Sunday, June 20, 2010
International Headlines
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 21 June, 2010
> FRENCH PLAYERS IN REVOLT AFTER STAR STRIKER SENT HOME
France's World Cup squad boycotted training on Sunday in protest
at the decision to send home star striker Nicolas Anelka, as
they struggle to make the final 16.
> BP ATTACKED FOR INITIAL WORST-CASE REPORT
A BP estimate made after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon
noted that as much as 100,000 barrels per day could leak into
the ocean if the blowout preventer and wellhead were removed, a
higher worst-case scenario than previously reported.
> ISRAEL EASES BLOCKADE OF GAZA
Israel plans to ease its blockade of Gaza, Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said today, a step welcomed by the U.S. and
Middle East envoy Tony Blair.
> STUDY: ARSENIC IN BANGLADESH WATER
Up to 77 million people in Bangladesh are being exposed to toxic
levels of arsenic, a new study says. The irony is that it may be
due to a push to clean up drinking water.
> POLISH EXIT POLLS SUGGEST RUNOFF LIKELY
Poles head to the polls to elect a new head of state to replace
President Lech Kaczinski, who was tragically killed in a plane
crash in western Russia in April.
> CHINA 'STEALS U.S. THUNDER' AHEAD OF G20
China's announcement that it will introduce more flexibility
into its exchange rate is a deft political move amid rising
international criticism of Beijing, but the economic
implications are much less certain.
> U.S.-BORN AL QAEDA MEMBER IN NEW VIDEO
American-born al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn appears in a new
video purportedly from the organization, calling President
Barack Obama "snakelike" and saying he is "running the affairs
of a declining and besieged empire."
> 1 KILLED, 4 WOUNDED IN KASHMIR VIOLENCE
One person was killed and four others injured Sunday when Indian
security forces opened fire at a violent mob that tried to torch
a paramilitary bunker in Srinagar, the capital of
Indian-controlled Kashmir.
BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~
> CHINA WILL FLOAT YUAN VALUE
President Barack Obama welcomed Saturday's news that China's
central bank will allow its national currency to float ahead of
the G-20 summit in Toronto, Canada, next week.
> PLANE WITH AUSTRALIAN MINING EXECS MISSING IN WEST AFRICA
Nine people -- most of them employees of an Australian mining
company -- were missing Sunday after their plane disappeared in
west Africa, the company said.
> SOUTH AFRICA'S BOOMING ART MARKET
In recent years, African artists have seen their work increase
in value as they attract global investors.
