• NY lawmaker sworn in amid assault investigation 1/8/2009, 5:57 a.m. CST
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A former police officer and councilman was sworn in as a new state senator, despite facing charges that he slashed his girlfriend's face with a piece of broken glass in a jealous rage.

• Kidnapped aid workers in Somalia released 1/8/2009, 5:55 a.m. CST
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Two aid workers kidnapped from Ethiopia by Somali gunmen more than three months ago have been released in good health, their organization said.

• Attack on Israel from Lebanon threatens 2nd front 1/8/2009, 5:54 a.m. CST
JERUSALEM (AP) — Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with a bloody offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 700 people.

• Defense wants conviction dismissed in Web hoax 1/8/2009, 5:52 a.m. CST
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Contending it's not a federal crime to violate the service terms of a Web site, a defense attorney has asked a judge to dismiss the conviction of a Missouri mother in a cruel Internet hoax on a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide.

• Malaysia: Catholic paper that used Allah can print 1/8/2009, 5:52 a.m. CST
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia will lift a ban on the Malay edition of a Catholic newspaper if it agrees to stop using the word "Allah," an official said Thursday, but the editor of the paper rejected the precondition.

• Report: Princess Bea's car stolen in London 1/8/2009, 5:47 a.m. CST
LONDON (AP) — Police are investigating the theft of a car from a London street, and a newspaper is reporting the vehicle was a BMW owned by Princess Beatrice.

• Obama's pick to lead on health care gets hearing 1/8/2009, 5:33 a.m. CST
WASHINGTON (AP) — Showing the emphasis that some lawmakers are putting on health care issues this year, former Sen. Tom Daschle will be the first of President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet choices to undergo a hearing.

• Report: US had unrealistic goals in Afghanistan 1/8/2009, 5:33 a.m. CST
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and its partners have shortchanged Afghanistan by focusing on short-term goals pursued without a cohesive strategy or a clear understanding of the way the poor, decentralized country works, an independent study concludes.

• Ill. panel to grill Burris on Senate appointment 1/8/2009, 5:31 a.m. CST
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Republicans are promising tough questions Thursday for Senate-appointee Roland Burris on why he accepted a position offered by disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich and whether he promised the governor anything in return.

• ACLU criticizes police data in Newark, NJ 1/8/2009, 5:27 a.m. CST
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is calling for an outside auditor to review civilian complaints against the Newark Police Department, which the group said are underreported.

• Firefighters battle wildfire near Denver 1/8/2009, 5:24 a.m. CST
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — More than a hundred firefighters spent the night battling a stubborn, wind-driven wildfire that triggered the evacuations of more than 900 homes as it scorched grasslands near Denver.

• Obama warns of dire consequences without stimulus 1/8/2009, 5:05 a.m. CST
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday that the nation's recession could "linger for years" unless Congress acts to pump unprecedented sums from Washington into the U.S. economy, making his highest-profile case yet on an issue certain to define his early presidency.

• Police: Roadside bombs kill 6 Iraqi soldiers 1/8/2009, 5:01 a.m. CST
BAGHDAD (AP) — Six Iraqi soldiers were killed Thursday when an Iraqi army patrol was ambushed by two roadside bombs as they were responding to a mortar attack at a police station north of Baghdad, Iraqi police said.

• Rain and melting snow bring floods to Washington 1/8/2009, 4:59 a.m. CST
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. (AP) — More than 30,000 people were urged to leave their flood-endangered western Washington homes as swollen rivers, mudslides and avalanches engulfed neighborhoods and roadways.

• Extreme Alaska cold grounds planes, disables cars 1/8/2009, 4:59 a.m. CST
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Ted Johnson planned on using a set of logs to a build a cabin in Alaska's interior. Instead he'll burn some of them to stay warm.

• Ore. teens largely ignoring cell phone driving ban 1/8/2009, 4:58 a.m. CST
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The chances that a teenager will be cited for talking on a cell phone while driving are pretty much zero in Oregon, a consequence of the way the law is written and a problem other states may be facing.

• US to head anti-pirate patrols off Somalia 1/8/2009, 4:51 a.m. CST
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. Navy says one of its commanders will lead a new international force to battle pirates off the coast of Somalia.

• 9 men convicted of homosexual acts in Senegal 1/8/2009, 4:44 a.m. CST
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A gay rights group says nine men in Senegal have been convicted of homosexual acts and sentenced to lengthy jail sentences.

• Israelis arrive in Egypt for cease-fire talks 1/8/2009, 4:19 a.m. CST
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Israeli representatives arrived in Cairo Thursday for Egyptian-brokered talks on a cease-fire proposal after the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on action to end the escalating crisis in Gaza.

• ML APNewsAlert 1/8/2009, 4:19 a.m. CST
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it will halt military action for 3 hours, allow Gaza residents to resupply

• Chinese democracy activist sentenced to 6 years 1/8/2009, 4:14 a.m. CST
BEIJING (AP) — A 65-year-old democracy activist who tried to set up an opposition party in China has been sentenced to six years in jail, a human rights group said Thursday.

• Ill. sec. of state feels the heat in Burris flap 1/8/2009, 3:52 a.m. CST
CHICAGO (AP) — Until recently, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White may have been best known on the national stage for establishing an inner city tumbling team. No longer.

• Venezuela to keep sending free fuel to US poor 1/8/2009, 3:51 a.m. CST
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez will keep donating heating oil for poor American families in a costly decision that suggests the Venezuelan leader wants to keep to his pledges — and buttress his image — in spite of falling oil prices.

• Lebanese prime minister condemns rocket attacks 1/8/2009, 3:46 a.m. CST
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanon's prime minister has condemned rocket attacks on Israel from his country as well as the Jewish state's retaliation.

• Sri Lankan military captures rebel base in north 1/8/2009, 3:41 a.m. CST
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan forces sweeping down from the north captured an important Tamil Tiger base on the Jaffna peninsula on Thursday, further boxing in the retreating rebel group, the military said.