Saturday, January 24, 2009
International
TOP STORIES as of 1000 GMT -- 24 January, 2009
BRAZILIAN AMPUTEE MODEL DIES FROM DEADLY ILLNESS
Brazilian model Mariana Bridi da Costa, whose hands and feet
were amputated in a bid to save her from a little-known illness,
has died. "Unfortunately Mari couldn't
resist any longer," Henrique Fontes, executive director of Miss
World Brazil, said .
EXPERTS SKEPTICAL ON GITMO DETAINEE REPORT
Security experts are questioning information released by the
Pentagon last week, saying 61 former detainees from its
detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may have returned to
terrorist activities.
MUSHARRAF: U.S. TREATS PAKISTAN 'UNEQUALLY'
Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said his country is
being treated "unequally" to other countries, despite being a
staunch U.S. ally in its war on terror. The interview took place
amid reports of U.S. drones striking militant targets in
Pakistan days after the start of the Obama administration, a
continuation of a Bush policy that Musharraf warned against.
CLINTON REACHES OUT TO U.S. ALLIES
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has phoned a slew of leaders
since taking office on Thursday, reaching out to key allies in
the Middle East, Asia and Europe as the Obama administration
reviews foreign policies.
OBAMA CHANGES FOREIGN ABORTION-FUNDING POLICY
President Obama will issue an executive order Friday afternoon
reversing a controversial abortion-related policy from the past
three Republican administrations, a senior administration
official said.
TWO CHILDREN KILLED BY MAN WITH 'PAINTED' FACE
A stabbing at a nursery school outside Brussels, Belgium, on
Friday left two children and one adult dead, the Belgian
Interior Ministry said. Another three children were rushed to
hospital in a critical condition, according to reports.
FREED GITMO DETAINEE 'WENT TO AL QAEDA'
A Saudi national released from U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, in September 2007 is believed to be a key leader in al
Qaeda's operations in Yemen, according to a U.S.
counterterrorism official. "He is one of a handful of al Qaeda
deputies in Yemen," the official said. "He is one of the top
terrorists."
U.N. MULLED HALTING SOMALI FOOD AID
The United Nations considered suspending delivery of food to
areas of Somalia after the recent killings of two aid workers,
said a spokesman for the organization's World Food Program.
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BUSINESS
BRITISH ECONOMY NOW OFFICIALLY IN RECESSION
The British economy is officially in a recession, according to
statistics released Friday. The British gross domestic product
declined by 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the
British government announced. That followed a decline of 0.5
percent in the third quarter.
BOLIVIA NATIONALIZES BP SUBSIDIARY
Bolivian President Evo Morales nationalized the Chaco petroleum
company Friday, taking over the British Petroleum subsidiary
with the military on standby.
GEITHNER HEADS TO FULL SENATE VOTE
A U.S. Senate panel recommended the full Senate confirm Tim
Geithner as the next Treasury secretary, but five Republican
senators opposed going forward, including the committee's
ranking member.
