International

Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:01:07 -0500

PLANE CRASHES IN NEW YORK, KILLING 49 PEOPLE
Police say 44 passengers and four crewmembers on Continental
Flight 3407 were killed when their plane crashed in New York
State. The plane was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to
Buffalo when it went down. Authorities say a person on the
ground was also killed.

MAN CHARGED WITH ARSON IN AUSTRALIA WILDFIRES
Police have arrested a man in connection with one of the myriad
wildfires that have laid waste to parts of southeastern
Australia and killed at least 181 people.

ANOTHER OBAMA CABINET NOMINEE WITHDRAWS
U.S. Republican senator Judd Gregg has withdrawn his nomination
as U.S. President Barack Obama's commerce secretary, citing
"irresolvable conflicts" over Obama's stimulus bill and the
upcoming 2010 census.

HAMAS: GAZA TRUCE AGREEMENT NEAR
Israeli and Hamas negotiators have "almost reached agreement" on
a long-term truce for Gaza, a spokesman for Hamas told CNN early
Friday. Tahir Annono, who is in Cairo for the truce meetings,
said an announcement would be made on Sunday. It was not
immediately clear if Israel was in agreement.

KARZAI: U.S. MUST STAY IN AFGHANISTAN FOR NOW
President Hamid Karzai said that with a resurgent Taliban, a
still-flourishing drug trade and a border with Pakistan believed
to be home base for al Qaeda, Afghanistan can't afford for U.S.
troops to leave any time soon.

U.S. 'SOUGHT GENEVA CONVENTIONS LOOPHOLES'
The Pentagon tried to find loopholes in the Geneva Conventions
for its "ghost detainee" program of housing people at secret
facilities, and to delay the release of Guantanamo Bay
prisoners, three human rights groups contend.

DEAD RODENTS AT PEANUT PLANT LEAD TO RECALL
The Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday
ordered the recall of all products ever shipped from the Peanut
Corporation of America's plant in Plainview, Texas, after
discovering dead rodents, rodent excrement and bird feathers in
the plant.

REBELS ACCUSED OF COLOMBIAN INDIAN KILLINGS
Marxist guerrillas in southwest Colombia are believed to have
killed a second group of Indians the rebels accused of helping
the government, a state governor said.
---------------------------------
BUSINESS

CRUNCH TIME FOR U.S. STIMULUS
Congress is set to send a $789 billion economic stimulus package
to President Obama's desk by Monday after lawmakers worked
around a disagreement over education funding in the package.

CHINALCO TO INVEST $19.5 BILLION IN RIO TINTO
Global mining giant Rio Tinto announced Thursday that China's
state-owned aluminum producer Chinalco would invest $19.5
billion in the Anglo-Australian resource giant.