NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD - India accused Pakistan on Monday of
trying to shift blame for the Mumbai attacks and demanded it do
more to dismantle militant networks, while a top U.S. commander
landed in Islamabad for more talks.
- - - -
SINGAPORE/LONDON - China cut interest rates on Monday and
Japan warned it was sliding deeper into a recession encroaching
steadily on the global economy, closing factories and throttling
trade.
- - - -
KIEV - President Viktor Yushchenko dug in on Monday against
attacks by Ukraine's prime minister, rejecting blame for a deep
economic slide and refusing to sack the central bank chief after
the hryvnia currency sank to record lows.
- - - -
GAZA - Palestinian armed groups in Gaza observed a 24-hour
halt to rocket fire against Israel at the request of Egyptian
mediators, a senior official of the ruling Islamist Hamas group
said on Monday.
- - - -
MOSCOW - The upper house of parliament unanimously approved
extending Russian presidential terms on Monday, a constitutional
amendment which has fuelled speculation Vladimir Putin will
return as head of state.
- - - -
VIENNA - The OSCE said on Monday it would start shutting
down its mission in Georgia on Jan. 1 after Russia blocked a
proposal to extend it in a standoff over the status of the
breakaway South Ossetia region.
- - - -
LONDON - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe will have to
step down if any power-sharing government deal is to succeed,
Britain's Africa minister said on Monday, echoing comments from
Washington.
- - - -
MOSCOW - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko failed
on Monday to secure a firm promise of preferential gas prices
from Russia in 2009 despite warning the Kremlin that undermining
its ally's economy could backfire.
- - - -
BRUSSELS - Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme ruled out a
return to office on Sunday while media speculation grew that
King Albert was trying to revive the collapsed government in the
face of urgent economic problems.
- - - -
NICOSIA - A suspect package was sent to the U.S. embassy in
Cyprus on Monday and authorities were carrying out tests to
determine what it contained, officials said.