NPR 2009-01-07

An Israeli airstrike near a United Nations school in Gaza has claimed at least three dozen lives and left hundreds more injured. According to UN hospital officials, latest death injuries come as fierce fighting continues amid an Israeli ground assault which began this past weekend. Israeli officials confirmed the attack, saying it was a response to a mortar 1 fire coming from the school. They also say the Palestinian munitions 2 were being stored in the building and there were multiple explosions. Gaza officials say more than 50 Palestinians have been killed in fighting today, taking the death toll 3 since the Israeli offensive began 11 days ago to nearly 600.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in New York today for meetings at the UN to promote her ideas of how to end the conflict in Gaza. NPR s Michele Kelemen has more.

Secretary Rice is to meet with several of her Arab counterparts in New York and take part in a UN Security Council meeting on ways to end the latest conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant 4 group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Bush administration has stopped short of calling for an immediate 5 ceasefire, arguing that a truce 6 would need to resolve what it says is the root of the conflict, Hamas’s ability to fire rockets from Gaza into Israel. The State Department says the US also wants to deal with the issue of the tunnels that Hamas uses to smuggle 7 weapons and material into Gaza from Egypt. UN officials have been calling for a quicker end to the Israeli military operation which they say has led to a humanitarian 8 disaster and a mounting civilian 9 death toll in Gaza. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

Roland Burris, the man appointed by embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, was effectively bound from the Senate today. Senate Majority Leader Harry 10 Reid says that will be the case until Burris's appointment certified 11. "Mr. Burris takes possession of valid 12 credentials 13, the Senate will proceed in a manner that is respectful to Mr. Burris while ensuring that there's no cloud of doubt over the appointment to fill the seat." Senate Democrats 14 have previously 15 done to block any appointment by Rod Blagojevich who faces charges. He sought to sell Mr. Obama's vacant seat to the highest bidder 16.

With the economic stimulus 17 proposal that could win up 800 billion dollars, Congressional leaders are vowing 18 to hold the line in pact 19 projects. NPR's Adui Cornish reports form the Capitol.

State governors have made a case for about 800 billion dollars in federal aid which they say they could use it to ease budget deficits 20, create jobs and build roads and highways. But Congressional leaders are trying to avoid weighing down the bill with earmarks, says House Appropriations 21 Committee Chairman David Obey of Wisconsin. "I think everybody understands that the governors in state highway commissions have a pretty good idea what’s needed of the state level, there are going to be no earmarks in the House." Obey, who spoke 22 to NPR's Morning Edition, says he will not bring a bill to the House floor if it has pact projects in it. Adui Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industry Average closed up 62 points today ending the session at 9, 015. The NASDAQ was up 24 points. The S&P 500 rose seven points today.

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Alcoa is the latest big company to announce major job cuts heading into the New Year. The Pittsburgh-based aluminum 23 maker 24 said today it will eliminate 13, 500 jobs roughly 13% of its global workforce 25 by the end of the year. In addition to the job cuts which will include 216 positions at its corporate 26 headquarters, the company also says it will freeze salaries and hiring, and sell four of its none-core businesses and eliminate around 1, 700 contract positions.

Ethiopia has not yet withdrawn 27 its entire force from neighboring Somalia despite announcing a pullout by the end of 2008. NPR s Gwen Tompkins reports.

There's nothing easy about military withdrawal 28. Some say in situations where animosities linger, it takes two soldiers to get one out. And in Somalia, animosities have been lingering since that nation’s last military dictatorship fell in 1991, prompting clan 29 violence, warlord violence and now a full-blown Islamist insurgency 30. For the past two years, Ethiopia has provided protection for Somalia's internationally supported but weak transitional government. And yet during that time, they have become public and mean No.1 among the insurgents 31 and among ordinary Somalis who see them as invaders 32. But in a recent statement announcing beginning of the pullout from Somalia, the Ethiopian government said that many of its goals of helping 33 to restore peace and stability in Somalia with the cooperation of the transitional government had been met. In fact, the statement is titled “Mission Accomplished”. Gwen Tompkins, NPR News, Nairobi.

Nation s housing market continues to show no signs of turning around with a key measure of pending 34 home sales falling to its lowest level on record in November. National Association of Realtors says the index which attracts signing contracts to purchase the existing homes fell by 4%.