International Headlines

Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:02:03 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0800 HKT -- 15 July, 2010

> BP BEGINS STEPS ON TEST OF OIL WELL WITH NEW CAP
The U.S. government has told BP to proceed with an "integrity"
test on its crippled Gulf of Mexico oil well, and BP has begun
some initial moves in that direction.

> WORLD 'FAILING HAITI' OVER AID PLEDGES
Six months after an earthquake struck Haiti, most governments
that promised money to help rebuild the country have not
delivered funds at all, a CNN investigation finds.

> LIBYAN AID SHIP TO DOCK IN EGYPT
A Libyan ship carrying humanitarian goods for Gaza appears to be
turning toward Egypt, a move that could avert a showdown between
Israeli forces and activists.

> FAILED NY BOMBER'S 'CONFESSION' AIRED
The man who pleaded guilty in the failed Times Square car
bombing said before the incident that the strike would be a
"revenge attack," according to an airing Wednesday on an
Arabic-language TV network.

> 12 TROOPS DIE IN AFGHANISTAN IN 2 DAYS
Coalition troop deaths in Afghanistan continued to add up in
what has been a hot and bloody struggle, with eight American and
four British troops slain over the last 48 hours.

> 4 DEAD, 16 WOUNDED IN BAGHDAD VIOLENCE
At least four people were killed and 16 wounded in a string of
attacks since Tuesday night in the Iraqi capital, the Interior
Ministry said Wednesday.

Shahram Amiri -- a nuclear scientist Tehran claimed was
kidnapped by U.S. agents -- says he was held by U.S.
intelligence officials and faced "psychological warfare."

> CHENEY RECOVERING FROM HEART SURGERY
Former Vice President Dick Cheney recently underwent heart
surgery and is recovering in a Virginia hospital, said a
statement issued by Cheney on Wednesday.

BUSINESS
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> PROSECUTORS RAID CREDIT SUISSE OFFICES
German prosecutors stage raids on more than a dozen Credit
Suisse offices in connection with an inquiry into whether
employees of the Swiss bank had helped clients to evade taxes.

> EU GREEN LIGHT FOR BA-IBERIAN MERGER
Brussels competition officials formally clear the global tie-up
between British Airways, American Airlines and Spain's Iberia as
well as giving a green light to the merger between BA and
Iberia.

> HK LAWMAKERS DEBATE MINIMUM WAGE
Hong Kong lawmakers resumed debate Wednesday on a bill that may
result in the region's first statutory minimum wage.