Suspected pirates rescued in Gulf of Aden
Seven Somali men in possession of rocket grenades and AK-47 guns were rescued by a Danish Navy ship in the pirate-plagued Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, the Danish Navy told CNN. The men rescued "are suspected to be pirates because they were carrying firearms," a press officer with the Danish Navy said.

Prosecutor: Bat, knife used on shackled teen
The three alleged abusers of a 17-year-old teen, who escaped captivity with a shackle on his ankle, tortured him with a bat, knife and belt, according to court documents released Thursday. Authorities say the teen escaped a year of captivity Monday and walked into a fitness center in Tracy, California, bruised and battered, wearing only boxer shorts.

Man sentenced in collar-bomb robbery plot
A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for a deadly bank robbery plot in which a pizza deliveryman died when a bomb affixed to his neck exploded. The case drew national attention and was the subject of intense investigation and questions about whether deliveryman Brian Wells was a willing participant or a murder victim.

Mumbai attackers had help, authorities say
The attackers who killed nearly 180 people last week in Mumbai, India, had help from a Bangladeshi national, Indian security sources told CNN sister network CNN-IBN.

Nanny describes saving child in Mumbai attack
The world knows her as the daring nanny who, clutching a 2-year-old boy, pushed past the havoc in a terrorized Mumbai house and risked her life to keep the toddler safe. But Sandra Samuel sees no heroism in her actions. "Even today, I am thinking I should have sent the baby and done something for the rabbi and his wife," who were killed in the attack, she tells CNN.

Brown: Mom-to-be needed help, not ticket
A pregnant woman and her husband are rushing to the hospital in the breakdown lane of a Massachusetts highway.

Missing ballots stall Minnesota Senate recount
A missing envelope containing about 130 ballots has stalled the recount in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.

Stranded workers in Iraq: We were duped
Kept in a derelict warehouse at Baghdad's airport for months, sleeping four to a bed with poor food and no money, hundreds of would-be contract workers are stranded, claiming they were duped by unscrupulous recruiting agents into coming to Iraq for nonexistent jobs.

FDIC head offers new mortgage relief plan
When struggling homeowner Eddie Morrison heard about the government's $700 billion bailout plan for banks and Wall Street firms, he felt left out.

Car dealers get creative
A newspaper ad for a Miami car dealership reads more like a coupon for bags of potato chips: "Buy one, get two!" "The first thing people think when they come in is, 'It's a fake ad. It's a normal car dealer ad. It's a gimmick.' But it's not," said Ali Ahmed, sales manager at Rob Lambdin's University Dodge in Miami. The ad speaks to the desperation of dealers as automakers beg for bailout money to survive a huge sales slump.