International Headlines

Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:02:06 -0400
TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 24 July, 2010

> NORTH KOREA RAMPS UP THREATS AGAINST U.S. MILITARY EXERCISES
North Korea says it will use "nuclear deterrence" to counter
upcoming U.S.-South Korea military exercises prompted after a
South Korean warship was sunk.

> MASS GRAVES DISCOVERED IN MEXICO
Authorities in the Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon are
investigating after finding at least 38 bodies in nine hidden
mass graves, the state's attorney general said.

> 7 OUT OF 91 BANKS FAIL EU STRESS TESTS
Of 91 European banks, only seven fail to satisfy an EU measure
of capital strength, causing some analysts to question the rigor
of so-called banking "stress tests."

> EARTHQUAKES STRIKE SOUTH OF PHILIPPINES
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines' Moro Gulf
early Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

> STORM DISRUPTS GULF OIL SPILL RELIEF EFFORT
More than 2,000 workers involved in efforts to dig a relief well
are preparing to evacuate as Tropical Storm Bonnie heads for
areas affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

> WORKER: GULF OIL RIG ALARM WAS 'INHIBITED'
An alarm on the Deepwater Horizon had been "inhibited" nearly a
year before the April 20 explosion that started the nation's
worst oil disaster, a worker testified today.

> DRONE STRIKE IN PAKISTAN KILLS 16
A suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region killed
16 alleged militants Saturday morning, Pakistani officials sais.

> MCCHRYSTAL JOKES AT RETIREMENT EVENT
A ceremony honoring retiring Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal is
scheduled for Friday in Washington

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

> FOR ALL ITS MIGHT, GOOGLE IS NO 'PRODUCT-KILLER'
Google has invested billions of dollars building dozens of
different products across a wide swath of the technology
industry, from productivity tools to mobile phones to
e-commerce.

> AVIATION BOOM AS FARNBOROUGH DEALS HIT $47 BILLION
A total of $47 billion worth of deals were struck this year at
Farnborough Airshow, the event's organizers announced Friday.

> FORD POSTS BEST QUARTER IN SIX YEARS
Ford Motor continued its successful turnaround as
better-than-expected sales and profits easily outdistanced
expectations and reversed the operating loss of a year ago.