Chatter: What we're hearing

Need to know: Norwegian scientists have raise concerns about a mutated form of swine flu found in two patients who died and one who became severely ill, but they say it does not appear to be circulating in the general population. For more information, visit washingtonpost.com

A day after President Hamid Karzai promised a more inclusive government, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 15 people, including several children, in a marketplace in western Afghanistan on Friday. The attack followed several days of operations by Afghan troops and NATO forces against Taliban militants in nearby areas, and comes as President Barack Obama returns to Washington to face what is the most consequential foreign policy decisions of his presidency.

Want to know: A suspected U.S. missile strike that killed at least eight militants Friday in northwestern Pakistan came hours before CIA director Leon Panetta held talks with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the capital. The CIA is believed to be behind the more than 40 missile strikes to have hit suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban targets over the last year, though American officials do not generally acknowledge the attacks, which are unpopular among many here. 

Dull but important: Russia has agreed to ease the terms under which it supplies gas to Ukraine, in a deal which Moscow says should prevent disruption in coming months. The deal was announced after talks between Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko. It means Ukraine will not be fined for using less gas than in its current contract, because of the downturn. In January, many countries in Europe were left short of gas due to a payment dispute between Moscow and Kiev.

Just because: You may be headed there... Lifeboats and military helicopters rescued hundreds of people overnight in northern England as torrential rain flooded homes and washed away bridges.

Wacky: Scientists have given them snappy names — BoarCroc, RatCroc, DogCroc, DuckCroc and PancakeCroc — and dubbed them an "intelligent" and "successful" species — they are the extinct crocodiles unearthed in fossil form in what is now the Sahara desert, which believe it or not was once a swamp. Check out the pics at Reuters.com
 

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/general/091120/chatter-what-were-hearing