International Headlines

Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 20:02:03 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 02 April, 2010

> EXECUTION OF 'SORCERER' PUT ON HOLD
A Lebanese man condemned to death by a court in Saudi Arabia for
offering predictions on a Lebanese TV network won't face
beheading Friday, his lawyer has said.

> VATICAN SLAMS NY TIMES ABUSE COVERAGE
A top Vatican official harshly criticizes The New York Times'
coverage of the Catholic sexual abuse crisis in a lengthy
article posted on the Vatican Web site.

> ARMY SEIZES PM IN GUINEA-BISSAU
Army officers in Guinea-Bissau, the small West African nation,
briefly seized the prime minister and arrested the nation's army
chief on Thursday, and media reports quote another army officer
as saying he is in control of the country.

> HU TO ATTEND OBAMA'S NUCLEAR SUMMIT
Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend next month's nuclear
summit in Washington amid U.S. hopes Beijing can be persuaded to
back tougher sanctions against Iran.

> PIRATES NABBED AFTER RAIDING NAVY SHIP
A group of suspected pirates was captured Thursday after
attacking a U.S. Navy frigate in the Indian Ocean, according to
a statement released by the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

> MEDVEDEV IN DAGESTAN FOR SECURITY TALKS
A car exploded in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan late
Wednesday, killing two men and wounding another, Russian
state-run news agency Itar-Tass reported.

> AL-SADR FLEXES POLITICAL MUSCLES IN IRAQ
Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand cleric with a loyal following
among the Shiite population in Iraq, could play a major role in
the formation of a new national government.

> GAMERS FACE TRIAL OVER BABY'S DEATH
The trial of a South Korean couple whose 3-month-old baby
allegedly died of malnutrition while they nurtured an animated
child during marathon sessions playing an online game begins
Friday in Suwon, a satellite city south of Seoul.

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

> CHINESE FACTORIES HUM AT RECORD PACE
Chinese manufacturing activity expanded at a record pace in the
first quarter of this year in another sign of the country's
strong recovery.

> SURVEY: JAPAN'S BUSINESS MOOD IMPROVES
Pessimism among companies in the world's second-biggest economy has
declined during the first three months of this year, a
survey by Japan's central bank showed.

> U.S. EXTENDS TANKER BID DEADLINE
The Pentagon is extending its deadline for bids on a projected
$35 billion-plus contract to build the Air Force's new air
refueling tanker to allow Europe's Airbus to submit a proposal.