PRESS DIGEST - Canada - Aug 2

Aug 2 (Reuters) - The following are top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL:

- British Columbia's annual fire season turned deadly over the weekend after an air tanker hired to fight fresh flames raging across the province crashed, killing two people and sparking yet another blaze.

- Research In Motion's (RIM.TO) overseas expansion strategy -- critical to the company's long-term success -- has suffered a serious setback as the United Arab Emirates' government appears poised to block BlackBerry services from the country over concerns the communication device cannot be reliably monitored by local authorities.

BUSINESS SECTION:

- Oil spill workers have been instructed to shift their focus from containment to cleanup, a week after the Enbridge (ENB.TO) pipeline break spilled about three million litres of crude into Michigan's Kalamazoo River.

NATIONAL POST:

- BP's (BP.L) use of dispersant chemicals on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is sparking questions from a U.S. congressional panel as the troubled company prepares to plug oil well for good using the "static kill" method.

FINANCIAL POST: - If the economists are right, this coming week's economic data will paint a picture of employment trends in Canada and the United States that continue to head in different directions.