itsjohntime

Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:02:07 -0500
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 27 January, 2010

> U.S. FORCES RESCUE MAN FROM RUBBLE IN HAITI
Members of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division have rescued
a man from rubble in Haiti, who is being treated for a broken
leg, officials said.

> FEARS FOR U.S. HIKERS HELD IN IRAN
Two Belgians recently detained in Iran said they had some
contact with three U.S. hikers imprisoned there and are
concerned about the Americans' well-being.

> FRENCH LAWMAKERS URGE FACE VEIL BAN
French lawmakers have called for a ban on burqas -- the full
Islamic veil worn by some Muslim women -- in hospitals, schools
and on public transport.

> BAGHDAD BOMB KILLS 18, INJURES DOZENS
A car bomb explodes in central Baghdad killing 18 people and
wounding 80, one day after three vehicle bomb attacks at hotels
in the Iraqi capital kill at least 36.

> SEARCH GOES ON AFTER LEBANON JET CRASH
International search teams combed the Mediterranean Sea for
signs of life on Tuesday, a day after an Ethiopian Airlines
flight went down off Lebanon, authorities said.

> EX-GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT CAPTURED
Ex-Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo, charged in the U.S.
with money laundering, was captured Tuesday on a farm on the
Guatemalan coast, the country's attorney general said.

> SRI LANKA VOTE: VOW TO BLOCK 'WINNER'
Top politicians in Sri Lanka vowed Tuesday to block the man who
looks poised to win the country's presidential election from
taking office.

> TALIBAN: 25 DEAD IN ATTACK AT U.S. BASE
Afghan security forces arrested a man over last week's deadly
assault on key government sites in the heart of Kabul,
authorities said Tuesday.

~~~~~~~~~~~
BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> $74 MILLION DUTCH DEAL SAVES SAAB
General Motor's Swedish Saab brand has been saved from certain
death thanks to a last-minute deal with Dutch exotic car builder
Spyker. Spyker has agreed to pay $74 million in cash and $326
million in preferred stock in a new Saab that will emerge from
this deal.

> UK ECONOMY LIMPS OUT OF RECESSION
The UK economy finally returns to growth in the fourth quarter
of last year, after the deepest recession since records began
more than half a century ago, but at a far weaker rate than
expected.

> WILL DAVOS BREAK THE ECONOMIC GLOOM?
In its 2010 Global Risk Report, the World Economic Forum warned
of a second wave of economic turmoil unless further measures are
taken.