Main news of January 13

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Egypt's plans to build an underground steel wall on the border with the Gaza Strip will "strangle" the impoverished enclave, a spokesman for Gaza's Interior Ministry said

* Tel Aviv has officially apologized to Ankara for publicly humiliating Turkey's ambassador in front of local television stations, Turkish news agencies reported

* Former premier and opposition party leader Viktor Yanukovych is leading the presidential race in Ukraine, a Russian pollster said

* A court in Kiev found Bolshevik leaders guilty of genocide against Ukrainians during the 1932-1933 Holodomor famine, the country's National Security Service said

* Hundreds of people are believed to have died after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Haiti

* Pope Benedict XVI held an audience with the woman who knocked him down at St. Peter's Basilica during the Christmas Eve service and forgave her for her actions

* Ukrainian opposition Party of Regions leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych said he intends to revise gas deals with Russia if he wins the election

* Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a leading candidate in the country's presidential election, accused her rivals of planning to rig Sunday's vote and called on the West to help prevent any fraud

* The U.S. expects Beijing to respond to claims that Google and other firms have the subject of Internet attacks originating from China, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said

RUSSIA

* Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has approved a national concept to fight pervasive alcohol abuse in Russia with the target to cut alcohol consumption in half by 2020 and uproot the illegal market

* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia and Turkey could swap their energy assets and suggested Moscow help Turkey improve its ties with ex-Soviet Armenia

* Russia is preparing to send disaster relief to quake-struck Haiti, including a mobile air hospital, the emergencies ministry said

* Col. Gen. Alexander Postnikov, the head of the Siberian Military District, has been appointed the commander of the Russian Ground Forces, the Defense Ministry said

* A new television series depicting the harsh reality of school life in modern Russia has sparked heated public debate, with some people and politicians demanding the creators be punished

* Russia marked 40 days since the fire in a nightclub in the Urals city of Perm that killed 155 people, holding mourning and requiem ceremonies for the victims

* Over 214,000 people in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan were left without gas supplies after a pipeline explosion, emergencies services said

BUSINESS

* Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko addressed a letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Belarus's position in regard to oil deliveries

* Russia and Turkey signed a joint statement regarding plans to build a nuclear power plant on Turkish soil

SCIENCE

* An asteroid named 2010 AL30 whose unusual orbit frightened astronomers two days ago safely flew past Earth at a distance of 130,000 km (80,796 miles)

SPORT

* Russia's Vladimir Chagin, piloting his legendary Kamaz Team truck, has won the 10th leg of the 2010 Dakar Rally in Chile