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Analysis |
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| Seeking ‘path of peace’ in ME |
| President Nicolas Sarkozy embarks on a two-day four-nation tour of the Middle East from tomorrow, hoping to rally key players behind a French initiative for a ceasefire in Gaza. Sarkozy will be the first leader of a major power to visit the region since Israel began its military offensive on December 27 to retaliate against rocket attacks by Hamas. |
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| A ‘frank talker’ |
| The Czech head of the European delegation heading to the turmoil-torn Middle East today is an aristocrat who has lived more than half his life in exile and who has a reputation for speaking frankly. The Czech Republic’s 72-year-old Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg will need this skill and more as he confronts his country’s first test since taking over the rotating EU... |
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| Historic challenges |
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Democratic lawmakers will pack greater
clout when the new Congress convenes on Tuesday but they face enormous
expectations from voters as they grapple with two wars, a financial crisis
and record budget deficits. Lawmakers begin work 14 days before Barack Obama is sworn in as president. |
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| Third time lucky |
| Tenacity has paid off for John Atta-Mills, whose third bid to become Ghana’s elected president proved successful yesterday. The former vice-president to the mercurial and charismatic ex-leader Jerry Rawlings grew up with a “desire to serve others, especially the underprivileged,” according to family members. |
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| Recurring disputes |
| For Ukrainians on the streets of Kiev, the row with Russia over gas supplies is just the latest example of ineptitude among their own feuding political elite. Few fear that Russia’s halt in gas supplies to Ukraine, after their failure to agree on this year’s contract, will lead to a cut in their own heating and hot water supplies as temperatures hover at around -10 Celsius. |
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