Shells fired byHouthi forces have killed at least 18 people near the southern port city ofAden, meanwhileUnited Nations officials have warned that a deadlydengue fever outbreak is rapidly gaining pace in the war-torn country.(Reuters)
Egypt's security forces kill nine 'terrorists' during a raid in a WesternCairo suburb. The group were among "the most dangerous terrorists" wanted in Egypt according toGiza deputy security director Magdy Abd El-Aal. It has also been reported thatNasser al-Hafi, a former MP and a leading lawyer for theMuslim Brotherhood was among those killed.(Ahram)
Greece becomes the first advanced economy to miss a payment to theInternational Monetary Fund in the 71-year history of the IMF, unwinding decades of precedent and affecting consequences for the fund's future rescues.(Financial Times)(IMF)
Moody's Investors Service downgrades Greek bonds further to caa3 saying that it expects the country to default further without further support from official creditors.(Reuters)
Egypt vows to continue an offensive on theSinai Peninsula untilISIL militants have been removed. A hundred people have been killed in fighting in the past two days.(BBC)
The Kim Nirvana ferry capsizes off thePhilippines en route from the city ofOrmoc toCamotes island with 173 people onboard; at least 33 people are confirmed dead while at least 50 people have been rescued.(AFP via ABC Online),(BBC)
AUBS whistle blower is assisting the government ofBrazil in its investigation ofcurrency manipulation by global banks, according to a Brazilian paper.(Reuters)
Dutch police detain 200 young people inThe Hague for not following curfew as violence continues in the Schilderswijk district for a fourth night.(AFP viaDaily Star)
A rally of war veterans inKiev calls forUkraine to abandon theMinsk II ceasefire agreement and to declare war on pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region. Despite two ceasefire agreements since September, combat operations, including the use of heavy artillery and ballistic missiles, never stopped.(BBC)
Over 1,000 people in thePhilippines are stranded temporarily by Severe Tropical Storm Linfa (Egay) as landslides occur inPalawan province.(GMA Network)
AnIraqi Air ForceSukhoi Su-25 jet, returning from a bombing raid againstISIL militants in the north, accidentally drops a bomb onBaghdad destroying several homes and killing at least 7 civilians. American officials claimed that as many as 65% of Iraqi air force bombers do not drop their bombs due to "lack of targets".(Sky News)
An air-strike by theSaudi-led coalition on the southern port city ofAden kills at least 30 people. It is unclear how many of the dead are civilians orHouthi rebels.(BBC)
Eurozone leaders hold a crisis meeting to discuss options on Greek debt following thereferendum as Greek banks are near to running out of cash. For the last week Greek banks allowed to withdraw only 60 euros a day.(Reuters)
TheGovernment of Greece does not present any new proposals and Greek banks are unlikely to reopen this week.(AP)
TheEuropean Union givesGreece a deadline of Thursday to develop new proposals for discussion at an emergency summit on Sunday.(BBC)
A United States Air ForceF-16 collides with a privately-ownedCessna to the north of Charleston, South Carolina. The pilot of the jet ejects safely, but the Cessna breaks up mid-air, killing the two unidentified occupants.(CNN)
At least 22 people are killed in clashes between Arab and Berber communities inGhardaia,Algeria.(BBC)
Business and economy
TheBritish bankBarclays fires Chief ExecutiveAntony Jenkins for his failure to reduce head count and the pace of cost cutting with ChairmanJohn McFarlane to act as interim CEO until a replacement is appointed. The bank was recently convicted of earning billions through fraud as part of theLIBOR scandal(BBC),(The Guardian)
Staff workers for theLondon Underground begin a 27-hourstrike after management and labor unions were unable to reach a deal regarding overnight train services.(BBC)
TheChina Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) imposes a six-month ban on stockholders owning more than 5 percent of a company's stock from selling those stocks, resulting in a 6 percent rise in stock markets.(Reuters)
A bailout plan is submitted two hours before the midnight deadline. The plan would raise a retirement age to 67 and cut pensions by 15% for those retiring at 62.(LA Times)(Money Control)
Ellen Pao resigns as the interim CEO of Internet siteReddit following a user backlash over the deletion of some subreddits for harassment and sacking of a popular admin. Site co-founderSteve Huffman will take her place.(WSJ)
Arts and culture
Egyptian actorOmar Sharif dies at the age of 83 after suffering a heart attack.BBC
Disasters and accidents
At least 23 people have been killed and 50 injured following astampede at a free clothing drive in the northernBangladeshi city ofMymensingh.(BBC)
US PresidentBarack Obama signs an executive order picking Berryessa Snow Mountain (California),Waco Mammoth Site (Texas), and Basin and Range (Nevada) as three national monuments.(USA Today)
TheHellenic Parliament passes a package of economic reforms to end the current stage of the debt crisis.(BBC)
Steve Huffman is re-appointed as the CEO ofReddit asEllen Pao steps down over a dispute with the website's users over the firing of a popular employee.(Irish Times)
Hundred of villagers are evacuated from near the Colimavolcano following recent eruptions. Authorities fear that it could be on the same scale as a 1913 eruption.(BBC)
The First Test of the 2015 Ashes Series between England and Australia ends with a 169-run victory for England after four days at the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff.(BBC)
AEuropean Union leaders' summit to discuss the Greek debt crisis is cancelled due to failure of finance ministers to agree on Greek proposals. However, Eurozone leaders do meet, with discussions continuing into the night.(BBC),(Sky News)(The Guardian)
An airstrike by theSaudi-led coalition kills 25 civilians and wounds 50 inSanaa, the capital ofYemen. Last week a ceasefire agreement was reached.(STL Today)(CTV News via AP)
All the missing 42 people have been found following the collapse of aRussian Army barracks in theOmsk Oblast of southwesternSiberia with 23 deaths.(TASS)
International relations
Georgia accusesRussia of violating its sovereignty by placing border markers on the edge of theSouth Ossetia region, leaving part of an international oil pipeline in territory under Russian control. The area was the site of theRusso-Georgian war in 2008.(Reuters)
PresidentBarack Obama commutes the sentences of 46 American prison inmates serving long sentences for drug related offences.(CNN)
Son of Boston police captain is charged with a foiled plot to bomb a university, inspired byBoston Marathon bombing, on alleged behalf of ISIS. He is scheduled Tuesday for a bail hearing at a federal court inSpringfield.(AP)
The male defendant is found not guilty of death threats on US Majority Speaker of the House,John Boehner, byreason of insanity. He is still in jail and due for another trial on August 21 to determine his ability to adjust to society.(USA Today)
A helicopter belonging to theNational Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) with four people on board (two crew members, a patient, and a person accompanying the patient) crashes in thePersian Gulf.(Tasnim)
TheCatholic Church inTaherpur,India is vandalized, and the caretaker is arrested. The church was desecrated on the night of July 9, according to Indian media reports.(India Express)
Scientists atNorthumbria University in northeastEngland develop a computerized statistical model of theSun'ssolar cycle (a measurement of the number of sunspots and solar flares, in this case between 1976 and 2008, and their intensity and activity). While preliminary, and not yet peer-reviewed, the data predicts irregularities in the cycle: the Northern Hemisphere could experience a slight lowering in temperatures in the 2030s.(CNN)(Washington Post)
A preliminary report from theDutch Safety Board of the investigation of theMalaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) disaster points to pro-Russian rebels as being responsible for the shooting down of the passenger flight on 17 July 2014.(CNN)
Thecircumnavigation attempt of Earth by the solar-poweredSolar Impulse plane, currently inHawaii, has been suspended for the rest of 2015 in order to perform necessary repairs.(BBC)
TheNexen pipeline at theLong Lake facility near Fort McMurray, Alberta, spills 5,000,000 litres (1,100,000 imp gal; 1,300,000 US gal) of oilemulsion.(CBC)
Japan'slower house of parliament passes a pair of bills changing the country's security laws, allowingJapanese soldiers to fight overseas for the first time since the end ofWorld War II under certain conditions, over strong protests from opposition lawmakers, who walked out of the vote.(BBC)(NHK)
Niger’s army killed at least 30 suspected Boko Haram fighters as it searched for militants in villages just over the border with Nigeria.(NewsDay Zimbabwe)
Typhoon Nangka passes through the western part of the mainJapanese island ofHonshu, causing at least two deaths, widespread flooding and the evacuation of 100,000 people.(Reuters)
Ukraine expels Valery Shibeko, Russia's top envoy toOdesa, after declaring the consulate general "persona non grata" for conducting unnamed activities "incompatible" with his diplomatic work.(AFP)[permanent dead link]
A man goes on a shooting spree inMaine,U.S., killing two people and wounding three others in the towns ofLee andBenedicta. A manhunt is executed, and the suspect is arrested inHoulton.(CBC)
University marine scientists observe that a shipwreck discovered off the North Carolina Coast on July 12 may date back to theAmerican Revolution.(NBC News)
In a failed suicide blast, a security guard intercepted asuicide bomber clad in female clothing attempting to enterQuetta’sHazara town, who then detonated their device that contained 6 to 7 kg (13 to 15 lb) of explosive material, killing themselves and the guard.(Dawn).
The wildfire burning inSan Bernardino County, California has burned over 3,500 acres, and destroyed 16 homes and other buildings. The fire has also burned over 60 passenger vehicles and tractor-trailers.(CBS-Los Angeles)
The sailor wounded in Thursday's shooting at twomilitary installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, dies a little after 2 a.m. Saturday, bringing the death toll of the shooting to five.(Chattanooga Times-Free Press)
FourteenSufi mausoleums in the city ofTimbuktu in northernMali have been rebuilt, three years after they were destroyed byIslamist militants fromAnsar Dine group.(BBC)
A huge explosion in the mostlyKurdish border town ofSuruç,Turkey, targeting The Socialist Youth Associations Federation, kills at least 31 people and injures over 100. Preliminary evidence suggests anISISsuicide attack.(BBC)(The Daily Star)
Voters inBurundi go to the polls for a presidential election amidst gunfire and violence withPresidentPierre Nkurunziza seeking a third term and opposition parties boycotting the election. At least two people have been killed in election violence.(BBC),(Reuters via SABC)
Turkey scrambles fighter jets and Turkish tanks open fire onISIS positions along theSyrian border following an exchange of fire which left one Turkish soldier dead and two injured. The clashes are the first direct combat between the Turkish military and ISIS forces. There are multiple reports of Turkish ground forces crossing the official border into Syria.(Telegraph)
Turkey agrees to allow the United States access toİncirlik Air Base, near the city ofAdana (in close proximity to the Syrian border) for the US-led coalition forces' air strikes againstISIS.(Today's Zaman)
Five people are killed and a girl is wounded in a stabbing at a home inBroken Arrow, Oklahoma, U.S. that occurred the previous day. Two teenage suspects are arrested.(CNN)
Seven people are wounded, and three are dead (including the shooter) after a 58-year-old gunmanopens fire at the Grand 16 Movie Theater inLafayette, Louisiana during a showing ofTrainwreck.(NBC),(CNN)
Turkish warplanes strikeISIS positions in northernSyria following an exchange of gunfire on theTurkish-Syrian border which left one Turkish soldier dead. The airstrikes are said to have killed as many as 35 ISIS militants.(Yahoo)
A largeexplosion, which triggers other explosions and a fire (which threatens a nearby forest) at afireworks factory in southeasternItaly (Modugno,Metropolitan City of Bari,Apulia Region) kills 7 people and injures several more, some seriously. Emergency vehicles were on the scene and the cause is being investigated; it is the peak season for fireworks in Italy because of the summer festivals there.(BBC)
Zhou Benshun, the Communist Party chief of China'sHebei province, is detained for investigation by the party'santi-graft body. He is first incumbent provincial leader to be investigated since the anti-corruption campaign began in 2013.(WSJ)
TheSaudi-led military coalition announces that a 5-day humanitarian ceasefire has been agreed to, set to begin just before midnight Sunday.(Wall Street Journal)
Cameroonian officials order the closing ofmosques andIslamic schools, and bar underage children from being at public places, following the recent strings of suicide bombings.(AP via Fox News)
A suicide bomber detonates a vehicle loaded with explosives at a hotel in theSomali capital ofMogadishu, killing 15 people.(CNN)
Verizon employees in nine states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia) and Washington, D.C. vote to go on strike on August 1 if disputes between theunion and the company result in no new contracts.(New Haven Register)
Frenchfarmers protesting low prices within the country turn back hundreds of trucks suspected of carrying foreign agricultural products at the country's border withGermany.(AP)
Police inSanta Cruz, California, find what they suspect is the body of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton, who was last seen on footage on the afternoon of Monday, July 27, riding her new scooter. A 15-year-old male minor has been arrested on suspicion of homicide.(MSN)
Joyce Mitchell, who had smuggled hacksaw blades inside frozen meat toRichard Matt and David Sweat in prison, before withdrawing as their getaway driver, pleads guilty to a first-degreefelony of promoting prisoncontraband and to amisdemeanor count of fourth-degree criminal facilitation. She faces up to 7 years in prison when sentenced.(MSN)
Barack Obama is the first US president to speak in front of theAfrican Union (AU). He encourages the world to strengtheneconomic ties with the continent, but also criticises the lack of democracy.(WSJ)
Malik Ishaq, leader of the terrorist groupLashkar-e-Jhangvi, is killed during a shootout in which supporters of the group ambushed a prisoner convoy. The shootout killed 13 of the attackers, injured six police officers, and also killed two of Ishaq's sons.(New York Times)
Disasters and accidents
TheWragg Fire in Northern California continues to burn at 80% containment with over 6,991 acres being destroyed and mandatory evacuations.(KQED)
At least 27 people are killed and 149 injured after a out of control truck runs into a religious procession in theMexican state ofZacatecas.(AP viaWashington Post)
Health
TheChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia announces that 8-year old Zion Harvey became the first pediatric patient to receive a double hand transplant earlier this month.(ABC)
Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell announces that Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, a 15-year-old will be tried as an adult in the murder of 8-year-old Madyson Middleton.(ABC News)
An ambush on aTurkish military convoy in the south-easternŞırnak Province byPKK militants kills 3 Turkish soldiers.(BBC)
Disasters and accidents
A heat wave hits theMiddle East withBaghdad recording a top temperature of 50 °C (122 °F) and theIranian city of Bandar Mahshahr recording a near world recordheat index temperature of 74.0 °C (165.2 °F).(Washington Post)
At least 30 people are killed in a landslide that struck villages nearPokhara, Nepal.(Reuters UK)
Former Central Military Commission Vice-Chairman, GeneralGuo Boxiong, is accused of taking bribes in exchange for the promotion of officers and expelled from the Communist Party of China.(BBC)
TwoTurkish police officers and twoPKK militants are killed following a PKK raid on a police station in the south-eastern town ofPozantı. Also, in the eastern province ofKars, PKK militants bombed a railway line and then fired at repair workers, leaving one dead.(BBC)
India andBangladesh have swapped control of some160 small pockets of land on each other's territory. Residents were asked to choose where they wanted to live and which nationality they would prefer. Most of them decided to change nationality and stay where they live.(BBC)
