Gaza aid held as U.N. truce plan rejected

Israeli jets and helicopters bombarded Gaza Friday and Hamas responded with a barrage of rockets on at least two cities as both sides defied a U.N. call for an immediate cease-fire.

Jobless rate jumps to 7.2 percent

The Labor Department reported Friday that the jobless rate rose to 7.2 percent in December and payrolls dropped by 524,000 jobs.

Ill. court: Burris doesn't need 2nd signature

The Illinois Supreme Court says Secretary of State Jesse White doesn't need to sign Roland Burris' appointment to the U.S. Senate to make it valid.

Tourists rescued after Costa Rica quake

Helicopters plucked tourists from a destroyed, mountaintop resort as the death toll from Costa Rica's magnitude-6.1 earthquake was at least 9 victims, the Red Cross said Friday.

Scoop: Cruise gets emotional about Jett Travolta

A visibly shaken Tom Cruise said that it was untrue that the Church of Scientology forbids members from seeking medical attention.

Kenya: 10 million at risk after harvests fail
Ten million people risk going hungry in Kenya after harvests failed because of drought, the government said Friday.

Somali pirates free Saudi supertanker

Somali pirates freed a Saudi supertanker seized in the world's biggest ship hijacking for a $3 million ransom on Friday, an associate of the gang said.

Patrick Swayze checks into hospital

Patrick Swayze has pneumonia and has checked himself into a hospital for observation, it was revealed Friday at a press event for the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles.

Greece riots rise again as youths, cops clash

Masked youths clashed with police in central Athens Friday in the first major test of the Greek government's vow to crack down on violent protesters after a month of nationwide riots.

Ex-‘Sopranos' actor gets 10 years in prison

A former actor on "The Sopranos" was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for a botched burglary in the Bronx in which an accomplice shot and killed an off-duty police officer.