Moscow  - At least five people were killed in a crash of two military aircraft on a military landing strip in Dagestan, a Russian republic in the North Caucasus, officials told Russian news agencies Thursday.

The aircraft - both type Ilyushin 76 - were carrying members of the military.

The accident happened amidst a fog cover. One aircraft had already landed, and the second was about to land but aborted because of the weather, reports said.

The exact cause of the accident was unclear.

New York  - The beleaguered General Motors expects an even worse sales drop in 2009 than in 2008, chief executive Rick Wagoner told a conference Thursday in Detroit.

But Wagoner was optimistic that the company was on the right path to fulfilling the demands of the US government in conjunction with the 13.4-billion-dollar loan it received from the US government in the waning days of 2008.

GM cut its US sales estimate for 2009 to 10.5 million units, which would be the lowest in 27 years and a reflection of the deepening effect of the year-old US recession.

Mexico City  - The economies of Latin America and the Caribbean are set to grow at best by 2.3 per cent in 2009, while unemployment rates will rise to above 8 per cent, according to a report that the United Nations made public Thursday.

Washington - Democrats in the US House of Representatives Thursday introduced an 825-billion-dollar economic stimulus plan that president-elect Barack Obama hopes will help revive the struggling economy.

The bill would provide for 550 billion dollars in job-creating investments over two years and 275 billion dollars in tax relief, media reports said.

Obama had originally requested 775 billion dollars for his stimulus plan.

Washington  - Roland Burris was sworn in Thursday to succeed president-elect Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illinois, bringing an end to weeks of controversy over the appointment.

Vice President Dick Cheney administered the oath of office for Burris, the 71-year-old Democrat who had been initially turned back when Congress began its new session on January 6.

With his swearing-in, Burris became the only African-American in the Senate, as was Obama.

Sacramento  - With California facing a cash crunch, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged legislators to set aside partisan differences and forgo their salaries until passing a long- overdue plan to address the state's looming 40 billion dollar deficit.