'10 Things to Know' for Thursday

[April 19, 2012]   (AP) -- As we start another news day, some of the more interesting stories range from the fluid situation in Syria to a museum in Michigan featuring racist artifacts. Here is a combination of 10 late-breaking news stories, upcoming events and stories of interest that may be topics of conversation today. (Times EDT):

1. Despite gravity of the situation, U.N. chief says progress possible in Syria

Ban Ki-moon also recommends the Security Council, which will get a closed briefing at 9 a.m., approve a 300-strong observer mission.

2. India tests nuclear-capable missile able to hit China

The Agni-V missile is designed to counter Beijing's regional dominance and help the country become an Asian power in its own right.

3. More than just a laid-back host of "American Bandstand"

Dick Clark headed a publicly traded public company, was a restaurateur, a concert promoter and real estate mogul worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

4. Court appearance set in bizarre murder-kidnapping case

Verna McClain, who suffered a miscarriage, is accused of gunning down a mother in suburban Houston and then kidnapping her three-day-old infant. Appearance set for 10 a.m.

5. Amish face arraignment in beard-cutting attacks in apparent feud over church discipline

At 3:30 p.m., 16 men and women face an updated indictment that they tried to hide or destroy evidence, including a disposable camera, shears and a bag of hair from the victims.

6. Discovery finds a new home

At 11 a.m., the space shuttle docks at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum annex in northern Virginia.

7. Norway's mass killer originally planned three bombs

Anders Behring Breivik says his original plans for terror were to bomb Oslo's government district, the Labor Party's office and possibly the royal palace.

8. What's moving the markets

The government reports on those who applied for first-time unemployment benefits last week at 8:30 a.m. and the National Association of Realtors reports on the number of people who bought previously occupied homes in March at 10 a.m.

9. Racist museum in Michigan truly cringe-inducing

The objects displayed range from the ordinary, such as simple ashtrays and fishing lures, to the grotesque -- a full-size replica of a lynching tree.

10. Meet the best prep hoops star in the country

Thanks to social media, Chicago's Jabari Parker, a devout Mormon, has to deal with scrutiny beyond anything his star predecessors endured.

[Associated Press]

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