International Headlines

Date: Monday, September 6, 2010
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 06 September, 2010

> REPORT: 2,000 MORE TROOPS MAY DEPLOY TO AFGHANISTAN
As many as 2,000 additional troops -- including U.S. forces --
may be headed to Afghanistan in the coming weeks under a plan
proposed by Gen. David Petraeus.

> JAPAN: GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS SENTENCED
A court in northern Japan found two Greenpeace activists guilty
Monday for stealing whale meat, but suspended their sentences,
Greenpeace Japan said.

> N. KOREA TO RELEASE S. KOREAN BOAT CREW
North Korea has decided to return a South Korean fishing boat
and its crew, after the North's navy intercepted them in its
waters in August, state-run media said Monday.

> BOMB BLAST HITS PAKISTANI POLICE BUILDING
At least 17 people were killed and 40 wounded in northwest
Pakistan Monday -- the latest in a series of suspected suicide
attacks in less than a week in the country.

> PLAN C FOR CHILE MINE RESCUE: OIL DRILL
Hedging their bets, officials in Chile said they will set up an
oil drill as a third option to rescue the 33 miners trapped
underground since August 5.

International Headlins

Date: Saturday, September 4, 2010
>TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 04 September, 2010

> STATE OF EMERGENCY IN QUAKE-TORN NEW ZEALAND CITY
A powerful earthquake hits near New Zealand's second-largest
city, sending people into the streets as buildings crumble.
Officials report no fatalities

> MORE U.S. AID TO FLOOD RAVAGED PAKISTAN
President Obama issued a presidential order on Friday
authorizing emergency funds to Pakistan's flood victims, the
White House announced Friday.

> UPS CARGO PLANE CRASHES NEAR DUBAI
A cargo plane has crashed in an uninhabited area near the Dubai
airport, according to the official WAM news agency in the United
Arab Emirates.

> HUMAN TRAFFICKING RING EXPOSED IN U.S.
Six job recruiters have been indicted in federal court in what
the FBI has called the largest human-trafficking operation ever
to result in charges in the United States.

> NASA TO PRESENT MINE RESCUE OPTIONS
NASA experts will present recommendations Friday for rescuing 33
miners trapped deep underground in Chile. Drilling a tunnel to
the men is expected to take months.

HURRICANE DOWNGRADED, STILL 'DANGEROUS'
A weakened Hurricane Earl brushed North Carolina's Outer Banks
overnight as residents along the Eastern Seaboard braced for a
stormy Friday.

> BUFFETT, GATES ON CHINESE MISSION
Having persuaded many of their billionaire peers in the US into
giving away chunks of money, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are
travelling to China to host newly minted Chinese tycoons to sell
them on the value of philanthropy.

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

> OBAMA PROMISES NEW JOBS INITIATIVES
President Obama promised to lay out a broad package of ideas for
job creation next week and slamming Senate Republicans for
blocking his small business aid legislation.

> CAN CHINESE MEDIA RULE THE AIRWAVES?
At a time when many Western media outlets are contracting,
Chinese media outlets are expanding, rapidly.

> FEARS GROW OVER GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY
Russia announced a 12-month extension of its grain export ban on
Thursday, raising fears about a return to the food shortages and
riots of 2007-08 which spread through developing countries
dependent on imports.

Stocks trim early gains after weak service data

Date: Friday, September 3, 2010

STOCKS TRIM EARLY GAINS AFTER WEAK SERVICE DATA
The major U.S. indexes get a boost from a report showing that job
losses slowed more than expected in August, boosting hopes that the
economic recovery is still on track.

HURRICANE EARL WEAKENS, HEADS UP THE EAST COAST
Hurricane Earl batters the North Carolina shore and heads up the
coastline toward Virginia and Massachusetts early Friday.

MARINER ENERGY PLATFORM FIRE INFLAMES GULF DEBATE
Mariner Energy's platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico comes at a
crucial time for the oil and gas industry as it faces an
offshore-drilling moratorium and regulatory fallout from the Deepwater
Horizon accident.