International Headlines

Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:02:09 -0400

> DUTCH ARRESTS OVER AIRPORT SECURITY CONCERNS
Two men held in the Netherlands may have been trying to test
U.S. airport security by putting bottles with electronic devices
attached in checked bags, a source said.

> WORK DUE TO BEGIN ON MINE RESCUE SHAFT
Chilean officials plan to start drilling a rescue shaft Monday
as they begin a months-long operation to reach 33 miners trapped
underground since August 5.

> SOUTH AFRICA UPS OFFER TO STRIKERS
The South African government has increased its wage and housing
offers to striking workers, a union spokesman said.

> UPDATE EXPECTED ON STALLED GULF CLEANUP
Thad Allen, the government's point man on the BP oil disaster,
and Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser will meet
Tuesday before briefing the public on the cleanup effort.

> KENYA, AFRICAN UNION DEFEND BASHIR VISIT
Kenya and the African Union are defending a visit by Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted on allegations of war
crimes and genocide.

> U.S. EXPANDS SANCTIONS ON NORTH KOREA
U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order to impose
financial sanctions on North Korean entities and individuals
doing business with and for the secretive nation.

> S. KOREA OFFERS FLOOD AID TO N. KOREA
South Korea's Red Cross has offered $8.4 million in flood aid to
North Korea, the Yonhap news agency said Tuesday.

> ISRAELI PM HEADS FOR PEACE TALKS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves for Washington,
D.C., on Tuesday with the goal to "seriously and responsibly"
advance a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

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BUSINESS
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> WHY ARE CHINA BANK RESULTS SO SIMILAR?
China's big banks are all majority owned by the state, their top
executives are mostly former central bankers. But even for such
a homogenous industry their first-half profit results looked
eerily similar.

> CEO PAY HITS FRESH PR MINEFIELD
Is a chief executive's job 19 times more valuable than that of
the US president and hundreds of times more valuable than the
average worker in his or her company?

> AIRLINES' SHARES SOAR
Airline share prices have risen more than 70 per cent from their
lowest point at the beginning of last year, outperforming the
broader equity market, as investors bet on a strong recovery in
the highly cyclical aviation business.