International Headlines

Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 05:02:04 -0400

>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 04 August, 2010

> ISLAMIST GROUP CLAIMS TANKER ATTACK
A militant Islamist group said to be inspired by al Qaeda has
claimed responsibility for the explosion aboard an oil tanker in
the Strait of Hormuz near Oman last month.

> BP: 'STATIC KILL' APPEARS TO BE WORKING
BP says a long-awaited procedure to permanently seal its
crippled well in the Gulf of Mexico could be over soon -- or it
could take days.l

> KENYANS TO VOTE ON CONSTITUTION
Kenyans will vote Wednesday in a referendum on a new
constitution that could be the first step toward a truly
functioning government for East Africa's largest economy.

> SCOPE OF PAKISTAN FLOOD DISASTER WIDENS
More than 3 million people have been directly affected and more
than 1,400 have been killed by floods in northwestern Pakistan,
an aid group said, citing officials.

> U.S. SEES CHANCE IN PAKISTANI FLOOD AID
The Obama administration is looking to turn crisis into
opportunity, hoping its robust response to the devastating
floods in Pakistan will help improve its poor image among a
skeptical Pakistani public.

> WYCLEF JEAN 'TO RUN FOR HAITI PRESIDENT'
Wyclef Jean will announce exclusively on CNN's "Larry King Live"
Thursday night that he intends to run for president of Haiti, a
source close to the Haitian-American recording artist said
Tuesday.

> TENSION HIGH ON ISRAEL, LEBANON BORDER
An Israeli battalion commander and several Lebanese soldiers are
killed during clashes between the two countries along their
volatile shared border.

> SAUDIS TO BLOCK BLACKBERRY SERVICE
The Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission
has asked mobile firms in Saudi Arabia to halt BlackBerry
service beginning August 5.

BUSINESS
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> DEATH IN NIGERIA'S ILLEGAL REFINERIES
Young men are risking death by working in illegal refineries
with little regard for safety in Nigeria's oil-rich but
poverty-stricken Niger Delta region.

> FALTERING U.S. RECOVERY TRIPS DOLLAR
The dollar has fallen to multi-month lows against the world's
major currencies as investors bet that evidence of a faltering
US recovery will lead to further monetary easing by the Federal
Reserve.

> BP STARTS 'STATIC KILL' ON GULF WELL
BP says it has started its "static kill" procedure on its
crippled well in the Gulf of Mexico, pumping mud into it from
above in an effort to help seal it for good.