FRONT PAGE

Israel's last surge before a Gaza cease-fire?
The UN headquarters in Gaza was struck by Israeli fire. Fissures are emerging among Israeli civilian and military leaders over how and when to end the campaign.

As atheists roll out London ads, believers unruffled
Billboard campaign promotes atheist beliefs on buses.

World

In Egyptian hospitals, an opaque window on Gaza war
Denied access to Gaza, a reporter draws on firsthand accounts from the Palestinian wounded taken to Egypt.

Russian gas cutoff energizes nuclear comeback
Italy, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Britain are among those giving nuclear another look.

War crimes charges rattle Sudan
The World Court could soon issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir on charges of genocide.

Amid broad Israeli support for Gaza war, a rare dissenting voice
Sari Bashi of the group Gisha argued before the Israeli Supreme Court Thursday that Israel is still responsible for Gazan civilians because it controls the enclave's borders, airspace, and sea space.

USA

New worries about meth trends
After a decline in the number of labs in the US, amounts of the addictive drug have gone up.

Scramble for solutions as foreclosures rise at record speed
Amid doubts about government efforts, Congress was expected to vote on reserving $50 billion in TARP funds to help with home losses.

Commentary

In praise of pragmatic foreign policy
US presidents often swing between realism and idealism. Obama should reject both.

Time to forcefully oust Mugabe
Successful intervention by neighboring African states has been done before.

Ukraine needlessly pokes Russia
Kiev is provoking Russia in the gas crisis and other ways. It's a backfire strategy.

Letters to the Editor
Readers write about how President-elect Obama can solve America's trade problems, and why President Bush will leave a positive legacy in India.

News In Brief

Etc.

USA

Arts & Entertainment

Obama's call to arts
The president-elect's proposed Artists Corps is one plank in his push to revitalize the arts in education.

Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff
Christopher Guest displays his musical talents, quirky 'This American Life' puts out a second DVD, Martin Luther King Day offers a chance to make a difference, and more.

A translator's task – to disappear
Natasha Wimmer's acclaimed translation of Roberto Bolaño's '2666' is giving foreign works new prominence.

The Home Forum

Your label here: the power of words in a picture
The Monitor's language columnist considers how the labels put on news stories and public events shape our thinking.

What Martin Luther King Jr. taught me
A snowy street, an encounter, a perspective changed.

Over the hedge
In a pink chenille robe, face to face with history

To judge by character, not race
A Christian Science perspective on daily life.