http://www.afp.com/english/ The News / wire stories en Copyright 2009, Agence France-Presse 2009-01-07T15:16:28Z Agence France-Presse AFP 2000-01-01T00:00+00:00 4 hourly http://www.afp.com/english/imgs/logo.gif http://www.afp.com Agence France-Presse http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.9e2918e23103b038f477b52739e0920e.281.html GAZA CITY, Jan 7, 2009 (AFP) - Israel on Wednesday gave Gaza a brief respite from its daily bombing which has left hundreds dead but the cabinet debated stepping up the war on Hamas despite an Egyptian ceasefire initiative. 2009-01-07T13:53+00:00 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.7885cb0014ecee4725073a0c31e82ac5.391.html KIEV (AFP) - All deliveries of Russian gas through Ukraine were halted on Wednesday, intensifying a bitter dispute between Moscow and Kiev which risks depriving Europeans of gas amid freezing weather. 2009-01-07T13:23+00:00 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.761342eff98c8827730a7a78baa51031.121.html ACCRA (AFP) - John Atta-Mills was to officially take over the running of Ghana from John Kufuor on Wednesday after cliffhanger elections in this west African country seen as a pioneer of political progression. 2009-01-07T12:07+00:00 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.9e2918e23103b038f477b52739e0920e.191.html BEIJING (AFP) - Top Chinese and US diplomats applauded 30 years of formal ties on Wednesday and expressed hope that one of the world's key bilateral relationships will stay on an even keel in the years ahead. 2009-01-07T11:42+00:00 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.baa2d189cf2303d0dc252af17d40327b.bf1.html PARIS (AFP) - Cases of measles have risen sharply in parts of Europe, reflecting the mobility of people carrying the disease and the failure to complete vaccination strategies among key communities, The Lancet reported on Wednesday. 2009-01-07T12:45+00:00 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.be550c9fa8646560458423a179f87cda.371.html LONDON (AFP) - British clothing-to-food retailer Marks & Spencer said Wednesday it would cut as many as 1,230 jobs and shut 27 stores as the group struggled with falling sales and a looming recession. 2009-01-07T12:44+00:00 http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/newsmlmmd.be550c9fa8646560458423a179f87cda.511.html MUMBAI (AFP) - The head of one of India's biggest outsourcing firms, Satyam Computer, resigned on Wednesday amid a scandal over a billion dollar fraud that sent company stocks tumbling 70 percent. 2009-01-07T08:40+00:00