Thursday, December 11, 2008
International News
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 12 December, 2008
'AL QAEDA LEGEND' SEIZED IN RAID
Belgian police Thursday arrested a woman they called an "al
Qaeda living legend" as part of an operation to thwart a terror
attack being planned to coincide with an EU summit in Brussels:
a Belgian police source
NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR DEAL MAY ELUDE BUSH
The Bush administration signaled Thursday that it may not be
able to reach an agreement with North Korea on its nuclear
program before President Bush leaves office next month but said
it will continue to try.
PAKISTAN DETAINS TERROR GROUP FOUNDER
The founder of the terrorist group India blames for last month's
Mumbai attacks has been placed under house arrest, a senior
Pakistani government official said. The move comes after the
Pakistani government banned his group, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity
affiliated with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba that India says is behind the
deadly siege.
MUGABE: CHOLERA CONTAINED IN ZIMBABWE
A South African province has declared a health emergency after
more than 600 refugees from Zimbabwe arrived with cases of
cholera, a government official said Thursday.
55 DIE IN IRAQ RESTAURANT BOMBING
A suicide bomber killed at least 55 people Thursday at a
restaurant in northern Iraq where Arab and Kurdish politicians
were working on ways to ease tensions. The attack on the eatery
outside Kirkuk wounded 109 others, but none of the politicians
was seriously hurt.
OBAMA: SENATE SEAT NOT FOR TRADE
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Thursday she is
prepared to "take action" against Gov. Rod Blagojevich if he
does not resign.
INVENTOR BUILDS HIS OWN ROBOT GIRLFRIEND
An inventor who claims he has never had time to find a human
girlfriend has created his own perfect woman -- a robot.
BUSH OPENS UP ON STRUGGLE WITH ALCOHOL ABUSE
President Bush reflected on his own struggle with alcohol in a
White House meeting Thursday that touted gains in the war on
drug abuse.
BUSINESS
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U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS AT 26-YEAR HIGH
The number of Americans filing new unemployment insurance claims
jumped last week to a 26-year high, surpassing economists' worst
expectations. The U.S. economy has lost 1.9 million jobs so far
this year.
SONY UNVEILS PLAYSTATION COMMUNITY SITE
Electronics giant Sony launched its eagerly anticipated
social-networking site Thursday for PlayStation 3 users.
WORLD BANK OFFERS $2B TO DEVELOPING NATIONS
The World Bank announced a "fast-track" assistance program for
countries in dire economic straits Wednesday, aiming to make $2
billion in financial aid available more quickly for struggling
nations.
