Hello, I'm Melissa Long here at the CNN Center in Atlanta with a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS on this Monday.

Pakistan is expected to make a decision tomorrow on whether to hold parliamentary elections as planned on the 8th of January. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assasination has put the vote in jeopardy. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party has already said that the vote should not be delayed.

International envoys remain on stand-by at the Colombia Airport, waiting for the go-ahead to pick up three hostages held by the FARC rebel group. A mediator says the release has been delayed because the rebels have not named the rendezvous point.

In Iowa, voters and White House hopefuls are counting down to the caucuses. All the candidates are crisscrossing the Hawkeye State in a last-minute push for votes. Right now, polls show the Iowa Caucuses too close to callin either party's votes.

Metro Atlanta has barely escaped setting a record for the driest year ever on record. Thanks to a rainy Sunday, it finishes the year with 31.85 inches on the books, that's 500th of an inch more than in 1954. The devastating drought has affected not only the upper third of Georgia, most of Tennessee, Alabama, the Carolina and parts of Kentucky, Virginia have also been impacted.

Happy New Year!Here we go!
In some timezones they are already in year 2008. More than a million people took part in the massive fireworks display above the harbour in Sydney. And in France ringing in the new year means ringing in a new ban on smoking in public places. The ban won't actually be enforced until Wednesday January 2nd.

Happy New Year to you. Those are the headlines for you this hour. Do stay with CNN for more on these stories or other news of the day.