International Headline News

Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:02:07 -0500
TOP STORIES as of 0900 HKT -- 30 January, 2010

> BLAIR: NO 'COVERT' DEAL WITH BUSH OVER IRAQ
Former British prime minister Tony Blair on Friday rejected
claims that he had struck a secret deal with U.S. President
George W. Bush in 2002 pledging British backing for the invasion
of Iraq.

> TOYOTA: FIX IS COMING SOON
Toyota says it will soon have a fix for defective gas pedals
that caused a massive recall in the U.S. and in Europe.

> GATES PLEDGES $10B TO 'SAVE MILLIONS'
Bill and Melinda Gates announced plans Friday to invest $10
billion in the fight against a number of illnesses including
AIDS, the largest financial commitment their charitable
foundation has made.

> ICELAND PRESIDENT: WE ARE BEING BULLIED
Iceland's president accused the United Kingdom and the
Netherlands on Friday of financially "bullying" his country.

> INDIA PLANS MANNED SPACE MISSION
Indian researchers have announced plans to send their astronauts
to space in 2016.

> ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVIST GUILTY OF MURDER
A jury deliberated less than an hour before convicting
anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder of murder in the shooting of
a doctor who performed late-term abortions.

> OBAMA PLEDGES EMISSIONS CUT
The federal government will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 28
percent by 2020, President Obama announced Friday.

> U.S. CONSIDERS MOVING 9/11 TRIAL
The White House is considering moving the site of the September
11 attack trial from Manhattan if the Justice Department sees
fit, senior administration officials said Friday.

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BUSINESS
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> RECALL THREATENS TOYOTA'S POSITION
The way in which Toyota handles the recall of millions of
vehicles will determine whether it retains its position as the
world's biggest car manufacturer, industry experts warned
Friday.

> OFFSHORE BANKS COULD FACE TOUGH SANCTIONS
A powerful member of the United States Congress said countries
that provide offshore havens for risky financial practices could
face U.S. sanctions similar to Iran.

> UK WILL NOT JOIN GREEK BAIL-OUT
Davos, Switzerland (FT) -- Alistair Darling said on Friday that
Britain would not join any European effort to bail out Greece
but pledged not to use differences in global financial
regulations to promote the City of London.