Syrian aircraft strike Aleppo, rebels claim successes

---

• Syrian aircraft strike Aleppo, rebels claim successes
• Rule of law in China the silent victim at Bo Xilai wife's trial
• World Bank to help Myanmar clear arrears
• Yemen attack kills two, injures three
• Taiwan on alert as typhoon Saola approaches
• Second Israeli dies in self-immolation welfare protest
• Malaysian opposition figure says arrested for breaching bank law
• Mexico accuses U.S. of price dumping on chicken
• Security in focus as Clinton begins Africa trip
• Rohingya Muslims "persecuted" after Myanmar crackdown: report
• DON'T SHOOT ME NOW
• Venezuela officially joins Mercosur trade bloc
• Electricity grids fail across half of India
• Humanitarian problems grow in besieged Aleppo
• Olympics awash in Twitter, for better or worse
• Popular Irish author Maeve Binchy dies at 72
• Officials: 20 killed in twin Iraq car bombs
• Ex-wife of Belgian pedophile set for early release
• Forget the flame: Boris is on fire during Games
• Phelps sets record with 19th career Olympic medal

Syrian aircraft strike Aleppo, rebels claim successes Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:27 PM PDT ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - Syrian combat aircraft and artillery pounded Aleppo late into the night as the army battled for control of the country's biggest city, where rebel fighters said troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had been forced to retreat. During the day on Tuesday large clouds of black smoke rose into the sky after attack helicopters turned their machineguns on eastern districts for the first time in the latest fighting and a MiG warplane later strafed the same area. After nightfall, Reuters journalists in Aleppo heard loud explosions somewhere near the city. ...

Rule of law in China the silent victim at Bo Xilai wife's trial Posted: 01 Aug 2012 12:16 AM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - Gu Kailai, the wife of deposed Chinese leader Bo Xilai and a career lawyer, faces possible execution for murder at the hands of a swift, unblinking justice system that she once championed. Gu, who practiced commercial law and wrote once a book about her experiences of both the Chinese and U.S. legal systems, will be at the centre of highly politicized trial this month in which rule of law is unlikely to attract more than token attention. ...

World Bank to help Myanmar clear arrears Posted: 01 Aug 2012 12:28 AM PDT YANGON (Reuters) - The World Bank will provide a restructuring loan to help Myanmar clear $397 million in arrears by January, a senior official said on Wednesday, as the Washington-based development bank opened an office in the country and prepared to step up aid work there. The World Bank has not made any loans to Myanmar since 1987 but is returning to the country, along with other big donors, after its former junta stepped aside in March 2011 and a quasi-civilian government embarked on political and economic reforms. Clearing the arrears is a condition for restarting loans. ...

Yemen attack kills two, injures three Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:11 PM PDT ADEN (Reuters) - Militants attacked a police station in Yemen's southern city of Jaar late on Tuesday night, killing two policemen and injuring three others, a security official told Reuters on Wednesday. "Two militants riding motor bikes opened fire on a police station in Jaar at around midnight on Tuesday," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. He added that the militants are believed to be members of Ansar al-Sharia, a group which swears allegiance to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. "The two men managed to escape on their motorbikes and there's a search for them. ...

Taiwan on alert as typhoon Saola approaches Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:32 PM PDT TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan issued torrential rain and strong wind warnings for most of the island on Wednesday as slow-moving Typhoon Saola approached, and put its military on standby as the risk of landslides and flooding grew. The typhoon has winds of around 119 km per hour and could bring up to 1,000 mm of rain to parts of Taiwan over the rest of the week, the Central Weather Bureau said. The storm is likely to skirt the northern tip of the island on Thursday, though there was also a chance it could make landfall, it said. ...

Second Israeli dies in self-immolation welfare protest Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:45 PM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A second Israeli who set himself on fire in protest at economic difficulties has died of his injuries, the hospital treating him said on Wednesday. Akiva Mafi, a 45-year-old, wheelchair-bound army veteran, doused his body in petrol and lit it at a bus station on July 22, after what friends described as a debilitating battle for welfare benefits. He was the second such fatality after Moshe Silman, a debt-ridden member of a grassroots movement to lower the cost of living in Israel, self-immolated during a July 14 demonstration in Tel Aviv and died two weeks later. ...

Malaysian opposition figure says arrested for breaching bank law Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:54 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A senior Malaysian opposition politician, who made a series of revelations on alleged government wrongdoing, was arrested on Wednesday for disclosing bank details related to a high-profile corruption case involving the family of a former minister. The arrest of Rafizi Ramli, head of strategy for the opposition Pakatan Rakyat party, adds to a tense political atmosphere ahead of elections that must be held by early next year and which are expected to be closely fought. ...

Mexico accuses U.S. of price dumping on chicken Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:07 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's economy ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of engaging in price dumping with its chicken exports, but said it would not be taking any action for now. In a statement, the ministry said it had concluded that U.S. exporters were guilty of engaging in an "unfair" trade practice with its sales of chicken legs and thighs to Mexico. It did not provide additional details of its findings. The ministry's foreign trade commission COCEX said it would not pursue retaliatory measures because of disruptions caused by a recent outbreak of bird flu in western Mexico. ...

Security in focus as Clinton begins Africa trip Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:04 PM PDT DAKAR (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Senegal on Tuesday, beginning a trip that will take her both to Africa's newest nation South Sudan and on a private visit to the continent's elder statesman, 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. While Clinton's public focus will be on Africa's democratic achievements and economic potential, the trip also underscores U.S. security ties in the face of growing threats - from Islamist militants to narcotics cartels. ...

Rohingya Muslims "persecuted" after Myanmar crackdown: report Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:33 PM PDT BANGKOK (Reuters) - Myanmar security forces killed, raped or carried out mass arrests of Rohingya Muslims after deadly sectarian riots in the northeast in June, a rights group said on Wednesday, adding the authorities had done little to prevent the initial unrest. Aid workers were blocked and in some cases arrested, and Rohingyas bore the brunt of a government crackdown in Rakhine state after a week of arson and machete attack by both ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingyas, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report. ...

DON'T SHOOT ME NOW Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:52 AM PDT Novak Djokovic made quick work of Andy Roddick, needing just 54 minutes to wrap up victory.

Venezuela officially joins Mercosur trade bloc Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:44 PM PDT Venezuela was officially welcomed into the Mercosur trade bloc Tuesday, giving that nation's leader Hugo Chavez a long-awaited political prize and strengthening links among the region's agricultural and energy powerhouses.

Electricity grids fail across half of India Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:36 PM PDT Electric crematoria were snuffed out with bodies inside, New Delhi's Metro shut down and hundreds of coal miners were trapped underground after three Indian electric grids collapsed in a cascade Tuesday, cutting power to 620 million people in the world's biggest blackout.

Humanitarian problems grow in besieged Aleppo Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:11 AM PDT Humanitarian conditions have grown even more dire in the besieged Syria city of Aleppo with activists reporting on Tuesday dwindling stocks of food and cooking gas and only intermittent electricity supplies as droves of residents flee 11 days of intense clashes between rebels and regime forces.

Olympics awash in Twitter, for better or worse Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:25 PM PDT It's amazing how much trouble can be stirred up in 140 characters.

Popular Irish author Maeve Binchy dies at 72 Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:48 AM PDT Bestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland's most popular writers who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, died in Dublin after a brief illness, Irish media and national leaders said. She was 72 years old.

Officials: 20 killed in twin Iraq car bombs Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:11 AM PDT Two cars exploded within five minutes of each other Tuesday, killing 20 people and wounding 57 in an upscale Shiite neighborhood in Iraq's capital, officials said.

Ex-wife of Belgian pedophile set for early release Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:19 AM PDT The ex-wife of a notorious pedophile who aided her husband's horrific abuse and killing of young girls — and who let two of the children starve to death — was approved Tuesday for early release from prison, infuriating the victims' parents and reopening a dark page in Belgian history.

Forget the flame: Boris is on fire during Games Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:08 AM PDT It's hard to miss Boris Johnson at the Summer Olympics.

Phelps sets record with 19th career Olympic medal Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:32 PM PDT Michael Phelps swam into history with his 19th Olympic medal, and this one was a more appropriate color.

You are subscribed to email updates from World News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610