News Briefs For January 30, 2009

PROOF - Iraqi National Police officers show their purple index fingers as proof of having voted outside the Abu Ghraib Boys High School, Jan. 28, 2009. Iraqi Security Forces, detainees, hospital patients and other special needs cases were given the opportunity to vote three days before the general population in the provincial elections, scheduled for Jan. 31. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brock Jones

MIDDLE EAST

Israeli settlements in the West Bank expand.

Hamas 'persecuting Fatah members' in Gaza.

Gaza's economy in tatters, can it be rebuilt?

U.S. Mitchell warns of setbacks ahead in Mideast talks

Cyprus detained Iran arms ship en route to Syria.

ASIA

Obama places call to China's president.

Pakistani PM says US strikes inflame tensions

North Korea renounces agreements with South Korea in challenge to US.

China, EU vow to deepen cooperation

Pakistani envoy slams India over Mumbai

Key Afghan US airfield shut down after `mishap'.

AFRICA

Al Qaeda holding Europeans taken in Mali - military.

The state of South African democracy today.

France to withdraw 1,900 troops from Africa

US skeptical about Zimbabwe power-sharing deal.

EUROPE

ETA vows to keep fighting after 50 years.

Iceland could join EU by 2011.

Refinery strikes spread across UK

AMERICAS

Homeland secretary wants criminal aliens out of US.

2010 Winter Olympics security costs rise five-fold to $1-billion

Bolivian Marxist Evo Morales cozies up to radical Islamists

Venezuelan defiance to rights treaty could set precedent.

FINANCIAL/ECONOMIC CRISIS

Ireland’s debt outlook cut to ‘negative’ by Moody’s.

Italian Mob revenue surges to $167 billion from 2007.

Iceland could be fast-tracked to join the EU within two years, to help the small Nordic state out of its economic crisis.

U.S. Q4 GDP down 3.8 percent, biggest drop since 1982.

U.S. eyes two-part bailout for Banks

Grim US, Japan data show financial crisis deepens