February, 2009

• 2 February

  Macedonia Won’t Open EU Talks Before July

  Macedonia will not start European Union accession talks during the Czech presidency that runs until the end of June, Czech deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar told local media. The Czechs would be happy to see this happening, Pojar told the “Evrozum” show on A2 TV late on Sunday, but “this …

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• 2 February

  Bosnia Serb Party Leaves Coalition, Govt Stable

  The junior partner in the Bosnian Serb ruling coalition, the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, said it was walking out of the government led by the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, and going into the opposition. The walkout does not affect the stability of the government in the Serb-dominated …

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• 2 February

  Gunmen kidnap American U.N. official in Pakistan

  QUETTA, Pakistan – Gunmen abducted an American official of the U.N. refugee agency on Monday after shooting dead his driver in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, police said. Police identified the official as John Solecki, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Quetta. He …

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• 2 February

  Cairo court says gas exports to Israel can continue

  CAIRO  – A Cairo court ruled on Monday that Egyptian gas exports to Israel can continue, pending a review of a November court verdict that the exports should stop. The government had ignored the November verdict anyway and the Israeli company which buys the gas has not complained of any …

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• 2 February

  Israeli air strike wounds 4 Palestinians in Gaza

  GAZA  – An Israeli air strike on a car in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday wounded four militants, Palestinian medical workers said. They had earlier said that one militant had been killed in the attack. The Israeli army said it targeted gunmen who had fired two mortar bombs that …

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• 2 February

  India says Pakistan seems serious on Mumbai probe

  NEW DELHI  – Pakistan seems serious about investigating the Mumbai attacks and has sought clarifications on a dossier of evidence from India, but still is not doing enough to tackle militancy, India’s national security adviser said. “What I am aware of is that after the receipt of the dossier by …

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• 2 February

  Kazakhstan to nationalize top banks as crisis bites

  ASTANA  – Kazakhstan announced plans on Monday to effectively nationalize two of its leading banks as the global financial crisis tightened its grip on Central Asia’s biggest economy. The government said it will buy 78.14 percent of shares in the biggest bank, BTA, which has assets of $28 billion. BTA, …

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• 2 February

  Envoy Stresses Iran’s Continued N. Progress

  TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian diplomat underlined his country’s continued activity in the field of civilian nuclear technology, and said that that United States did not have the courage to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Speaking to reporters at the Iranian Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday, Director General of the …

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• 2 February

  IAEA Chief Welcomes US Overtures to Iran

  TEHRAN (FNA)- UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei in an interview published on Sunday welcomed recent overtures by US President Barack Obama to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program. ElBaradei called in an interview with the Washington Post for “a direct dialogue” between Iran and the United States, …

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• 2 February

  Dubai Police Rescues Iranian Ship Crew

  TEHRAN (FNA)- A Dubai Police navy rescue team on Saturday managed to rescue seven crew members on an Iranian ship before it sank off Al Hamriya Port in Dubai. The vessel, carrying 30 tons of vegetables, was located about 20 nautical miles off Al Hamriya port. The crew radioed an …

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