Lufthansa strike suspended as British Airways crew votes in favor of strike

An agreement was made late Monday between the pilots' union and Lufthansa to suspend a work stoppage that started earlier the same day. The stoppage has been suspended until March 8, giving an opportunity for the deadlocked parties to continue negotiations.

About 4,000 pilots went on strike, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The strike, which was originally planned to last four days, began after Lufthansa announced plans to cut staff costs by shifting jobs overseas.

The strike was suspended just as crew members from British Airways voted to authorize a strike to protest their company's announced cost cuts. British airways wants about 75 percent of its crew to accept a pay freeze this year, among other cost cutting initiatives.

Toyota faces federal criminal investigation

Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Toyota's safety problems, looking into whether the company violated product safety laws and whether it made false statements to a federal safety agency about the unintended acceleration of the Prius braking system. Additionally, Toyota received a second subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission, asking for documents relating to the company's disclosure policies and practices,

The company said it intends to cooperate with the investigation.

Chargers release top running back Tomlinson

Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego's all-time rusher, was released by the Chargers on Monday afternnon after nine years with the team. The 30-year-old running back had expected the move since last March when he was due a $2 million roster bonus. He says he hopes to find another NFL team to play for by the start of the 2010 season.