International

Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2009 05:01:12 -0500
TOP STORIES as of 1000 GMT -- 17 January, 2009

DEADLY SUICIDE BOMBING ROCKS KABUL
Seven civilians are killed after a suicide bomb explodes near
the German embassy in Kabul, a government official says. Five
U.S. military personnel are also wounded in the blast, three of
them seriously, says a U.S. military spokesman.

ISRAELIS EDGE CLOSER TO CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA
Israel's security cabinet could vote Saturday on the basics of a
plan that may end the fighting in Gaza, as movement toward a
cease-fire seemed to pick up steam on multiple fronts.

DRIVER, BYSTANDER KILLED IN IRAQI BOMB BLAST
A bomb attached to a vehicle exploded in western Baghdad
Saturday, killing the car's driver and a bystander, an Interior
Ministry official said.

TOP SAUDI CLERIC CONDONES CHILD MARRIAGE
The debate over the controversial practice of child marriage in
Saudi Arabia was pushed back into the spotlight this week, with
the kingdom's top cleric saying that it's OK for girls as young
as 10 to wed.

UKRAINIAN PM IN MOSCOW FOR GAS TALKS
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is attending talks in
Moscow on Saturday to try to resolve the ongoing gas dispute,
according to Ukraine's official news agency, Ukrinform.

INVESTIGATORS ANALYZE U.S. JETLINER CRASH
Aviation investigators arrive in New York to interview the pilot
of a US Airways plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River.
Passengers have lauded Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger for his
bravery in bringing the plane down without loss of life and
ensuring all aboard were evacuated before he left the aircraft.

U.S. INTEL: BIN LADEN'S SON LIKELY IN PAKISTAN
A son of Osama bin Laden, believed to be an al Qaeda operative,
has left Iran and is likely in Pakistan, the chief intelligence
officer of the United States said Friday.

RACISTS WATCHED FOR OBAMA INAUGURATION
Hate crimes experts and law enforcement officials are closely
watching white supremacists across the country as Barack Obama
prepares next week to be sworn in as the first black president
of the United States.
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BUSINESS

CITIGROUP TO SPLIT AFTER $8.3B LOSS
Citigroup has announced plans to split the company in two after
reporting a bigger than expected fourth quarter loss of more
than eight billion dollars.

KELLOGG RECALLS PRODUCTS AMID SALMONELLA SCARE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 453 people
in 43 states and Canada have been infected with salmonella
Typhimurium.

BANK OF AMERICA GETS NEW BAILOUT PACKAGE
Bank of America will get another $20 billion from the U.S.
government's bailout fund, with federal guarantees for another
$118 billion in mortgage-backed securities on its balance
sheets, the Treasury Department announced early Friday.