Sunday, January 18, 2009
International
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 19 January, 2009
BODIES DUG FROM RUBBLE DURING GAZA CEASE-FIRE
Palestinians in Gaza's Zeitoun neighborhood are using their bare
hands and bulldozers to unearth 23 bodies of people killed
during an Israeli attack that happened a week into Israel's
three-week Gaza offensive: report
OBAMA'S APPEAL GROWS AS INAUGURATION NEARS
A new poll suggests President-elect Barack Obama is more popular
than ever ahead of Tuesday's inauguration with 84 percent of
Americans saying they approve of how he has handled the
transition.
HAMAS AGREES ONE-WEEK CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA
Hamas militants have agreed to a one-week cease-fire against
Israeli forces in Gaza. The announcement Sunday came hours after
Israel halted its offensive against the militant group which it
blames for rocket attacks against Israeli towns. At least 1,200
people have been killed during the 22-day conflict.
CRASHED PLANE'S RECORDERS IN 'EXCELLENT' SHAPE
An US Airways jetliner that landed on the Hudson River Thursday
was successfully hoisted out of the water late Saturday,
following several hours of work by crews in frigid conditions.
OPPOSITION: NO 'SUICIDE' DEAL WITH MUGABE
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe warned that a meeting Monday
with the leader of the opposition will be the last before he
forms a government.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE TO RESUME GAS FLOW
The prime ministers of Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement
early Sunday morning to resume gas supplies to Europe by early
next week.
CHINA CONFIRMS GIRL INFECTED WITH BIRD FLU
A 2-year-old girl in northern China is in critical condition
after testing positive for bird flu, state media said Sunday. It
is China's second confirmed case of the virus this month.
N. KOREA SAYS IT HAS 'WEAPONIZED' PLUTONIUM
Senior North Korean officials say the communist regime has
"weaponized" its stockpile of plutonium, according to a U.S.
scholar, in a move suggesting that North Korea may have
significantly hardened its stance on nuclear negotiations.
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BUSINESS
CITIGROUP TO SPLIT AFTER $8.3B LOSS
Citigroup has announced plans to split the company in two after
reporting a bigger than expected fourth quarter loss of more
than eight billion dollars.
KELLOGG RECALLS PRODUCTS AMID SALMONELLA SCARE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 453 people
in 43 states and Canada have been infected with salmonella
Typhimurium.
BANK OF AMERICA GETS NEW BAILOUT PACKAGE
Bank of America will get another $20 billion from the U.S.
government's bailout fund, with federal guarantees for another
$118 billion in mortgage-backed securities on its balance
sheets, the Treasury Department announced early Friday.
