Today's edition of quick hits:
* Late this afternoon, the U.N. General Assembly approved an implicit recognition of Palestinian statehood, elevating Palestinians' U.N. observer status from "entity" to "non-member state."
* It was a 62-to-33, bipartisan vote: "Reflecting a war-weary nation, the Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday for an accelerated withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan after more than a decade of fighting."
* Now that's a picture calling out for a caption contest.
* Syria: "This morning, an entire country was effectively cut off from the Internet. Web traffic in and out of Syria dropped to zero abruptly, a drastic development more than a year into a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Cellphone service also appears to be partially down."
* BP: "The United States government has temporarily banned the British oil company BP from new federal contracts, citing the company's 'lack of business integrity.'"
* Housing recovery: "An index measuring the number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes in October jumped to nearly its highest level in almost six years. Steady job gains and record-low mortgage rates have made home buying more attractive."
* Given Mercury's proximity to the sun, it's amazing how much ice it has.
* Naming Paul Ryan one of the world's top 10 most important "global thinkers" strikes me as an example of profoundly poor judgment. Seriously, Foreign Policy editors, what were you thinking?
* Easily the greatest thing I've seen today: pictures of Vice President Biden going shopping at Costco.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
