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President Obama may not have cleaned up the oil spill yet -- but on Wednesday he succeeded in extracting a big financial commitment from BP. After a four hour meeting with BP executives at the White House, the oil giant agreed to put $20 billion in an escrow fund to pay the claims of Gulf residents hurt by the spill.

Harvard University has decided to stop offering its "early action" round of applications. The university fears that the system gives wealthy students an advantage in the admissions process.

Skip cloying, bottled salad dressings and store-bought croutons. Preparing terrific salad toppings at home, in less than five minutes, is much easier than you think. Food writer Bryan Miller shows you how.

Pakistanis vote in a parliamentary election Monday, ending a campaign that has been overshadowed by violence — including the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. The vote could empower a new civilian government. But many say they believe the country's army will not go away quietly.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration have recommend that drugs Serevent and Foradil no longer be used for asthma. Top-selling Advair was not affected by the recommendation.

The U.N. protested Israeli fire on its warehouse in Gaza. Israel said Hamas militants were launching rockets from the U.N. compound. Israel also killed a top Hamas leader in its operations in the Gaza Strip. And there was speculation that Israel and Hamas are close to an agreement on a cease-fire.

Funeral directors in 15 states can now offer "water cremation," in which bodies are dissolved in a chemical solution. Some see it as more eco-friendly and less traumatic than consumption by flame.

In their 2004 book, Gary Stern and Ron Feldman, top executives at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, cautioned the world about systemic financial risk and the need for more oversight. They admit to a fleeting sense of "I told you so."

Gunmen in Mumbai are thought to still be holding a number of foreign hostages. Indian commandos have been trading fire with the attackers. On Wednesday, gunmen armed with assault rifles and grenades fanned out across Mumbai and attacked popular tourist sites, including the city's top two luxury hotels.

A record 32 countries are participating in this year's Women's World Cup - up from 24. When FIFA announced the increase in 2019, people were worried the quality of the soccer tournament would suffer.