International Headlines

Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:02:04 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 01 July, 2010

> HURRICANE ALEX SET TO HIT MEXICAN COAST
Hurricane Alex is expected to make landfall in Mexico within
hours and has stalled efforts to clean up the massive BP oil
disaster in the Gulf.

> JUNE: HIGHEST NATO TOLL IN AFGHANISTAN
The June death toll for NATO-led forces in Afghanistan reached
101, the highest ever in a single month since the war began
almost nine years ago.

> FORMER ARGENTINE DICTATOR FACES TRIAL
A former Argentinian dictator and an ex-army chief are scheduled
to go on trial this week on charges of human rights abuses
during the nation's right-wing rule from 1976-83, the
government's Judicial Information Center said.

> SOMALI LEADER JOINS TROOPS ON FRONT LINE
Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed joined his troops on
the front line Wednesday to fight hard-line anti-government
Islamists, a presidential aide told a journalist in Mogadishu.

> CLEOPATRA 'KILLED BY POISON, NOT SNAKE'
Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, died from drinking a mixture of
poisons and not from a snake bite, a German historian said
Wednesday.

> TAYLOR TRIBUNAL WANTS MODEL TO TESTIFY
The tribunal trying former Liberian President Charles Taylor has
taken a step toward requiring supermodel Naomi Campbell to
testify, the court announced Wednesday.

> COPS: MEXICAN CARTEL LEADER ARRESTED
Mexican federal police have arrested a drug cartel chieftain who
is a former police officer and is connected to more than 30
brutal killings, authorities said Wednesday.

> PARENTS SEEK JUSTICE FOR 2003 GAZA DEATH
The parents of Rachel Corrie, an American killed by Israeli
forces seven years ago, visited the State Department Wednesday
as they continue to seek justice in their daughter's death.

BUSINESS
~~~~~~~~~~~

> 7 BP OIL CRISIS VIEWS
The ski-masked creator of the satirical Twittter account
@BPGlobalPR, ocean explorer Sylvia Earle and conservationist
Carl Safina on the ongoing threat to the oceans

> BANKS' ECB LOANS LESS THAN FEARED
European Central Bank hopes of a smooth return of €442 billion
loaned to banks last year have been boosted after demand for
three-month liquidity offered as an alternative fell far short
of expectations.

> FLYING CAR PRODUCTION ROLLS FORWARD
A highway-worthy airplane moves one step closer to production
with a recent weight exemption approved by the Federal Aviation
Administration.