New York, Apr 16 : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced new plans to battle the pirates in Gulf of Aden, which includes snatching their stolen booty, as the war on pirates escalated sharply in the Indian Ocean.

"We may be dealing with a 17th century crime, but we need to bring 21st century solutions to bear. Those plotting attacks must be stopped, and those who have carried them out must be brought to justice," the Daily News quoted Clinton, as saying.

New York, Apr 16 : President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama earned 2.73 million dollars in income in 2008, according to their tax statements.

President Obama and the First Lady invested 47,000 dollars on their daughters' education last year. They also poured thousands more into trusts for their kids, according to the First Couple's tax returns released on Wednesday by the White House.

New York  - A New York businessman achieved the record of all records, becoming the first person to simultaneously hold 100 Guinness World Records.

Guinness World Records confirmed Wednesday evening that 54-year-old Ashrita Forman is holding 100 records that have never been bested. Furman made his first entry into the Guinness Book of World Records 30 years ago, by doing 27,000 jumping jacks within 5 hours.

He said he has achieved about 230 records, but many of them have since been broken.

New York  - US stock markets rose on Wednesday on signs of economic recovery as the Federal Reserve said a number of regions are reporting an easing of the country's economic downturn.

The Federal Reserve said five of its 12 regional banks reported a "moderation in the pace of decline, and several saw signs that activity in some sectors was stabilizing at a low level," according to the central bank's Beige Book, a regional report on the economy.

New York/Colombo - More than 100,000 people are in mortal danger in Sri Lanka if security forces continue their offensive against dug-in rebels, the United Nations warned Wednesday.

John Holmes, the UN emergency relief coordinator, appealed to the Sri Lankan military to extend its holiday pause of operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

"The situation is simply catastrophic," said Holmes, who warned of a bloodbath if the army mounts what is expected to be one last tightening of the shrinking perimeter around the rebels.

New York  - A group including Black Oak partners and several dealers is eyeing the purchase the Saturn subsidiary of General Motors (GM), the US carmaker said Wednesday.

But GM said that if the sale of Saturn is not "viable," then the line's "operations would be wound down over time."

In a statement, the Detroit automaker said that a panel of Saturn dealers had been "studying the feasibility" of a sale or spin-off. The only buyer GM identified by name was Black Oak Partners.

GM has also considered selling its Hummer line.