January, 2009

• 29 January

  Iraq sends Syria first ambassador in decades

  BAGHDAD  – Iraq will send Syria its first ambassador since around the time Saddam Hussein became president in 1979, a government official said Wednesday. Alaa al-Jawadi would leave Wednesday to become Iraq’s new envoy in Damascus, Mohammed al-Haj Hamoud, Iraq’s deputy foreign minister, told Reuters. Last October Damascus posted its …

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• 29 January

  Russian missile move a good step if confirmed: NATO

  BRUSSELS  – A reported Russian move to halt deployment of Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad would be a good step if confirmed, NATO said on Wednesday. “The earlier Russian announcement that they were going to deploy missiles into Kaliningrad and point them at NATO allies was unwelcome. If that decision has …

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• 29 January

  Violence falls under new leader in Russia’s Ingushetia

  NAZRAN, Russia  – A new president in Russia’s mainly Muslim Ingushetia region has taken the heat out of a simmering rebellion by restoring some trust in the regional authorities. Although violence still scars Ingushetia, residents say it has decreased since Yunus-Bek Yevkurov replaced former secret police officer Murat Zyazikov in …

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• 29 January

  Pakistan’s Zardari calls on U.S. to boost aid

  WASHINGTON  – Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari called on the United States on Wednesday to boost both military and non-military aid to his country to help it fight extremists. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, Zardari said U.S. President Barack Obama should push Congress to pass legislation introduced …

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• 29 January

  Pakistan to release Mumbai attacks findings soon

  DAVOS, Switzerland  – Pakistan will release details of an investigation into the Mumbai attacks “very soon,” Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday. “We are investigating … anything substantive we will share with the world,” he told Reuters in an interview in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, where …

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• 29 January

  Israeli army censures officer over “no mercy” call

  JERUSALEM  – The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had reprimanded an officer behind the distribution of a booklet during the Gaza war that advised soldiers against showing any mercy to enemies. An Israeli rights group, Yesh Din, called Monday for the dismissal of the chief military rabbi, Brigadier-General Avichai …

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• 29 January

  Pakistan says has no deal with U.S. on drone strikes

  ISLAMABAD  – Pakistan said Wednesday it wanted closer cooperation with the United States in the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban but had no understanding with Washington that allowed missile strikes on its territory. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that Washington would continue with strikes by unmanned …

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• 29 January

  Palestinians back to work on tunnels after bombing

  RAFAH, Gaza Strip  – Smugglers were back at work in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip Wednesday repairing tunnels running under the border with Egypt only hours after Israeli aircraft bombed the underground network. “They dropped two or three bombs. But look, everybody is still working,” said a 30-year-old digger who gave …

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• 29 January

  U.S. Mideast envoy says Gaza ceasefire critical

  CAIRO  – The U.S. Middle East envoy, dispatched by President Barack Obama with orders to “start by listening,” said on Wednesday it was critical to consolidate a Gaza ceasefire after Israel’s offensive. Former Senator George Mitchell met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the first leg of his week-long tour as …

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• 29 January

  British say calm Iraq polls key to Basra investment

  BASRA, Iraq  – Iraq’s elections this week will be a crucial test of whether the oil-rich but dilapidated city of Basra is ready for the international investment it desperately needs, British officials said. Once overrun by gangs and militias vying for control of Iraq’s second biggest city, Basra is now …

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