TOP STORIES 
 
POLL SUGGESTS CLOSE GREEK BAILOUT VOTE 

Momentum in Greece's referendum appears to be shifting toward a "yes" vote on creditors' demands, an opinion poll says, although the gap between the two camps is minimal-suggesting Sunday's outcome hangs in the balance.

EUROZONE BUSINESS ACTIVITY HITS FOUR-YEAR HIGH 

Eurozone business activity hit a four-year high in June and retail sales climbed further, pointing to sturdy economic growth in the second quarter and beyond, despite the potential threat to business confidence from Greece's unresolved financial crisis.

EUROPEAN MARKETS ON EDGE BEFORE GREEK VOTE 

European stocks closed lower ahead of the referendum in Greece this weekend, which could set the country on course for a messy exit from the eurozone.

CHINA SPEEDS EFFORT TO STEM SELLOFF 

China shares tumbled, even as Beijing moves swiftly to try to plug losses, with the smaller Shenzhen index suffering its worst week since December 1996.

UBER TO SUSPEND UBERPOP IN FRANCE 

Uber Technologies plans to suspend one of its main services in France, days after French prosecutors indicted two top Uber executives on charges of running that service illegally.

GERMANY'S K+S REBUFFS POTASH TAKEOVER 

German salt and fertilizer company K+S AG rejected a takeover approach worth $8.75 billion by rival Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, saying the proposal undervalued the company.

IMF SAYS GREECE NEEDS DEBT RELIEF AND MORE AID 

The International Monetary Fund warned that Greece would need debt relief and more than €60 billion ($66.6 billion) in new aid, raising the stakes in an already fraught Greek referendum over creditors' bailout terms.

IMF STAFF APPROVE $1.7 BILLION LOAN DISBURSAL FOR UKRAINE 

Ukraine won preliminary approval for a $1.7 billion emergency loan payout from the International Monetary Fund Thursday, based on the condition that Kiev implement a few more key economic policies and cut its debt burden.

IRAN MINISTER URGES ACCORD TO FACE 'COMMON THREAT' 

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Iran and six major powers are closing in on a final nuclear agreement they need to seal so they can turn to the "common threat" of violent extremism.

OIL PRICES FALL ON STRONG SHALE SUPPLY 

Oil prices were lower, in response to concerns over resilient U.S. shale production.

BP TURNS PAGE ON A DARK CHAPTER 

With a pending legal settlement, BP executives must turn to convincing investors it can re-establish itself as a pioneering and profitable force among the world's top energy companies.

IRAQ, KURDISTAN OIL DEAL CLOSE TO COLLAPSE 

An oil-sales deal between Iraq and the semiautonomous Kurdistan Regional Government is close to collapse, undermining the country's unity as it struggles to fight Islamic State and contain an escalating financial crisis.

CHINA REGULATOR TO PROBE SUSPECTED STOCK MANIPULATION 

China's securities regulator said it will launch an investigation into suspected manipulation of shares after recent sharp declines in the stock markets.

SOUTH KOREA UNVEILS $20B FISCAL STIMULUS TO SPUR ECONOMY 

South Korea on Friday announced a fiscal stimulus package worth nearly $20 billion to spur anemic growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

AETNA TO BUY HUMANA FOR $34.1 BILLION IN LATEST INSURER DEAL 

Aetna agreed to buy Humana for $34.1 billion, following weeks of frenzied merger talks among large health insurers. Deal would add to Aetna's Medicare business.

IRON ORE NOSE-DIVES ON SUPPLY SURGE 

Iron ore crashed to its lowest level in more than two months as rising shipments to China reignited fears of a glut and projections of another downswing into decade-low territory.

MALAYSIAN ANTICORRUPTION BODY TO LOOK INTO FLOW OF MONEY TO NAJIB 

Malaysia's anticorruption agency will look into a report in The Wall Street Journal that investigators have traced nearly $700 million of deposits into what they believe are the personal bank accounts of Malaysia's prime minister.

FRENCH COURT LIFTS JEAN-MARIE LE PEN SUSPENSION FROM NATIONAL FRONT 

A French court Thursday overturned the suspension of Jean-Marie Le Pen from the National Front party he brought into national prominence.

 
 
 
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Brussels Beat 
EUROPE'S CROWNING GLORY IMPERILS POSTWAR PROJECT 
 

The great project some hoped would eventually create a European superstate faces the biggest challenge of its history Sunday, when Greeks vote in a referendum that could decide whether they crash out of the eurozone.

 
Europe News 
FOR MANY GREEKS, PATRIOTISM TRUMPS ECONOMICS 
 

To many Greeks, especially those outside cosmopolitan Athens, national pride is coming before financial considerations ahead of Sunday's referendum.