AP - President Bush is shaking up the team responsible for carrying out his military and diplomatic strategies in Iraq as he prepares to outline a new direction for the war that has raged for nearly four years.

AP - Art Shell's second stint as coach of the Oakland Raiders ended after just one season, the franchise's worst in more than four decades. Shell met with owner Al Davis on Thursday, and afterward the team announced that he would not return as coach for the final season of his contract.

Reuters - South Korean officials said on Friday that activity has been spotted near a suspected nuclear test site in North Korea but there is no evidence to suggest Pyongyang is about to test another atomic device.

AP - Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman on Thursday dismissed the chief of the country's nuclear weapons program because of security breakdowns at the Los Alamos, N.M., laboratory and other facilities.

AP - In a day of ceremony and historic change, Rep. Nancy Pelosi became the nation's first female House speaker on Thursday as Democrats eagerly took control of Congress for the final two years of President Bush's term.

AP - The number of death sentences handed out in the United States dropped in 2006 to the lowest level since capital punishment was reinstated 30 years ago, reflecting what some experts say is a growing fear that the criminal justice system will make a tragic and irreversible mistake.

AP - In a case fraught with ethical questions, the parents of a severely mentally and physically disabled child have stunted her growth to keep their little "pillow angel" a manageable and more portable size.

AP - Equipped with a laser range finder, a head for numbers and an explorer's zeal, Michael Taylor has made a sport of finding and sizing up the tallest species on the planet, California's ancient coast redwoods.

AP - Jennifer Lopez is among the entertainers selected by People en Espanol for its "100 Most Influential Hispanics" issue, which honors those who have made an impact in the Hispanic community.

AP - Gap Inc. suffered through a miserable holiday shopping season that will decimate its fourth-quarter profit, raising investor hopes for a management shake-up or an opportunistic bid to buy the long-slumping retailer.

Reuters - Democrats took control of the 110th Congress on Thursday, promising to challenge President George W. Bush's Iraq war policies, help the needy and -- in response to recent scandals -- clean up how lawmakers do business.

Reuters - President Bush is planning to name a new ambassador and will likely pick new military commanders for Iraq as he prepares a new strategy for a worsening war that has mired his administration.

Reuters - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday he and President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed at emergency talks to keep gunmen from their rival Hamas and Fatah factions off Gaza's streets after six people were killed.

Reuters - President Bush on Thursday applauded German Chancellor Angela Merkel's support for U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran, saying he did not see peace with Tehran developing nuclear weapons.

Reuters - The head of the U.S. nuclear weapons program resigned under pressure on Thursday following repeated security lapses at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

AFP - Iraq postponed executing two of Saddam Hussein's henchmen amid international pressure following the ousted dictator's bungled and much criticized hanging.

AFP - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks in a bid to relaunch the stalled Middle East peace process but their meeting revealed deep disagreements.

Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is likely to visit the Middle East soon and sees an opening for Arab-Israeli peace despite the Palestinian power struggle, the State Department said on Thursday.

Reuters - President Bush is expected on Friday to nominate national intelligence director John Negroponte to become deputy secretary of state, a senior administration official said on Thursday.

Reuters - President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday agreed that investigating the unauthorized recording of Saddam Hussein's execution was the "right thing to do," the White House said.