International Headline News

Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:02:07 -040
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 15 March, 2010

> THREE PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH U.S. CONSULATE KILLED IN MEXICO
Three people connected to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez,
Mexico, were killed in two drive-by shootings, a senior White
House official said.

> FOOTBALL: BECKHAM SUFFERS INJURY BLOW
David Beckham suffers a serious Achilles tendon injury, putting
his World Cup in doubt, before Clarence Seedorf scores in the
final minute to give AC Milan a 1-0 Serie A win over Chievo on
Sunday.

> RUSSIAN INVASION TV REPORT SPARKS PANIC
A TV station in Georgia triggers panic after broadcasting a mock
report about a Russian invasion of the country, raising fears of
a rerun of the 2008 invasion, above.

> TALIBAN: AFGHAN BLASTS A MESSAGE TO U.S.
Afghan authorities recover eight explosive-laden vests and three
rockets in Kandahar, indicating that the series of deadly
explosions were an organized attack, the interior ministry says.

> ISRAEL PROBES SETTLEMENT DECISION
Israel's PM orders an investigation into why settlement
construction in disputed territory was announced while U.S. Vice
President Joe Biden was visiting the country.

> ISRAELIS NAB SENIOR HAMAS LEADER
Israeli forces have arrested a senior Hamas operative they say
is responsible for killing more than 70 Israelis in various
terrorist attacks, the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday.

> PM'S ALLIANCE LEADS AFTER IRAQ ELECTION
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's alliance took the lead
Sunday after partial preliminary election results showed his
group ahead in five provinces, according to the electoral
commission.

> 'PACMAN' BEATS CLOTTEY TO RETAIN TITLE
Manny Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey decisively Saturday night
to retain his World Boxing Organization welterweight title.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> CHINESE LEADER REJECTS CURRENCY PRESSURE
China is bracing for another tough year despite economic growth,
but opposes foreign pressure to appreciate the value of its
currency, Premier Wen Jiabao says.

> CEO'S JOB 'NEEDS HEALTH WARNING'
Money, power, a jet-setting lifestyle -- why wouldn't you want
to be a CEO? There are plenty of reasons, according to CEOs
themselves.

> GOOGLE TO SHUT CHINA SEARCH TOOL
Google has drawn up detailed plans for the closure of its
Chinese search engine and is now "99.9 per cent" certain to go
ahead as talks over censorship with the Chinese authorities have
reached an apparent impasse, according to a person familiar with
the company's thinking.