Acting on a tip, US marshals in Arizona put an end to an Illinois couple’s life on the lam, a dozen years after they fled punishment for running a Ponzi scheme that targeted friends, the elderly, and even family members.

US president Barack Obama made a campaign-style pitch for his massive economic stimulus plan today.

RICHARD PRYOR who died on Saturday night was recognised as a groundbreaking comedian whose profanely personal insights into race relations and modern life made him one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker Michael Moore called the US opening weekend numbers for his documentary “mind-boggling” and credited his political opponents for boosting ticket sales.

A UN-appointed expert said yesterday that he has warned Caterpillar Inc. that Israel’s use of bulldozers to destroy West Bank orchards could make the company an accomplice in what he called the violation of basic human rights of the Palestinians.