itsjohntime

Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:02:08 -0500
TOP STORIES as of 1000 GMT -- 20 January, 2009

A CALL FOR UNITY ON EVE OF OBAMA'S MOMENT
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has called former Republican
presidential rival John McCain a hero at a bipartisan dinner and
issued a call for politicians to put an end to partisan
politics. Obama's speech capped a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
filled by appearances on the eve of his presidential
inauguration.

RUSSIA RESUMES GAS FLOW TO EUROPE
Russian energy giant Gazprom resumed pumping natural gas to
Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday, a Gazprom spokesman said.

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BUSINESS

ASIA MARKETS SLIDE; EUROPE MAKES GAINS
Asian markets slid Tuesday, as Japanese auto giant Toyota
reshuffled its top ranks in the wake of its first loss as a
public company, with Tokyo's benchmark index ending down more
than 2 percent.

NEW YORK TIMES GETS SLIM BOOST
The New York Times said it was getting $250 million in financing
from companies controlled by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim
Helu, with the money to be used to refinance existing debt.

FUEL DEPOT BLAZE EXTINGUISHED IN JAKARTA
Firefighters extinguished a massive blaze at a fuel depot in the
Indonesian capital Monday morning after a day-long fire burned
hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline.