Top World News

Gaza civilian toll rises; diplomats seek truce (AP)

Palestinians carry the bodies of three toddlers Ahmed, Mohamed, and Issa Samouni, who according to Palestinian medical sources were killed in an Israeli strike, during their funeral in Gaza City, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. Israeli forces pounded Gaza Strip houses, mosques and smuggling tunnels on Monday from the air, land and sea, killing at least seven children as they pressed a bruising offensive against Palestinian militants. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)AP - GAZA CITY, Gaza — Israel ignored mounting international calls for a cease-fire Monday and said it won't stop its crippling 10-day assault until "peace and tranquility" are achieved in southern Israeli towns in the line of Palestinian rocket fire.




Obama's intel picks short on direct experience (AP)

In this Sept. 27, 1996 file photo, then-White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Barack Obama has selected Panetta to head the CIA, according to an Obama transition official. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)AP - President-elect Barack Obama's decision to fill the nation's top intelligence jobs with two men short on direct experience in intelligence gathering surprised the spy community and signaled the Democrat's intention for a clean break from Bush administration policies.




Obama says his plan with tax cuts to get quick OK (AP)

President-elect Barack Obama, flanked by Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner, left, and Council of Economic Advisers Chair-designate Christina Romer meets with members of his economic team at his transition office in Washington, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - President-elect Barack Obama plunged into rare pre-inaugural crisis talks with congressional leaders Monday, declaring the national economy was "bad and getting worse" and embracing tax cuts now expected to reach $300 billion. He predicted lawmakers would approve a mammoth revitalization package within two weeks of his taking office.