At a Glance

WASHINGTON: Newt Gingrich announced on Saturday, the day after he said he was stepping down as Speaker of the US house of representatives, that he would leave Congress and return to private life. 8220;For me to stay in the House would make it impossible for a new leader to have a chance to grow and learn,8221; Gingrich told media persons outside his home in Marietta, Georgia, in announcing his decision not to take the seat to which he was re-elected on Tuesday. His decision came after a surprisingly strong showing by Democrats in the Congressional elections.

WEST BANK: Two Palestinians killed on Friday while carrying out a bomb attack at a crowded Jerusalem market were members of the Islamic Jihad group and not Hamas, a source in contact with the Islamic opposition said on Friday.

The two militants came from the Palestinian village of Anata, the source said, naming one of them as Yusef al-Saghir, whom he described as a well-known militant of Islamic Jihad. A smaller rival of the Islamic ResistanceMovement Hamas, Islamic Jihad broke with the largest Palestinian opposition movement over its refusal to endorse resistance to Israel before the launching of the Palestinian uprising or Intifada in late 1987. Earlier in the day Israel pointed the finger at Hamas. 8220;We received an anonymous call from someone speaking Arabic who said he was a Hamas official and claimed the attack.8221;