AP - Throughout Israel's election campaign, polls have consistently shown the new Kadima Party founded by Ariel Sharon far ahead of its rivals. So why are pollsters getting nervous with the vote just days away?

AP - Israeli Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview published Thursday that any Israeli political parties that refuse to accept his plan of withdrawing from parts of the West Bank would not be able to join his coalition government.

AP - Sharon Stone, who returns as the seductive Catherine Tramell in "Basic Instinct 2," says she has no problem doing a nude scene — if it's right for the role.

AP - Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday he will not wait years for Hamas to recognize Israel, a precondition for peace talks, and he is prepared to take unilateral steps in the meantime.

AP - For the past two months, Ehud Olmert has presided over Israel's Cabinet meetings from a seat at the side of the table, leaving the prime minister's chair empty as though Ariel Sharon were still in charge. But since becoming acting prime minister after Sharon's devastating Jan. 4 stroke, Olmert has quickly put his mark on the government in what has become an audition for the top job.