International Headlines

Date: Aug 11, 2010 5:02 AM
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 11 August, 2010

> RWANDANS AWAIT FINAL RESULTS WITH INCUMBENT FAVORED
Final results in Rwanda's second presidential election since the
1994 genocide are expected, with Paul Kagame favored to return
to power.

> MILITARY CHIEF TO FACE FLOTILLA INQUIRY
The head of Israel's military is expected to testify Wednesday
on the third day of the nation's inquiry into the mid-sea
interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla that left nine
people dead.

> VENEZUELA, COLOMBIA RENEW TIES
President Hugo Chavez and President Juan Manuel Santos have
re-established diplomatic relations between their countries
after meeting in Santa Marta, Colombia.

> POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE RATTLES VANUATU
A strong earthquake struck the island nation of Vanuatu on
Wednesday, the U. S. Geological Survey said.

> SUICIDE BOMBERS HIT KABUL GUEST HOUSE
Two suicide bombers attacked a guesthouse in central Kabul
Tuesday, killing three people, said Afghanistan's Interior
Ministry.

> GROUPS WORRY OVER WIKILEAKS POSTINGS
Several humanitarian organizations have reached out to WikiLeaks
to warn that the leaked documents it posts on its site could
endanger the lives of civilians whose names appear in them,
according to an e-mail exchange that apparently was leaked.

> HEATWAVE HITS RUSSIAN GROWTH FORECAST
Russia has begun counting the economic toll of the worst
heatwave since records began as economists warned that the
wildfires and disastrous summer harvest could wipe as much as 1
per cent off the country's economic growth.

> U.S. SENATOR AMONG PLANE CRASH VICTIMS
Ex-Sen. Ted Stevens' family won't confirm reports he was on a
plane that crashed in Alaska. A colleague says Ex-NASA chief
Sean O'Keefe was on the plane.

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BUSINESS
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> NO EVIDENCE OF TOYOTA THROTTLE FAULTS
A preliminary US government investigation has found no evidence
of defects in Toyota's electronic throttle control systems,
pointing instead to driver error as the main cause of accidents
blamed on unintended acceleration.

> CHINA BANKS TOLD TO ACCOUNT FOR LOANS
Chinese banks have been ordered to account for around Rmb2,300bn
($340bn) in off-balance sheet loans in a move that could put
some lenders under serious stress and require another large
round of capital-raising.

> FEDERAL RESERVE: RECOVERY LOSING STEAM
The U.S. economic recovery is weakening, the Federal Reserve
warned at the conclusion of its meeting Tuesday, its most
bearish outlook in more than a year