JIM LEHRER: In other news today: Wall Street shot higher, after 20 leading nations agreed over the weekend to continue economic stimulus efforts.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 203 points, to close near 10,227, a 13-month high.
The Nasdaq rose 41 points, to close at 2,154.
Iraq has set a date for national elections, next Jan. 21. On Sunday, parliament approved a law needed to organize the voting after weeks of deadlock. Today, the Electoral Commission set the actual date. Any major delay in the elections could have slowed the U.S. military pullout.
Also today, the U.S. Army reported, two helicopter pilots were killed yesterday in a crash. There was no indication of hostile fire.
A senior prosecutor in Iran accused three Americans of espionage today. The three have been held since July. Relatives said they were hiking in Iraq and accidentally strayed across the border into Iran.
In Germany today, Secretary of State Clinton called for their immediate release.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, secretary of state, United States: We believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever. And we would renew our request on behalf of these three young people and their families that the Iranian government exercise compassion and release them, so they can return home.
JIM LEHRER: There was no word on when the Americans might go on trial.
But, in Istanbul, Turkey, today, Iranian President Ahmadinejad brushed aside objections. He said, "In all countries, crossing borders would have a very heavy sentence."
Authorities in China have executed nine men for their involvement in ethnic rioting last July. Eight were Muslim Uighurs. The Uighurs went on a rampage in far western China when tensions with the dominant Han Chinese boiled over. All told, more than 200 people were killed.
In El Salvador, soldiers and villagers continued digging through rock and debris for dozens of people missing in a mudslide.
At least 130 people were killed when three days of heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides. Some 7,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
El Salvador's president declared a national emergency.
And along the U.S. Gulf Coast, coastal towns from Louisiana to Florida braced for Tropical Storm Ida.
The system was downgraded from hurricane status today, and could weaken further before making landfall tomorrow morning. The late-season storm was the first one this year to pose a serious threat in the Gulf.
Most of Philadelphia's transit service was restored today, just in time for morning rush hour. A six-day strike ended early this morning after a deal was brokered between the city's transit system and union officials.
Subway, bus, and trolley service had been shut down since last Tuesday, when thousands of workers walked off the job. The dispute centered on pension benefits. | 
