Tuesday, August 17, 2010
International Headlines
TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 17 August, 2010
> DOZENS DEAD AS BOMBER ATTACKS IRAQ RECRUITMENT CENTER
At least 41 people are killed when a bomber attacks an army
recruitment center in Baghdad. The attack came as the U.S. works
to draw out 50,000 troops this month.
> GULF OIL SPREADING EAST ON SEA FLOOR
Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill may have settled to the
bottom of the Gulf of Mexico further east than previously
suspected and at levels toxic to marine life, researchers
reported Monday.
> KARZAI TO RULE ON PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to issue an order
Tuesday demanding that all private security companies in
Afghanistan cease operation within four months.
> CALIFORNIA GAY MARRIAGES PUT ON HOLD
A federal appeals court in San Francisco, California, has
blocked same-sex marriages in that state from resuming
immediately, until a panel hears broader questions over the
constitutionality of such marriages.
> ASTRONAUTS REPAIR ISS COOLING SYSTEM
The repairs performed on the International Space Station's
cooling system during a seven-hour-and-20-minute spacewalk
Monday appear to be working, NASA said.
> UK AIRPORT OPERATOR, UNION AVERT STRIKE
Details will be released Tuesday of an agreement between British
airport operator BAA and the union that represents the
operator's employees.
> AMERICAN IN N. KOREA GETS OFFICIAL VISIT
An American sentenced to eight years of hard labor in North
Korea has received his first visit from U.S. officials in a
Pyongyang hospital, the State Department said.
> JETLINER BREAKS APART WHILE LANDING
A Boeing 737 carrying at least 127 people broke apart while
landing today in Colombia. One person was killed. There are
reports the plane was hit by lightning
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BUSINESS
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> PERMANENT FIX ON HOLD FOR GULF OIL WELL
The permanent stifling of the ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well
won't start until the latest potential problem is evaluated,
Thad Allen, the U.S. government's point man in the Gulf, said.
> JAPANESE ECONOMY SLOWS UNEXPECTEDLY
The strength of Japan's economic recovery came under question on
Monday, as second-quarter growth figures came in sharply below
economists' expectations.
> INDIA FEARS GAMES EMBARRASSMENT
With less than 50 days to go before the opening ceremony for the
Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, concerns about India's lack of
preparedness have reached a fever pitch.
