Thursday January 01, 2009
EUROPE 
Talks fail, Russia to halt gas to Ukraine
Russia's state gas monopoly said it would cut off all natural gas supplies to Ukraine early today after the two sides failed to agree on how much Ukraine would pay this year.
Annual Icelandic TV event shut down by protesters
A nationally televised meeting between Iceland's Prime Minister and other political leaders was forced off the air last night when angry protesters disrupted the broadcast.For more than two decades, the leaders of Iceland's political parties have met every New Year's Eve over champagne and spiced herring to talk about the year ahead on Iceland's Channel 2 television.
Car bomb rocks TV station in northern Spain
A car bomb exploded yesterday outside a regional TV station in northern Spain after a warning from the separatist group ETA, police said.One person suffered an ear injury in the blast, said broadcaster EITB, which managed to stay on air despite the explosion at its headquarters in central Bilbao city.
AMERICAS
Obama trades swish for swing
Barack Obama is known more for his jump shot than his tee shot, but the president-elect spent some of his Hawaiian vacation honing his stroke in the most presidential of sports.
SEC won't make list of Madoff assets public
A list of Bernard Madoff's assets filed yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission won't be made public, said the regulator, which sued him earlier this month for allegedly directing a $50-billion (U.S.) fraud.
U.S. mindful of 2006 war as it debates response to offensive
With three weeks to go until a new president takes office, the Bush administration is struggling over how to tackle Middle East violence, hobbled by the exit of key diplomats and cautious after a dismal diplomatic effort in Lebanon in 2006.
U.S. to decide case by case if others get bailout cash
The U.S. Treasury Department said yesterday it will decide on a case-by-case basis whether other companies connected to the struggling automotive industry should be provided emergency aid from the government's $700-billion (U.S.) bailout pot.
Plane gains a passenger as baby born over Canada
There were 124 passengers on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 when it left the Netherlands. There were 125 when it landed in Boston.Phil Orlandella, a spokesman for Logan International Airport, says a woman went into labour and gave birth to an apparently healthy baby girl over the Atlantic Ocean yesterday.
Legal wrangling escalates in Burris's Senate dispute
U.S. Senate appointee Roland Burris asked a court to force Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to certify his appointment to president-elect Barack Obama's old Senate seat.
Mexico extradites 10 to face drug charges in U.S.
Mexico sent 10 alleged drug smugglers to the United States yesterday, capping an already record year for extraditions between the two countries.Several were high-ranking members of Mexico's most powerful drug gangs, Mexico's Attorney-General's office said in a news release. The suspects will face charges in California, Texas, Florida and Georgia.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Forces probe death of Taliban insurgent
Canadian military investigators are probing allegations of ''inappropriate conduct'' in the death of a Taliban insurgent last fall, but little else has been made public.Reading from a written statement, Colonel Jamie Cade, deputy commander of NATO forces in Kandahar, told reporters that he was made aware of the allegations on Dec. 27. Investigators want to know if ''proper reporting procedures were followed,'' he said.
Militant giving details of Mumbai attack plot, Pakistan says
A militant arrested in Pakistan has confessed to involvement in November's Mumbai terrorist attack and is giving investigators details of the plot, a senior Pakistani government official said yesterday.
Scores die in Bangkok nightclub fire
A blaze at a top Bangkok nightclub killed at least 59 people celebrating the new year today and injured more than 200 others, rescue workers and witnesses said.Some said the fire was caused by fireworks, others that it was an electrical fault.
Bomb makers' bases destroyed, Afghan army official says
The Afghan National Army says its soldiers destroyed three suspected bomb-making compounds and killed a person believed to be planting roadside bombs during a recent operation.Colonel Ahmad Habibi told reporters at Kandahar Air Field the mission was planned and executed by the Afghan army under the tutelage of Canadian military mentors.
AFRICA-MIDEAST
Abbas threatens to abandon peace talks
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas threatened yesterday to halt the peace process if Israel continues its attacks on Gaza, even as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted at terms under which his government might agree to a ceasefire.
The world reacts
Diplomatic efforts by U.S., European and Middle Eastern leaders appeared to be having little effect on the military operations under way in Gaza. A French proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire to allow humanitarian supplies into Gaza failed to gain traction. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the time was not ripe to consider it.
