January, 2009

• 21 January

  FACTBOX: Afghan supply routes: problems and possibilities

  (Reuters) – Agreements have been reached for new transport routes for Western Forces into northern Afghanistan through Central Asian states and Russia, the Chief of the U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday General David Petraeus said those routes could supplement the shipment of supplies for Western forces in Afghanistan through …

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• 21 January

  Israel completes Gaza troop withdrawal

  JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel said it completed a troop pullout from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Wednesday, starting its relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama by quitting Palestinian land devastated by its 22-day offensive. “As of this morning, the last of the Israel Defense Forces soldiers have left the Gaza …

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• 21 January

  Gas deal threatens Ukraine’s crisis-hit economy

  KIEV (Reuters) – An abrupt rise in Russian gas prices will undermine Ukraine’s economic and energy security and leave some enterprises on the brink of insolvency, officials and analysts said Tuesday. Its economy already in a tailspin due to the global financial crisis, Ukraine will now pay $360 per 1,000 …

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• 21 January

  FACTBOX: Russia and Ukraine sign 10-year gas supply deal

  (Reuters) – Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom and Ukrainian energy firm Naftogaz have signed 10-year gas supply and transit deals, ending a contract row which left part of Europe without the supplies in midwinter. The contracts, signed in the presence of the prime ministers of both countries on Monday, allowed …

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• 21 January

  Conflict costs Israelis, Palestinians dear: study

  JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israelis and Palestinians could all be twice as rich as they are today if conflict had not continued throughout the peace process of the past two decades, an international think tank said on Wednesday. The Strategic Foresight Group, an India-based body that says it has advised governments, …

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• 21 January

  Hamas still standing, but some Gaza districts gone

  SALATIN, Gaza Strip (Reuters) – Palestinian families returned to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday but many found there was nothing recognizable left standing. Women and children gazed around in dismay as they came in sight of Salatin, trundling slowly along on overloaded donkey carts or packed …

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• 21 January

  Arab economic summit divided on Gaza

  KUWAIT (Reuters) – Arab leaders agreed at a summit on Tuesday to help rebuild the battered Gaza Strip, but failed to bridge differences over the three-week Israeli offensive that killed more than 1,300 people. The conflict in Gaza underscored the Arab divide between those allied to Egypt and Saudi Arabia …

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• 21 January

  Aid agencies ramp up Gaza operations after conflict

  JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Aid agencies poured resources into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Tuesday, providing basic essentials to tens of thousands of Palestinians in need of emergency aid after three weeks of devastating conflict. Israel, which controls border entry points into Gaza, said it hoped to triple the number of …

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• 21 January

  France signals easing conditions for Hamas talks

  PARIS (Reuters) – France signaled on Tuesday that it might be prepared to hold talks with Hamas even if the Palestinian Islamist group does not recognize Israel as Paris and other Western powers have demanded for years. The “Quartet” of Middle East mediators — the United States, the European Union, …

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• 21 January

  TIMELINE: Israeli-Hamas violence

  (Reuters) – Voicing shock at stark scenes of destruction, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, and Israel was poised to withdraw its troops. Here is a timeline of events since a six-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip ended last month. December 19, …

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