Excerpt: Russia halted supply of natural gas to Ukraine yesterday after the two ex-Soviet neighbors failed to agree on payment terms, sparking fresh concerns about the security of energy resources controlled by Moscow.
State-run gas giant Gazprom confirmed that supply to Ukraine had been shut off at precisely 10am as planned following the expiry at midnight New Year’s Eve of the old contract.
full story >>> Read Full Story
Excerpt: An Israeli jet dropped a one-tonne bomb on the home of a senior Hamas leader in Gaza yesterday, killing him and six members of his family in the first high-level assassination in six days of intensive bombing.
Nizar Rayan, 49, a Hamas hardliner who was close to the group’s military wing, was one of the few senior figures in the movement not to go underground when the latest conflict began. The four-storey building where he had his apartment in the Jabalia refugee camp was... Read Full Story
Excerpt: Russia cut off the gas to its neighbour Ukraine on Thursday after a contract dispute but increased supplies to other European states to try to reassure customers worried about possible disruption.
The European Union, which receives a fifth of its gas from pipelines crossing Ukraine, and the United States urged further negotiations to resolve the dispute and said all supply commitments must be met.
full story >>> Read Full Story
Excerpt: A fierce fire ripped through a popular nightclub in the Thai capital Bangkok early Thursday as people were celebrating New Year, killing at least 60 people and injuring 212, rescuers said.
The blaze broke out after a pyrotechnic display at the Santika club in the city’s Ekkamai district, a thronging entertainment area frequented by locals and tourists. It was not clear if any foreigners were among the dead.
full story >>> Read Full Story
Excerpt: The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced Gary Wang (王令麟), former chairman of the Eastern Multimedia Group, to 18 years in prison and a fine of NT$700 million (US$21 million) for his involvement in the Rebar Asia Pacific Group (力霸亞太企業集團) embezzlement scandal.Gary Wang, the son of Wang You-theng (王又曾), the fugitive founder of the Rebar Asia Pacific Group, embezzled money from various subsidiaries of the Rebar Group and had played major roles in the scheme, the verdict stated... Read Full Story
Excerpt: Russia will suspend gas supplies to Ukraine on Thursday morning, Russia’s state gas monopoly Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller said on Wednesday.
Talks on natural gas exports from Russia to Ukraine in 2009 “ended fruitlessly” and Gazprom will completely cut off gas supplies to Ukraine at 10:00 Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Jan. 1, Miller said.
full story >>> Read Full Story
Excerpt: Cuban pitcher Yadel Marti and outfielder Yasser Gomez have departed their Communist island homeland in a bid to launch Major League Baseball careers, ESPN reported on Monday on its website.
Citing unnamed sources, the US sports telecaster reported that relatives and friends of the players in Cuba confirmed the duo had departed and were in an unknown location but attempting to reach the Dominican Republic.
full story >>> Read Full Story
Excerpt: One of the three survivors of Sunday’s avalanches near Fernie, B.C., fought back tears Wednesday as he recounted his “gut-wrenching” decision to leave eight friends who died under the snow.
Four avalanches struck while Jeff Adams and the others were snowmobiling in the Flathead Valley, in the southeast corner of B.C.’s Rocky Mountains.
full story >>> Read Full Story
Excerpt: The decision becomes effective as of Thursday January 1, 2009 and also includes a reduction in monthly cash advances to USD 250, that is, half of the current amount.
The government announced on December 31st the reduction of the annual allowance of dollars that the Foreign Exchange Administration Committee (Cadivi) authorizes for travelers going abroad, from USD 5,000 to USD 2,500, under a decree published in the country’ Official Gazette No. 39,089.
full story >>> Read Full Story
Excerpt: Police in Reykjavik today used pepper spray against protesters attempting to prevent Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde appearing on a television show being broadcast from Hotel Borg on Austurvollur Square in central Reykjavik.
full story >>> Read Full Story
