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6 | Thailand PROTESTERS RETREAT, FOR NOW After bringing Bangkok to a standstill, some 100,000 supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra dispersed on April 14 and left the capital rather than face a military-led crackdown. The demonstrators, mostly from the self-exiled former leader's rural base, had hoped to pressure the new Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to resign. Two people were killed in the violence, and arrest warrants were issued for 14 protest organizers, including Thaksin.
7 | Washington An End to CIA Black Sites CIA Director Leon Panetta says the agency is no longer operating secret overseas prisons, known as "black sites," and has stopped hiring contractors to interrogate detainees. The foreign facilities where al-Qaeda suspects were held were commissioned during the Bush Administration. The CIA may still detain suspects overseas for short periods of time, Panetta says.
8 | China An Empty Human-Rights Vow? On the eve of the Tiananmen Square massacre's 20th anniversary, Beijing released a 54-page document promising to improve its citizens' civil, political and economic rights. Human-rights advocates praised the sentiment but said the nation's record is nonetheless appalling, pointing to administrative detentions and the highest rates of capital punishment in the world.
China's plan pledges to: Provide fair trials and protect the right of citizens to participate in government Prohibit abuse of detainees and separate prisoners from interrogators with barriers Protect the rights of women, children, the elderly and minorities
9 | North Korea Nuclear Reaction Incensed by a U.N. rebuke for its April 5 missile launch, North Korea expelled international nuclear inspectors, announcing it would boycott the long-running six-party talks on its denuclearization and restart the Yongbyon reactor--moves the U.S. called "provocative threats." The rancor comes as the apparent poor health of Kim Jong Il prompts rumors about succession plans.
10 | Cuba Now Slightly Less Restricted In a cautious step toward mending U.S.-Cuba relations, President Barack Obama announced on April 13 that he will end restrictions on travel to the island for Cuban Americans and ease--but not remove--the 47-year-old economic embargo on the island nation. Fidel Castro called Obama's move "positive although minimal."
ALLOWED Travel by people with family members in Cuba Unlimited remittances to family members in Cuba Telecommunications links between the U.S. and Cuba Satellite-radio and television service to Cuba
NOT ALLOWED Travel by people with no family in Cuba Monetary transactions by people with no family in Cuba All other previously embargoed business
RECESSION WATCH
It's supposed to be the happiest day of your life--not to mention one of the most expensive. But according to research firm Wedding Report, more couples are spending less on their big day. The average cost for a U.S. wedding in 2008 was $21,814--down 24% from 2007. Goodbye, open bar; hello, "bridal cupcakes."