts to control what the public saw and heard about protests that erupted Friday in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, against Chinese rule.
US House passes surveillance law - The US House of Representatives has passed a surveillance bill that would allow lawsuits against phone companies. President George Bush has promised to veto the bill because it does not give immunity to companies that participated in a controversial wiretap programme.
