International

Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 20:02:05 -0500
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 08 January, 2009

ISRAEL RESUMES GAZA CAMPAIGN AFTER BRIEF HALT
A temporary truce in Gaza that was supposed to last three hours
on Wednesday failed just 15 minutes after it was scheduled to
take effect. The suspension of the campaign from 1 p.m. until 4
p.m. was intended to allow residents of the Hamas-ruled
Palestinian territory to receive food and medical supplies.

ISRAEL TO SEND ENVOYS TO GAZA TRUCE TALKS
Israel will send two envoys to Cairo, Egypt, in the coming days
to discuss a Gaza truce plan which is still in its early stages,
an Israeli Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.

U.N.: NO MILITANTS AT SHELLED GAZA SCHOOL
U.N. officials are "99.9 percent certain" there were no
Palestinian militants in or on the grounds of a school that was
shelled by Israeli forces, killing more than 40 people, a
spokesman said Wednesday.

WANTED SADDAM ALLY URGES PALESTINIANS TO FIGHT
An audio message attributed to Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the
highest ranking former member of Saddam Hussein's regime still
at large, salutes the "People of Palestine" and calls on them to
fight back against Israel in Gaza.

SATYAM SHARES DIVE AFTER FRAUD ADMISSION
The chairman of India's fourth-largest software-services
provider resigned Wednesday after confessing to inflating the
company's profits for years with "fictitious" assets and
non-existent cash.

GAS ROW SENDS SHIVER THROUGH ICY EUROPE
Gas supplies to Europe from Russia remained cut or reduced
Wednesday as Russia and Ukraine continued their dispute over the
supply of natural gas.

OBAMA TO CALL FOR 'URGENT ACTION' ON ECONOMY
President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday will announce his pick
for "chief performance officer," a newly created position that
will work on the federal budget and to reform government.

MEXICAN PRESIDENT UNVEILS RECOVERY PLAN
Mexican President Felipe Calderon outlined a series of economic
recovery measures Wednesday, including freezing gasoline prices
for the rest of the year and lowering natural gas prices by 10
percent.

-------------------------------------------------
BUSINESS

M&S TO CUT UP TO 1,230 JOBS
British retail giant Marks & Spencer unveiled its worst sales
figures for almost a decade Wednesday and announced plans to cut
up to 1,230 jobs.

CHELSEA'S ABRAMOVICH LOSES RICH-LIST STATUS
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has lost his position at the top
of football's rich list but David Beckham remains the wealthiest
player.

BOA SELLS 5.6B SHARES IN CHINESE BANK
Bank of America has sold 5.6 billion shares, or $3 billion, of
its holdings in China Construction Bank, a spokesman for the
Chinese bank said Wednesday.