Israel and Hamas hold fire to allow aid into Gaza - Israel and Hamas said they were temporarily holding their fire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday to ease the flow of humanitarian aid and both sides said they were studying an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire.

Russian gas flow halted through Ukraine to Europe - MOSCOW/KIEV - Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine shut down completely Wednesday, leaving growing numbers of European Union member states without Russian fuel in freezing mid-winter temperatures.

Israel halts campaign for 3 hours to let in aid - CITY, Gaza - Israel ordered a pause in its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or expand the assault against Hamas....

Actress Alyssa Milano to wed Hollywood agent - Alyssa Milano is engaged to marry a Hollywood agent. Publicists for Milano said Tuesday that the actress accepted a marriage proposal on Dec. 18 from David Bugliari, an agent at Creative Artists Agency. The two have been dating for over a year. No wedding date has been set....

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Pakistani spy chief says no war with India - ISLAMABAD - The chief of Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency has said there will not be a war with India over November's militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai, Der Spiegel reported. Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shujaa Pasha told the German magazine in an interview terrorism, not India, was Pakistan's enemy, and he said he took orders from the civilian president.

Apartment rents show first decline in over 5 years - Average rents for U.S. apartments fell in the fourth quarter, as a sharp economic downturn and rising unemployment left Americans unwilling to pay higher prices, according to data released on Wednesday.

Obama says deficit may approach $1 trillion - President-elect Barack Obama said on Tuesday he expects to inherit a U.S. budget deficit approaching $1 trillion and his administration would have to make some tough budget choices.

Alcoa to slash jobs and sell 4 units - Alcoa Inc said on Tuesday it would slash more than 15,000 jobs, halve capital spending and sell four businesses as it reduces aluminum production in the face of the global economic downturn.

Gates projects Pentagon needs $70 billion more for wars - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates estimates the Pentagon will need about $70 billion more to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, on top of the $65.9 billion already approved by Congress.

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Madoff victims may get some cash within a month: report - - Investors who lost money in Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion fraud might begin recovering some of their funds as soon as next month, Securities Investor Protection Corp, President Stephen Harbeck told Bloomberg in an interview.

Missing 2 Senators 111th Congress Starts Work - On the opening day of the 111th Congress, Roland Burris showed up as promised to claim Barack Obama's seat as junior senator from Illinois. And as promised, he was rejected. Burris and his attorneys left the Capitol to consider their options, and the Senate carried on with the day's ceremonies. A Senate from Minnesota also is vacant because of an election dispute.

CNN's Dr. Gupta May Be Next Surgeon General - President-elect Barack Obama is looking for a surgeon general. And CNN says its chief medical correspondent is under consideration for the job. Should the offer come, CNN says Dr. Sanjay Gupta has indicated he's likely to take it. The 39-year-old Gupta is a practicing neurosurgeon.

Civilian Casualties Factor Into War Decisions - The fighting in Gaza has killed more than 600 Palestinians — many of them civilians. Colonel Jim Hellis is chairman of the department of national security and strategy at the U.S. Army War College. He talks with Ari Shapiro about how the U.S. military factors in civilian casualties in assessments of war strategy. Hellis says it's a balance between legal, ethical and political concerns.

Israel Debates Moving Deeper Into Gaza City - Israel is under growing pressure to end its military operations in Gaza, following the terrible bloodshed that occurred in the territory over the past 24 hours. However, Israeli leaders are discussing whether to expand military operations in Gaza. That would be a significant escalation of the assault and would inevitably bring even greater casualties among the civilian population.

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Democratic opposition to seating Burris cracks - Senate Democrats are looking for ways to defuse the standoff that has denied Roland Burris the vacated Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama of Illinois, but maybe not much longer....

Russia-Ukraine Gas Spat Escalates - Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukraine altogether, depriving the EU of one fifth of its gas needs as a pricing dispute between Moscow and Ukraine continued to deteriorate.

Neb. man sues ex-wife for putting recorder in toy - OMAHA, Neb. - An Omaha man has filed a lawsuit accusing his ex-wife and former father-in-law of hiding a recording device inside his daughter's teddy bear in order to spy on him....

Germany adds to global job woes - /BERLIN - Germany posted its first rise in unemployment in almost three years on Wednesday, a day after the global economic downturn forced U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa to announce 15,000 job cuts and slash output.

Cambodians mark 30 years since fall of Pol Pot - PHNOM PENH - Thousands of Cambodian survivors of the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields" marked 30 years Wednesday since the fall of Pol Pot's ultra-Maoist regime, blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people.

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