January, 2009

• 2 January

  Macedonia Presidency Grumbles Over Residence

  Three months from a deadline for the completion of Macedonia’s new presidential residence, President Branko Crvenkovski’s cabinet is accusing the government of deliberate delays to the works. The president, who previously led the opposition Social Democrats, has in recent months clashed publicly with the current government led by the centre-right …

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• 2 January

  Egypt police hold Islamists ahead of Gaza protests

  CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian police detained 20 members of the Muslim Brotherhood and deployed in force in the capital on Friday, ahead of demonstrations the Islamist group called to protest Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Hundreds of riot police and agents were deployed around key mosques in Cairo before the protest, …

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• 2 January

  Britain hands control of Basra airport to Iraqis

  LONDON (Reuters) – Britain has formally handed over responsibility for the running of Basra airport to Iraqi authorities, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday, a move that paves the way for Britain to withdraw from Iraq. The airport, on the outskirts of Iraq’s second largest city in the south …

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• 2 January

  Iraq suicide bomber kills 23 at tribal lunch

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A suicide bomber struck a lunch gathering of Sunni Arab tribal leaders on Friday in a town south of Baghdad, killing at least 23 people and wounding 42 others, security spokesman Major-General Qassim Moussawi said. The U.S. military said its initial reports said 21 were killed and …

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• 2 January

  India says Pakistan attitude unchanged on militants

  NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s defense minister said on Friday Pakistan was still failing to crack down on militants blamed for the Mumbai attacks, and that New Delhi had not deployed troops despite tension with its neighbor. India has been mobilizing support across the world to press Pakistan to crack …

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• 2 January

  Europe’s gas flowing day after Moscow cuts off Kiev

  MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) – Russian gas kept flowing to European Union states on Friday, a day after Moscow cut off flows to Ukraine in a contract dispute, but importers across the continent were watching for signs their supplies were faltering. The European Union’s Czech presidency said it considered the row between …

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• 2 January

  Pakistanis reopen Khyber Pass for Afghan supplies

  JAMRUD, Pakistan (Reuters) – Trucks rumbled through Pakistan’s Khyber Pass on Friday, resuming the transport of supplies to Western forces in Afghanistan three days after authorities suspended shipments to clear out militants. Pakistani Taliban militants in the Khyber region have been trying for months to block vital supplies bound for …

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• 2 January

  Lucky few leave as Gaza struggles on

  GAZA (Reuters) – They boarded buses in the pre-dawn murk on Friday, lucky foreign passport holders allowed by Israel to escape from seven days of Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip. “The situation is very bad. We are afraid for our children,” said Ilona Hamdiya, a woman from Moldova married …

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• 2 January

  Russia-Ukraine gas row highlights EU’s dependency

  LONDON (Reuters) – Russia’s decision to cut off gas supplies again to Ukraine underlines the urgent need for Europe to reduce its dependency on Russian supply, because the annual row over payments seems unlikely to end soon. Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom cut off Ukraine in the middle of winter …

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• 2 January

  Volunteers Seek to Defend Gaza

  TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian student groups have appealed to the government to authorize martyrdom-seeking volunteers to leave Iran and fight against Israel in response to the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip. The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had not responded to the call by Wednesday. Five student groups and a …

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