NPR 2009-01-04

Israel began a ground incursion inside Gaza today with a significant number of troops backed by tanks and helicopters. The operation is designed to seize areas of northern Gaza used by Hamas militants 1 to fire rockets into southern Israel. Israeli Major Avital Leibovich was asked on CNN how the Israeli forces will avoid civilian 2 casualties. "We are trying to be as humane 3 as possible, namely, trying to call up before targeting the house, the residents of the house, trying to give leaflets and through those leaflets our messaging: The civilians 4 are not our target, we are looking only after militants, Hamas militants. " Israeli Defense 5 Minister Ehud Barak said in a live television broadcast that he does not expect the incursion to be short or easy. More than 460 Palestinians and four Israelis have died since last Saturday when Israel began its air offensive into Gaza.

The BBC's Rushdi Abou Alouf describes what he's been hearing inside Gaza tonight.

We could hear from here, not far from the north fighting, they go on go Israeli, the artillery 6 fire and Israeli Apache are flying over our heads and sending rockets between time to time to cover their troops on the ground. A Hamas source so far is talking about blowing up Israeli tanks in the north and killing 7 and injuring a number of Israeli soldiers. So far we have no independent source who can tell us the truth in the north, because it's very dangerous area. And we keep hearing the news from Hamas sources and from the Israeli army. The BBC's Rushdi Abou Alouf reporting from Gaza.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today appointed the superintendent 8 of the Denver school system to fill the state's open Senate seat. Michael Bennett will replace current Senator Ken 9 Salazar if Salazar is confirmed as Secretary of the Interior. Colorado Public Radio's Megan Verlee has more.

Picking an unelected local education official for a high-profile elected office may sound like a bit of stretch, but Michael Bennett has specialized 10 in unconventional career moves. Three years ago, after a career in business and in Stanton city politics, he took over as head of Denver public schools where he has earned praise and criticism for reform efforts. On Saturday, Bennett said he would apply what he's learned in his past professions to his new position. "As your next United States senator, I will bring the same values of hard work and a very solid curiosity with me to Washington." Bennett has hard work ahead of him in Colorado as well. The Senate seat he's filling comes up for election in two years, and right now he is virtually unknown to citizens outside of Denver. For NPR News, I m Megan Verlee in Denver.

Indonesian officials say they have been unable to get any information on casualties from a chain of strong earthquakes that hit eastern Indonesia today. Some buildings were damaged.

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Kenya has a new media law that gives the government power to muzzle 11 radio and television news broadcasts. NPR's Gwen Thompkins has more.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said the law will help ensure national security, but news agencies in Kenya and the international community tell a different story. Kenyan authorities have twice moved against news broadcasts here in recent memory, and in both instances they did so only after broadcasts that were unflattering to the government. During the worst of the post-election violence that killed more than a thousand Kenyans last year, and displaced hundreds of thousands, Kibaki's government disallowed 12 live television news broadcasts. The new law now allows the minister for internal security to raid news agencies and to seize and destroy equipment. In the weeks leading up to Kibaki signing the bill into law, the US ambassador and other western diplomats 13 warned the Kenyan president against curtailing 14 the media. But in a published statement, Kibaki said the law is good for Kenya's continued economic growth. Gwen Thompkins, NPR News, Nairobi.

In the latest turn of events, some of the US senators showdown involving Rod Blagojevich, the embattled Illinois governor, accused Senate Majority Leader Harry 15 Reid of a conflict of interest, noting a telephone call between Reid and the governor in early December, in which the two discussed the empty seat vacated by President-elect Obama. Blagojevich's spokesman says he doesn't know which candidates were discussed, but says he knows Reid's picks did not include Roland Burris whom Blagojevich chose to fill Mr. Obama's seat. Senate Democrats 16 say they will seat no one selected by Blagojevich who was arrested on federal corruption 17 charges. Reid's spokesman calls the claim that Reid had a conflict of interest regarding Burris absolutely ridiculous.