International

Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 20:02:07 -0500
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 05 January, 2009

DOCTOR IN GAZA: PATIENTS 'LYING EVERYWHERE'
Gaza's main hospital, already full of Palestinians wounded in
the week-long Israeli air assault, reached critical mass on
Sunday, according to a Norwegian doctor at Shifa Hospital.

PALESTINIAN SOURCES: DEATH TOLL TOPS 500
Palestinian medical sources say Israeli forces have killed 37
Palestinians -- both civilians and militants -- since moving
into the territory Saturday night. With those deaths, at least
507 Palestinians, including about 100 women and children, have
been killed in the week-long military operation, and 2,600
Palestinians have been injured, most of them civilians, sources
said.

EU, RUSSIA SENDING DELEGATIONS TO MIDEAST
International envoys scrambled to the Middle East Sunday to try
to end an Israeli assault on Gaza in response to months of
rocket fire from Palestinians.

BILL RICHARDSON BOWS OUT AS COMMERCE NOMINEE
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is withdrawing his nomination to
be commerce secretary, he and President-elect Barack Obama said
in statements Sunday.

DOZENS KILLED IN IRAQI PILGRIMAGE BOMBING
A suicide bomber killed at least 37 people and injured 53 --
many of them women -- during a Shia pilgrimage in northwestern
Baghdad Sunday,.

HUGE QUAKE KILLS AT LEAST 2, INJURES 35
A major earthquake struck Sunday near the northern coast of West
Papua, Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

PAKISTAN SUICIDE BOMBING KILLS SIX
A small explosion struck a cafe in northwestern Pakistan Sunday
evening and, as police gathered to investigate, a suicide bomber
detonated his explosives, killing six people, according to local
police and the town's mayor.
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BUSINESS

GAZPROM FILES LAWSUIT OVER GAS DISPUTE
Russian energy giant Gazprom, in the midst of a standoff with
Ukraine over payments for gas, has filed a lawsuit to stop what
it claims is illegal siphoning, chief executive Alexey Miller,
pictured, says.

AUSTRIA TAKES OVER BANK HIT BY MADOFF CASE
The Austrian government has taken control of a private bank with
significant exposure to the alleged fraud by Bernard Madoff.
Austria's market regulator, the FMA, installed a supervisor to
take control of Bank Medici, saying the move would address the
danger that the bank would not be able to pay its creditors.

WALL STREET STARTS YEAR WITH A BANG
Stocks rallied today, with investors starting off the new year
on the right foot after an abysmal 2008. The Dow closed above
9,000 for the first time since November. Analysts and investors
are cautiously optimistic that Wall Street will recover some in
2009, but the extent of any recovery will depend on a variety of
factors.