International

Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:01:07 -0500
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 13 January, 2009

SOURCES: OBAMA TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO QUICKLY
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama plans to close the U.S.
military prison at Guantanamo Bay as early as his first week in
office to show a break from the Bush administration's approach
to the war on terror, two officials close to the transition have
said.

HAMAS LEADER DELIVERS DEFIANT SPEECH
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya delivered a defiant speech Monday,
promising that the current conflict with Israel will deliver "a
new future" to the people of Gaza. About 900 people in Gaza have
died and around 3,600 suffered injuries since an Israeli
offensive began last month.

ISRAEL ACCUSED OF USING WHITE PHOSPHORUS
The international group Human Rights Watch is accusing Israel of
firing weapons containing white phosphorus into Gaza. The group
demands that the alleged practice cease.

BUSH ADMITS 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED' A MISTAKE
President George W. Bush admitted mistakes but defended his
accomplishments in the final White House news conference of his
presidency. Talking about how the fall of Baghdad was handled,
he said: "Clearly, putting a 'Mission Accomplished' [banner] on
an aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message."

U.S. VISITORS FACE TIGHTER ENTRY RULES
Travelers visiting the United States under the Visa Waiver
Program (VWP) risk being detained at airports and sent home if
they don't comply with new U.S. immigration rules. Visitors from
27 VWP countries -- including most of Western Europe, New
Zealand, Japan and Australia -- must now register their details
online at least three days before departure.

ALITALIA LANDS INTERNATIONAL PARTNER
The board of ailing Alitalia airline has accepted an offer from
Air France-KLM to buy 25 percent of the company and become its
international partner, Alitalia announced Monday evening.

U.S. SENATE REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR OMINOUS 2010
The 111th Congress has just barely begun as Senate Republicans
brace for more grueling elections in 2010 which threaten to
further weaken Republicans in Congress.

INDONESIA FERRY DISASTER LEAVES 246 MISSING
Rescue crews continued their search for 246 people still missing
on Monday, a day after their ferry capsized off the coast of
Indonesia.
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BUSINESS

RUSSIA TO RESTORE GAS SUPPLY TO EUROPE
Russia will start pumping natural gas to Europe again after an
interruption of nearly a week, energy giant Gazprom's deputy CEO
Alexander Medvedev has said. The announcement came after Moscow signed
an agreement to end a bitter dispute with Ukraine.

MERKEL SEEKS $67B ECONOMIC STIMULUS
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling CDU party has proposed
a $67 billion (€50 billion) fiscal stimulus package of
investment and tax cuts aimed at helping the German economy
through the recession.

60 ARRESTED OVER CHINA TAINTED MILK SCANDAL
Chinese authorities have arrested 60 people in connection with
the country's tainted milk scandal that killed six infants and
sickened nearly 300,000 more : a provincial official said