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extends, having far more international exposure than their predecessors.
• Beijing's French-educated trade envoy, Gao Hucheng, was named commerce minister. Appointed finance minister was Lou Jiwei, chairman of China's multibillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund and a former deputy finance minister who is a fixture in international financial circles. Their appointment is likely to reassure trading partners and financial markets about policy continuity.
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US changes in missile defense plan may provide opening for new arms-control talks with Russia
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- In adding 14 interceptors to a missile defense system based in Alaska and California, the U.S. abandoned a key part of a European missile defense plan that had been strongly opposed by Russia. At the same time, the decision provided a potential opening for new arms control talks.
• The Obama administration cited development problems and a lack of money on Friday in announcing the cancellation of the interceptors that were to be deployed in Poland and possibly Romania early next decade.
• Russian officials suspected that the interceptors were a counter to their missiles and had indicated that they would not consider further nuclear arms cuts unless their concerns were resolved.
• Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the cancellation was part of an overall restructuring of missile defense plans aimed at stopping missiles from North Korea and Iran. He made no reference to Russia's objections to the European plans but said that other parts of the missile defense plans in Europe would move forward and that the U.S. commitment to missile defense in the region "remains ironclad."
• The restructuring includes spending $1 billion to add the 14 new interceptors to the 26 that are in underground silos in Alaska to counter the threat from North Korea.
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Federal judge says FBI's secret national security letters seeking records are unconstitutional
• SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- They're called national security letters and the FBI issues thousands of them a year to banks, phone companies and other businesses demanding customer information. They're sent without judicial review and recipients are barred from disclosing them.
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