International Headlines

Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 20:02:04 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 06 July, 2010

> ISRAEL UNVEILS NEW GAZA BLOCKADE RULES
Israel announced that it will continue to restrict construction
materials allowed into Gaza, but will allow other items to be
brought into Gaza without specific permission.

> ACTIVIST: IRANIAN MOTHER FACES STONING
A veteran Iranian human rights activist has warned that Sakineh
Mohammadie Ashtiani could be stoned to death at any moment under. the
terms of a sentence handed down by Iranian authorities.

> PHILIPPINE POLITICIAN GUNNED DOWN
A Filipino politician and party leader was shot to death in
front of his house Monday, party officials said.

> ROMANIAN MILITARY PLANE CRASH KILLS 11
A military plane has crashed near the Tuzla Romania Airport near
the Black Sea with four crew members and nine military divers on
board, a Romanian Ministry of Defense spokesman said Monday.

> 8-YEAR SENTENCE FOR AMERICAN IN CHINA
The United States Embassy here said Monday that it is "dismayed"
by a Chinese court decision sentencing of a U.S. citizen to
eight years in prison for violating state secrets law.

> ROUGH GULF SEAS HAMPER OIL SKIMMER
Choppy seas made it hard to tell if a giant oil skimmer was able
to separate seawater from crude oil spewing out of the ruptured
BP oil well in the Gulf, an official says.

> POLICE KILL 64 IN AFGHAN DRUG BUST
Afghan counter-narcotics police and international security
forces killed 64 people and arrested 10 others during a
three-day operation in Helmand province, the interior ministry
said.

> QUEEN ELIZABETH II'S BUDGET SLASHED
Queen Elizabeth II's annual budget this year is 38.2 million
pounds ($57.8 million), down from 41.5 million pounds ($62.8
million) last year, Buckingham Palace announced Monday.

BUSINESS
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> LIBYA HINTS AT TAKING BP STAKE
Libya's top oil official on Monday said that his country's
sovereign wealth fund should invest in BP to take advantage of
its falling share price.

> U.S. STIMULUS: THE BIG BANG IS OVER
As U.S. stimulus spending hits its peak, the nation's economy
sputters and job creation remains weak. Did the record $787
billion program fail to do its job?

> U.S. JOB GLOOM AT ALL-TIME HIGH
A record number of Americans are discouraged about their
prospects for finding a job. A total of 1.21 million people want
to work, but said they aren't looking because of the weak labor
market, according to federal statistics.