International Headlines

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 05:02:06 -0400
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 10 August, 201

> SOMALI MILITANTS BAN 'MISSIONARY' AID GROUPS
Al Qaeda-linked militants ban three international aid groups
from working in Somalia, claiming they are "actively propagating
Christianity" in the predominantly Muslim nation.

> RAIN COMPOUNDS PAKISTAN FLOOD MISERY
Heavy rains were forecast to bring more misery to Pakistan's
water-logged lands Tuesday as the United Nations said the number
of people who have been affected by the torrential rains and
flooding is nearing 14 million.

> JAPAN 'SORRY' ABOUT KOREA COLONIZATION
Japan apologized once again to South Korea on Tuesday for
colonizing the Korean peninsula for more than three decades in
the early 1900s.

> U.N. TO PROBE ISRAELI RAID ON GAZA FLOTILLA
The UN will launch a panel of inquiry into Israel's interception
of a humanitarian aid flotilla, in which nine people were killed
when Israeli commandos stormed a vessel.

> MAJOR EARTHQUAKE RATTLES VANUATU
A major earthquake struck the island nation of Vanuatu on
Tuesday, the U. S. Geological Survey said.

> GITMO JUDGE: VIDEO CAN BE USED
A military trial for the youngest detainee at the prison in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will continue Tuesday with the questioning
of 15 prospective members of the military panel that will act as
jury.

> CHINA TRADE SURPLUS WIDENS FURTHER
China's trade surplus jumped in July to its highest level in 18
months, raising new questions about whether the country's
currency remains undervalued despite government efforts to
introduce a more flexible exchange rate.

> MOSCOW HEAT, SMOG DEATHS REACH 700
The mortality rate in Moscow, Russia, has "doubled recently"
because of an extended streak of heat and smog, Andrei
Seltsovsky, the head of the city health department, told Russian
news agencies Monday.

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

> SOUTH AFRICAN PUBLIC WORKERS STRIKE
As many as 1.3 million public sector workers are expected to go
on strike across South Africa Tuesday, bringing schools,
hospitals and all public services essentially to a standstill.

> CHINA TO CLOSE FACTORIES IN ENERGY DRIVE
China plans to close outdated factories owned by more than 2,000
companies in heavy industries in the clearest sign yet of
Beijing's determination to meet its low energy targets even at
the expense of economic growth.

> U.S. ELECTRICITY BLACKOUTS SKYROCKETING
Experts on the nation's electricity system point to a
frighteningly steep increase in non-disaster-related outages
affecting at least 50,000 consumers.