G8 SUMMIT: Group of Eight leaders are discussing trade and climate change with
their counterparts from five major developing countries in Italy
Thursday.
U.S. President Barack Obama and leaders of other industrialized nations
are meeting in the central city of L'Aquila with leaders from Brazil,
China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
Mr. Obama met with Brazil's President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva on
climate change, energy, the political crisis in Honduras and Iran.
White House spokesmanRobert Gibbs said Mr. Obama
expressed hope that Brazil would use its close commercial ties with
Iran to strongly communicate the G8's position on the Islamic country.
IRAQ: Iraqi officials say two suicide bombers have killed at least 34 people and wounded 62 others in the northern town of Tal Afar. Police said the first bomber detonated an explosives vest Thursday in the town, about 400 kilometers northwest of Baghdad. The second attacker blew himself up minutes later, as people gathered to help victims of the first blast. Meanwhile, police in Baghdad say a bombing in Sadr City killed at least six people and wounded 16 others early Thursday. Iraq has seen several deadly attacks since U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities last week. Police said Wednesday a series of attacks in and around the northern city of Mosul killed at least 14 people.
AFGHANISTAN: An Afghan official says a truck bomb in central Afghanistan has killed at least 25 people, including at least 12 school children. A local police chief said a truck loaded with wood appeared to be deliberately turned over on a road in Logar province. He said attackers remotely detonated explosives hidden in the truck Thursday as children were walking to school. At least a dozen students, four police officers and nine others were killed in the blast. Militants frequently use roadside bombs against foreign troops and Afghan forces, but the majority of victims have been civilians.
CHINA - AUSTRALIA: China says it has obtained "sufficient" evidence to prove four
executives of Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto were involved
in stealing state secrets.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing Thursday
the executive caused "huge losses to China's economic interest and
security," but did not go into the details of the case.
The four detainees include Stern Hu, an Australian of Chinese origin,
and three Chinese nationals. They have been detained in Shanghai since
Sunday.
CHINA - XINJIANG: China's top police officer Wednesday called for severe punishment for
the leaders of Sunday's violence in China's northwest Xinjiang
province.
Chinese official Xinhua news agency quoted Meng Jianzu, state councilor
and public security minister, as saying while the leaders of the
protests should be severely punished, other demonstrators should be
given what he called "persuasion and education." Meng made his remarks
while visiting residents of Xinjiang's capital Urumqi, who were injured
during several days of street clashes.
US - KOREA - CYBER ATTACK: A South Korean internet security firm says the country could face a third day of cyber attacks Thursday that Seoul has blamed on communist North Korea. Government Web sites in both South Korea and the United States have been the targets of a widespread and coordinated attack. South Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers Wednesday they suspect Pyongyang or its sympathizers could be involved in the attacks. The intelligence officials are quoted as saying such a coordinated attack is likely the work of a large organization or state.
HONDURAS: The deposed president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, and the president of
the interim government that ousted him are unyielding ahead of
mediation talks in Costa Rica Thursday.
Mr. Zelaya told reporters after arriving in San Jose Wednesday that he
expects leaders of the de facto government to announce within 24 hours
that they are quitting power in order to reinstate him.
The leader of the caretaker government, Robert Micheletti, said
Wednesday he will not negotiate the ousted president's return to power.
Listen to our World News for details.
