Dorothy Abernathy, The Associated Press bureau chief for West Virginia and Virginia, shares the 10 things you need to know Friday, April 17, 2015. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items, upcoming events and stories in West Virginia newspapers.
1. WHAT ITALIAN LEADER, OBAMA WILL DISCUSS
Matteo Renzi and the U.S. president will be comparing notes on a range of issues, including Libya, the migrant issues stemming from the chaos there, Islamic State militants and Ukraine. UNITED STATES-ITALY
2. THIS IS (NOT) YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING
AP’s Scott Mayerowitz finds that after the intentional crashing of Germanwings Flight 9525 by the co-pilot, one way for airlines to improve safety is to remove the pilots — a radical idea that is decades away. PLANES WITHOUT PILOTS
3. WHO IS MULLING A CUBAN DETOUR
Pope Francis is considering adding a stop in Cuba to his U.S. trip in September, but no decision has been made. VATICAN-CUBA
4. FINDING DIFFERENT METHODS TO HELP CHILDREN WITH AMBIGUOUS GENITALIA
Families of intersex kids — those born with reproductive anatomy that does not conform to standard definitions of male or female — are weighing other non-surgical options. INTERSEX CHILDREN
5. FAMILIES MAKE VIDEOS TO REASSURE PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA
Using an idea from the Adam Sandler movie “50 First Dates,” families make videos to reassure patients dealing with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of forgetfulness. DEMENTIA-FAMILY VIDEOS
6. WHAT GOOGLE’S CHANGES MEAN FOR YOU
The search engine giant is changing its algorithms so that mobile-friendly sites show up first on smartphones. GOOGLE-SEARCH SHAKE-UP
7. G-20 CONFRONTING ECONOMIC WEAKNESS
Finance officials from the world’s major economies are searching for the right mix of policies to bolster a still-weak global recovery while confronting a big drop in oil prices. GLOBAL FINANCE
8. WHY POOCHES ARE SNIFFLING IN THE HEARTLAND
Experts say doggie day care contributed to an epidemic of dog flu in Chicago that is spreading in the Midwest. DOG FLU-THINGS TO KNOW
9. IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL STANDS BY MEHMET OZ
Columbia University won’t remove the TV celebrity doctor from his faculty position as a group of top doctors has demanded, citing his “lack of integrity” for promoting “quack treatments.” MEHMET OZ-COLUMBIA
10. BASKETBALL GALAXY MISSING BIGGEST STARS
No Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade and no Carmelo Anthony. The NBA playoffs will be missing some of the game’s biggest stars.
