Friday, April 16, 2010
International Headlines
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 17 April, 2010
> ASH CLOUD AIR TRAVEL CHAOS SET TO CONTINUE INTO WEEKEND
• 16,000 flights canceled Friday across Europe • Cloud
expected to drift further south, east overnight • British
Airways to fly from North America to Scotland • Polish
president's funeral to go ahead on Sunday
> CHINA QUAKE DEATH TOLL TOPS 1,100
The death toll in the China earthquake now stands at 1,114,
relief officials said on Friday as rescuers continued to race
against the clock to pull survivors from the rubble.
> KIDNAPPED AID WORKERS RELEASED IN CONGO
Eight staff members of the International Committee of the Red
Cross who were kidnapped April 9 in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo were released Friday, the Red Cross said.
> CIA TAPE DESTRUCTION SPARKED CONCERNS
The destruction of nearly 100 videotapes showing the harsh
interrogation of two al Qaeda detainees in 2005 triggered
concerns within the CIA over whether it was adequately cleared,
according to newly released documents.
> THAI MILITARY TAKES CONTROL OF SECURITY
Three anti-government protest leaders evaded Thai security
authorities after forces surrounded a Bangkok hotel Friday.
> SOUTH KOREA: EXTERNAL EXPLOSION SANK SHIP
A South Korean investigator said Friday that an "external
explosion" was the most likely cause of the mysterious sinking
of a naval ship in which 46 South Korean sailors were lost in
tense waters off the North Korean coast.
> ARKANSAS MAN JAILED FOR OBAMA DEATH PLOT
An Arkansas man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for
plotting to kill dozens of blacks, including then-Sen. Barack
Obama, federal authorities said.
> U.N.: PAKISTAN FAILED TO PROTECT BHUTTO
Pakistani authorities failed to provide adequate security for
former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto before her 2007
assassination, a U.N. commission concludes.
BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~
> AMERICAN OWNERS TO SELL LIVERPOOL
George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the American billionaire owners
of English Premier League side Liverpool, have announced their
intention to sell the club in a statement on the team's official
Web site.
> BRIC LEADERS: IMF HAS 'LEGITIMACY DEFICITS'
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China called for the
hastening of reform that would give these emerging economies
more power in the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank.
> CHINA MINERAL DOMINANCE CONCERNS U.S.
China's dominant position in the production of rare earth
minerals has long-reaching implications for the U.S. Department
of Defense, according to a recent government report.
