International Headlines

Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:02:06 -0400
TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 24 July, 2010

> NORTH KOREA RAMPS UP THREATS AGAINST U.S. MILITARY EXERCISES
North Korea says it will use "nuclear deterrence" to counter
upcoming U.S.-South Korea military exercises prompted after a
South Korean warship was sunk.

> MASS GRAVES DISCOVERED IN MEXICO
Authorities in the Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon are
investigating after finding at least 38 bodies in nine hidden
mass graves, the state's attorney general said.

> 7 OUT OF 91 BANKS FAIL EU STRESS TESTS
Of 91 European banks, only seven fail to satisfy an EU measure
of capital strength, causing some analysts to question the rigor
of so-called banking "stress tests."

> EARTHQUAKES STRIKE SOUTH OF PHILIPPINES
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines' Moro Gulf
early Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

> STORM DISRUPTS GULF OIL SPILL RELIEF EFFORT
More than 2,000 workers involved in efforts to dig a relief well
are preparing to evacuate as Tropical Storm Bonnie heads for
areas affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

> WORKER: GULF OIL RIG ALARM WAS 'INHIBITED'
An alarm on the Deepwater Horizon had been "inhibited" nearly a
year before the April 20 explosion that started the nation's
worst oil disaster, a worker testified today.

> DRONE STRIKE IN PAKISTAN KILLS 16
A suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region killed
16 alleged militants Saturday morning, Pakistani officials sais.

> MCCHRYSTAL JOKES AT RETIREMENT EVENT
A ceremony honoring retiring Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal is
scheduled for Friday in Washington

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

> FOR ALL ITS MIGHT, GOOGLE IS NO 'PRODUCT-KILLER'
Google has invested billions of dollars building dozens of
different products across a wide swath of the technology
industry, from productivity tools to mobile phones to
e-commerce.

> AVIATION BOOM AS FARNBOROUGH DEALS HIT $47 BILLION
A total of $47 billion worth of deals were struck this year at
Farnborough Airshow, the event's organizers announced Friday.

> FORD POSTS BEST QUARTER IN SIX YEARS
Ford Motor continued its successful turnaround as
better-than-expected sales and profits easily outdistanced
expectations and reversed the operating loss of a year ago.

Markets, Friday, 07/23/2010

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:31:04 -0400

|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dow : 10,424.62 up 102.32 | S & P : 1,102.66 up 8.99
|
| NASDAQ: 2,269.47 up 23.58 | Bond (10Y): 2.99% up 0.062
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

MARKETS:
Stocks rally on day, week
Market surges after European stress tests reassure investors about the
global economy. Stronger profit results from Microsoft, Ford and AmEx
also in focus.

Stocks close higher after European banks pass stress tests. Dow finishes up 101 points; Nasdaq, S&P each gain about 1%.

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:02:07 -0400

Stocks close higher after European banks pass stress tests. Dow
finishes up 101 points; Nasdaq, S&P each gain about 1%.

Regulators say Europe's major banks pass stress tests, would survive a severe downturn. But 7 mostly smaller lenders could suffer.

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:14:04 -0400

Regulators say Europe's major banks pass stress tests, would survive a
severe downturn. But 7 mostly smaller lenders could suffer.

Stress test methodology triggers jitters

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:01:56 -0400

STRESS TEST METHODOLOGY TRIGGERS JITTERS
Details of the methodology behind the stress tests conducted on 91
European banks emerged Friday, erasing gains for the European single
currency.

U.S. STOCKS TICK HIGHER AHEAD OF STRESS TESTS
U.S. stocks edge up Friday as investors take encouragement from a
round of largely positive earnings, but concerns simmer that the
results of European bank stress tests won't resolve lingering
uncertainties about the banks' stability.

GOOGLE MISSES DEADLINE IN HIGH-PROFILE L.A. DEAL
Roughly nine months after Google edged out rival Microsoft to win a
high-profile contract to supply email and collaboration software to
the City of Los Angeles, the company misses a June deadline for full
implementation due to lingering security concerns.

AMAZON SHARES FALL AFTER EARNINGS DISAPPOINT
Amazon.com shares fall Friday morning, a day after the firm posted
second-quarter earnings that missed Wall Street's estimates as it
upped infrastructure and marketing spending.

AMAZON INCURS WALL STREET'S WRATH
At first blush it might seem that Wall Street is bored with Amazon.com
Inc., whose stock price has plunged to its lowest point in about nine
months.

International Headlines

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:02:08 -0400
TOP STORIES as of 0900 GMT -- 23 July, 2010

> STORM DISRUPTS GULF OF MEXICO RELIEF WELL OPERATION
More than 2,000 workers involved in efforts to dig a relief well
are preparing to evacuate as Tropical Storm Bonnie heads for
areas affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

> AUSTRALIAN PM LAYS OUT CLIMATE PLAN
Australian PM Julia Gillard on Friday embraced the same policy
on climate change that her predecessor failed to pass, but said
any action would be delayed until 2012.

> ISRAEL TO LIMIT USE OF WHITE PHOSPHORUS
Israel pledged to limit the use of munitions containing white
phosphorus and make greater efforts to protect civilians during
conflicts, in a report this week to the United Nations.

> U.N., N. KOREA DISCUSS SINKING OF SHIP
The second round of talks between North Korea and the U.S.-led
U.N. Command on the peninsula ended Friday.

> VENEZUELA BREAKS TIES WITH COLOMBIA
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that he is
breaking off relations with Colombia and called the country's
president "crazed."

> COURT: KOSOVO'S INDEPENDENCE LEGAL
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 did not
violate international law, according to an advisory opinion
issued by the International Court of Justice.

> U.N. STEPS UP DEFENSE OF ITS BOSS
The United Nations stepped up its defense Thursday of its
beleaguered boss with high-level staffers speaking out in
support of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

> EUROPE BANKS SET FOR STRESS TESTS
European officials are scheduled to issue report cards Friday
afternoon following stress tests of 91 major banks. The tests
will rate how big banks would fare in another economic downturn.

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

> GULF SPILL COULD COST REGION $22.7 BILLION IN TRAVEL DOLLARS
Perception is the wild card in how the oil disaster will affect
the Gulf coast region's travel revenue, according to analysis
conducted by Oxford Economics for the U.S. Travel Association.

> AIR-LEASE PIONEER PREDICTS AVIATION GROWTH
Aircraft leasing pioneer Steven Udvar-Hazy tells CNN the
aviation industry is finally bouncing back from the economic
downturn as he places orders valued in the region of $10 billion
at the Farnborough Air Show.

> BECKHAM BOOSTS LEGO TAJ MAHAL SALES
At $300, Lego's Taj Mahal model replica is considered the
biggest and one of the most advanced models developed by Lego
Group to date.

Stocks open lower as investors await reports on European stress tests and U.S. exec pay. Dow edges down 28 points.

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:33:03 -0400

Stocks open lower as investors await reports on European stress tests
and U.S. exec pay. Dow edges down 28 points.