IAF steps up Gaza Strip air strikes  —  The IAF on Thursday bombed a building in the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza, reportedly killing seven people, including senior Hamas leader and cleric Sheikh Nizar Rayyan, and injuring thirty others.  —  Army Radio reported that according to Palestinian sources …

At Midnight, U.S. Leaves Republican Palace, Green Zone to Iraqis  —  The walls of the majestic Republican Palace in Baghdad's Green Zone have been stripped bare.  The vaults that secured American cash and classified documents are gone, and the cement blast walls that protected the front entrance were taken down this week.

Minnesota Recount Almost Over — But Coleman Could Keep A Franken Win Bottled Up For Weeks  —  Al Franken could be declared the winner of the Minnesota recount as soon as Monday, but due to the peculiarities of Minnesota election law, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) could keep the seat bottled …

Bill Clinton A Possible N.Y. Senate ‘Caretaker?’  —  Democrats Pushing Paterson To Name Temp Replacement For Hillary; Scenario Sets Up Wild Election In 2010  —  Sen. Bill Clinton?  Don't completely rule it out.  —  The former president is among several boldface names being touted as possible …

South Carolina Governor Relents on Jobless Funds  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — Just hours before the unemployment benefits fund was to run out in South Carolina, the state with the nation's third-highest jobless rate, Gov. Mark Sanford relented Wednesday and agreed to apply for a $146 million federal loan …

Rocket hits Ashdod apartment building; no injuries  —  Grad fired by Palestinians in northern Gaza hits eight-storey building in southern city; no injuries reported; fire breaks out.  More rockets target Beersheba, Ofakim, Ashkelon.  Municipalities cancel school day

Tough Calculus for Blagojevich on Senate Appointment  —  CHICAGO — Since his arrest on corruption charges on Dec. 9, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois wavered several times on whether to appoint a new senator to fill the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, people with knowledge of his thinking said Wednesday.

ZIONIST ISRAEL'S CRIMES ARE NOT NEW  —  bismi-lLahi-rRahmani-rRahiem  —  In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful  —  The inflicting of war-crime acts and crimes against humanity is not new to the history of Zionist Israel.  —  Zionism — for those still confused by the relentless media …

Wall Street's Final '08 Toll: $6.9 Trillion Wiped Out  —  Racked by Crisis, Markets End Year on Slight Upswing  —  After months of tortuous trading, Wall Street rang out its worst year since the Great Depression yesterday, leaving shareholders $6.9 trillion the poorer.

Smoking ban leads to major drop in heart attacks  —  ATLANTA - A smoking ban in one Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations within three years, a sign of just how serious a health threat secondhand smoke is, government researchers said Wednesday.