111th Congress...Gaza school hit...Dowbeat readings

Washington (AP) The 111th Congress has convened, with nine new senators and 54 House members being sworn in. Officials turned away one would-be senator from the Capitol today, saying his paperwork was not in order. Roland Burris was appointed to Illinois' vacant Senate seat by Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich).

Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell the appointment.

JERUSALEM (AP) An Israeli official says Palestinian militants fired on Israeli soldiers from the courtyard of a U.N. school in northern Gaza today. Dozens of people were killed when Israeli forces struck back. The official says multiple explosions went off, possibly from munitions stored at the location.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) Diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza are going on in Middle Eastern capitals and at the U.N. today. French President Nicolas Sarkozy (sahr-koh-ZEE') is asking Syrian President Bashar Assad (bah-SHAHR' AH'-sahd) to pressure Hamas, while a delegation of the group's leaders is holding talks in Cairo with Egypt's intelligence chief. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to the U.N. to meet with Arab foreign ministers.

WASHINGTON (AP) The latest economic readings out today are mostly downbeat. Factory orders were down for the fourth straight month in November, while The National Association of Realtors reports pending home sales fell to the lowest level ever that same month. The Institute for Supply Management says the services sector continued to contract in December, though the pace slowed.

WASHINGTON (AP) The Treasury Department is providing Congress with an updated estimate of the costs of administering the $700 billion financial rescue program. It includes $1.2 million for salaries through the end of the month and more than $5 million on other expenses.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 01-06-09 1209CST | save this article / add to your favorites list