Private banks in Venezuela, which had been keeping limited hours and restricting transactions for several weeks, ended their participation in the country's 8-week-old general strike. (Reuters)

Remarks attributed to a Thai actress demanding that control of the Angkor Wat temples be returned to Thailand set off protests in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, where the Thai embassy was set on fire. The actress said the quote in question was taken from a character she played on television two years ago. (BBC)

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose Likud party won an unexpected 37 seats in Israel's 120-member parliament in yesterday's election, appealed for unity in building a coalition government. Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna, whose left-wing party won 19 seats, said Labor would not support a Likud-led government. (CNN)

Maoist rebels in Nepal and the Nepalese government both said they have agreed to a ceasefire and the commencement of peace talks. Nepal has suffered from nearly seven years of civil war, which has killed over 7,000. (BBC)

The New York Times reported that delays in approving security clearance have prevented thousands of refugees already approved by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service from immigrating to the United States. Some 17,000 such refugees are being held in a poorly supported refugee camp in war-torn Kenya. (NYT)

A large explosion at a pharmaceutical supply plant in Kinston, N.C., killed several workers and wounded several others. (CNN)

Republican politicians said President Bush's State of the Union address was great, but Democrats said they still didn't think much of his economic policies. Polls indicated the American people felt more or less the same as they did yesterday. (MSNBC)

The U.S. military said it had activated an additional 15,718 Reserve troops. There are now a total of 94,624 U.S. reservists on active duty. (Reuters)

White House officials said that the federal budget deficit could surpass $300 billion this year. (NYT, USAT/AP)

The New York Times reported that delays in approving security clearance have prevented thousands of refugees already approved by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service from immigrating to the United States. Some 17,000 such refugees are being held in a poorly supported refugee camp in war-torn Kenya. (NYT)

U.S. stock markets rose moderately as investors were reassured by the Federal Reserve's decision not to adjust interest rates in anticipation of further economic concerns or war. The Dow gained 0.27 percent, closing at 8,110.71; the Nasdaq gained 1.19 percent to reach 1,358.11; and the S&P 500 closed at 864.37, up 0.68 percent. (Reuters)

Republican politicians said President Bush's State of the Union address was great, but Democrats said they still didn't think much of his economic policies. Polls indicated the American people felt more or less the same as they did yesterday. (MSNBC)