Greek lawmakers approved their country's draft third bailout in a parliamentary vote today that relied on opposition party support and saw the government coalition suffer significant dissent.
	The vote came after a marathon all-night session marked by procedural delays and acrimonious debate over the three-year, about 85 billion-euro (USD 93 billion) rescue package that includes harsh spending cuts and tax hikes.
	Unable to borrow on the international markets, another bailout is all that stands between Greece and a disorderly default on its debts that could see it forced out of Europe's joint currency.
	The vote was passed with 222 votes in favor, 64 against, 11 abstentions and three absent in the 300-member parliament.
	Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has come under intense criticism from hardliners within his own radical left Syriza party for capitulating to creditor demands to introduce the austerity measures, and about a quarter of his party's lawmakers voted against the bill.
	The .

Greek lawmakers back 3rd bailout after all-night debate

PTI Automatic

North Korea is denying that it planted land mines that injured two South Korean soldiers last week and prompted Seoul to restart propaganda broadcasts across the border for the first time in 11 years.
	North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission said today it "makes no sense" that it buried mines on the southern side of the border because it only uses such devices for defense.
	Investigations by Seoul and the US-led UN Command blamed Pyongyang for the mines that exploded when soldiers were on a routine patrol near a wire fence in the southern side of the border. One of the soldiers lost both legs while the other lost one leg.
	Officials said the mine planting violates the armistice that ended the Korean War.

N Korea denies role in mine blasts that maimed 2 S Koreans

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush declined to rule out resuming the use of torture under some circumstances by the US government if he becomes president.
	The former Florida governor yesteday said that in general, he believes torture is inappropriate, and that he was glad his brother, former President George W Bush, largely ended the CIA's use of the techniques before he left office.
	The CIA used waterboarding, slapping, nudity, sleep deprivation, humiliation and other methods to coerce Al-Qaeda detainees, methods the military would be prohibited from using on prisoners of war.
	"I don't want to make a definitive, blanket kind of statement," Bush told an audience of Iowa Republicans, when asked whether he would keep in place or repeal President Barack Obama's executive order banning so-called enhanced interrogation techniques by the CIA.
	Bush, because of his brother and father, both former US presidents, had the most name recognition entering the race to win the 2016 ...

Jeb Bush leaves door open for use of torture by government

Washington's top diplomat is coming to Havana today to raise the Stars and Stripes over the newly opened US Embassy, making a symbolically charged victory lap for the Obama administration's new policy of engagement with Cuba.
	Ordinary Cubans will cheer, US business executives will network and Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Cuba's foreign minister, the country's Roman Catholic archbishop and a hand-picked group of dissidents. Then the hard part begins.
	Soon after Kerry heads home this evening, the Cuban and US diplomats who negotiated the embassy reopening will launch full-time into the next phase of detente: expanding economic ties between the two nations with measures like direct flights and mail service.
	The Americans also want to resolve billions of dollars in half-century-old American claims over property confiscated after the Cuban revolution. Cuba has its own claims, as noted in a newspaper column by Fidel Castro on Thursday saying the US owes the island ...

Top US diplomat flies to Cuba for new policy victory lap

An Indonesian court has overturned convictions against a Canadian teacher and an Indonesian teaching assistant who were serving 10 years in jail for sexually abusing three young children at a prestigious international school in Jakarta, their lawyer said today.
	Neil Bantleman, 45, and Ferdinant Tjiong were convicted in April by the South Jakarta District Court of violating Indonesia's child protection law and were also ordered to pay a fine of USD 7,700 or serve six additional months in jail.
	They maintained their innocence and were supported by fellow teachers and the principal at the Jakarta International School, now called the Jakarta Intercultural School.
	They filed appeals to the Jakarta High Court and Hotman Paris Hutapea, an Indonesian lawyer representing Bantleman and Tjiong, said the court overturned the indecency convictions for raping three kindergarten students, now 6 and 7 years old, at the school which is attended by children of foreign diplomats, expatriates and ...

Indonesia court overturns sexually abuse convictions

A former Venezuelan defense minister turned staunch government critic has been freed from prison, making him the second prominent opposition leader to be let go in a little more than 24 hours.
	A military tribunal granted retired Gen Raul Baduel parole after he completed six years of a nearly eight-year sentence on corruption charges, his lawyer Omar Tosta told The Associated Press yesterday.
	A short video of Baduel embracing loved ones was tweeted by his daughter after he was discharged from the prison where he has been held alongside Venezuela's most-recognized jailed opponent, Leopoldo Lopez.
	He left the hulking gray military prison outside Caracas around midnight, and returned to his home in the coastal city of Maracay.
	"It was a huge surprise, a gift of life from God," said his wife, Cruz Maria Zambrano. She said her husband was overjoyed.
	Baduel's release came just 24 hours after Daniel Ceballos, the former mayor of the restive western city of San Cristobal, was granted ...

Venezuela frees 2nd prominent opponent in just over 24 hours

Guinea-Bissau's president has dismissed the government amid mounting tensions between the leader and the prime minister.
	President Jose Mario Vaz late Wednesday accused the government of corruption, nepotism and obstruction of justice. He dismissed Prime Minister Domingos Pereira and his cabinet with immediate effect, saying a reshuffle is not enough to resolve the crisis.
	It wasn't clear when the cabinet would be replaced and there was no immediate reaction from the ruling party. Before the dismissal, the UN Security Council on Wednesday called for peace and dialogue.
	Guinea-Bissau has had so many coups and countercoups that no elected leader has been able to complete his term in the four decades since the country won independence from Portugal in 1974. But President Vaz took power in a peaceful election in 2014.

Guinea-Bissau president dismisses government

US meteorologists say the current El Nino is already the second strongest on record for this time of year and could be one of the most potent weather changers of the past 65 years.
	The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration recorded unusual warmth in the Pacific Ocean in the last three months. El Nino is a heating of the equatorial Pacific that changes weather worldwide, mostly affecting the United States in winter.
	NOAA's Mike Halpert said Thursday the current El Nino likely will rival past super El Ninos in 1997-1998, 1982-83 and 1972-73.
	El Nino usually brings heavy winter rain in California, and much of the southern and eastern US Halpert said that's no guarantee and even past super El Ninos haven't delivered the rain that California now needs.

US experts: This El Nino may be historically strong

Widespread relief greeted the resignation of the head of the peacekeeping mission in Central Africa Republic over the force's handling of dozens of misconduct allegations, including rape and killing.
	Babacar Gaye, the Senegalese former mission head, handed in his resignation Wednesday after more allegations surfaced of abuses by U.N. Peacekeepers in the country.
	Crepin Mboli-Goumba, the head of the African Party for Radical Transformation and Integration of States, said people were shocked about the sexual abuse allegations against the peacekeeping mission there.
	"We hope this resignation opens the door to other resignations," he said. He called for the prosecution of those responsible and compensation for abused children.
	Gervais Lakosso, group coordinator for civil society organizations, said he hopes the resignation will improve the peacekeeping mission.
	"We hope that this resignation will change the situation in the country," he said. "The UN secretary-general must appoint a .

Central African Republic groups cheer UN head's resignation

A massive refrigerated cargo ship believed to be loaded with slave-caught fish was seized by Indonesia's navy and brought to shore today, officials said, after The Associated Press informed authorities it had entered the country's waters.
	The Thai-owned Silver Sea 2 was located late yesterday and escorted about 80 miles (130 kilometres) to a naval base in Sabang on the Indonesian archipelago's northwestern tip, said Col Sujatmiko, the local naval chief.
	The AP used a satellite beacon signal to trace its path from Papua New Guinea waters, where it was also being sought, into neighbouring Indonesia. The navy then spent a week trying to catch it. The ship was close to leaving Indonesian waters by the time it was finally seized.
	"I'm so overwhelmed with happiness," said Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti, adding it was difficult to find because the boat's signal had a delay. "It was almost impossible, but we did it."
	The Silver Sea 2 is the same 2,285-ton vessel captured in a ...

Indonesia navy nabs cargo ship loaded with slave-caught fish

Hungarian neo-Nazis hoping to visit the Austrian art academy that rejected Hitler have received the same response no admittance.
	Advised of the group's plans, the Academy of Visual Arts shuttered its doors today. Deputy rector Andrea B Braidt says the institute will stay closed until late in the day, reopening only after the six adults and one child leave Vienna.
	The academy twice rejected Hitler's application for admission in the early 1900s.
	The adults are members of the Hungarian chapter of "Blood & Honour," an international neo-Nazi organization counting an estimated 10,000 members.
	They are being escorted by police through the Austrian capital until they leave for their next stops, including the house of Hitler's birth in the town of Braunau.

Neo-Nazis shut out of Austrian academy that rejected Hitler

A massive truck bomb ripped through a popular Baghdad food market in a predominantly Shiite neighbourhood early today morning, killing at least 67 people, police officials said.
	The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the blast, saying it targeted a gathering place of Shiites and vowed more attacks.
	The truck detonated in the Jameela market in the Iraqi capital's crowded Sadr City neighbourhood shortly after dawn, according to two local police officers.
	They also said that at least 152 people were wounded in the attack. The market is the main center for produce and food sales in the Iraqi capital.
	Residents of the Shiite community rushed to help the victims, carrying corpses in garbage bags and blankets, and sent the wounded to local hospitals in ambulances or personal cars. The blast incinerated much of the market, leaving charred wooden market stalls and scattering fruits and vegetables far around it.
	Fire trucks and ambulances were at the scene and fire men were ...

Truck bombing at Baghdad market kills 67; IS claims blast

The Middle East's biggest airline will soon be operating the world's longest commercial flight.
	Emirates announced plans today to begin daily roundtrip flights between its Dubai hub and Panama City, its first destination in Central America.
	It says the 17 hour, 35 minute flight when heading west will be the longest anywhere.
	Australia's Qantas currently operates the world's longest flight, from Dallas to Sydney, which takes just under 17 hours.
	Singapore Airlines previously operated an even longer flight connecting the city-state to Newark, New Jersey, but scrapped it in 2013.
	Emirates is backed by the government of Dubai and has expanded rapidly by routing international transit passengers and cargo through its hub in the Gulf commercial center.
	The Panama City flights are scheduled to start February 1.

Emirates' Dubai to Panama City route to be world's longest

World stock markets rebounded today as the fall in the Chinese yuan slowed and the country's central bank tried to dampen speculation of further devaluation.
	European stocks jumped in early trading, with France's CAC 40 rising 1.8 per cent to 5,013.59. Germany's DAX gained 1.4 per cent to 11,078.39 and Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.8 per cent to 6,620.92. US stocks were poised to open higher.
	Dow futures were up 0.2 per cent to 17,049.00 and broader S&P 500 futures rose 0.2 per cent to 2,089.30.
	The Chinese currency fell for a third day but by late afternoon its decline was only 0.2 per cent compared with drops of up to 1.9 per cent on the previous days. It has dropped a total of 2.9 per cent since Tuesday.
	The surprise move earlier this week to loosen the mechanism that controls the yuan and send the currency lower reverberated through global markets but the turmoil is now abating.
	Sentiment was soothed further by comments from the central bank. The official reason for letting ...

World stocks rebound as China soothes yuan weakness fears

An Afghan official says Kabul has sent a high-level government delegation to Pakistan to discuss an action plan after Islamabad-hosted peace talks with the Taliban were suspended last month.
	Today's one-day visit follows an angry speech by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in which he claimed Pakistani was involved in a spate of devastating Taliban attacks that struck the Afghan capital last week, killing dozens.
	The Taliban have been fighting the Kabul government for almost 14 years. The recent attacks followed the announcement their leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, died two years ago.
	Ghani's deputy spokesman Zafar Hashemi says the delegation is led by Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, and includes national intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil and Acting Defense Minister Masoon Stanekzai.
	They will meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other Pakistani officials.

Afghan government sends team to Pakistan to discuss peace

A massive truck bomb ripped through a popular Baghdad food market in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood in the early morning hours today, killing at least 58 people, police officials said.
	The truck detonated in the Jameela market in the Iraqi capital's crowded Sadr City neighborhood shortly after dawn, according to two local police officers. They also said that at least 89 people were wounded in the attack.
	Residents of the Shiite community rushed to help the victims, carrying corpses in garbage bags and sending the wounded to local hospitals in ambulances or in personal cars.
	The blast incinerated much of the market, leaving charred wooden market stalls and scattering fruits and vegetables far around it.
	Fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene and fire men were dousing the still-smoldering complex with water long after the explosion.
	"On Thursdays the market is especially crowded because people come from the other provinces to stock up on food for the weekend," one of ..

Iraq officials: Huge truck bomb in Baghdad market kills 58

Security forces have seized control of the headquarters of Myanmar's ruling party as rifts between party members intensified ahead of upcoming general elections, witnesses said today.
	Tensions have been building for months between President Thein Sein and Parliament speaker Shwe Mann, both of whom have expressed an interest in leading the country.
	An internal meeting was held at the Union Solidarity and Development Party headquarters yesterday to announce the selection of candidates for the November 8 polls.
	The local news site, Irrawaddy, said it was announced that Shwe Mann had been dismissed as the party chairman - infuriating some members.
	His whereabouts were not known today, but a witness said his home security officer was questioned by the chief of police.
	Witnesses said that trucks started arriving late yesterday and that some party members were prevented from leaving the building.
	Minister of Information Ye Htut said on his Facebook page that it was an internal party ...

Police seize control of ruling party headquarters in Myanmar

The International Olympic Committee ruled out conducting viral tests of Rio de Janeiro's sewage-laden waterways ahead of the 2016 games, a top official said, despite an Associated Press study showing dangerously high levels of disease-causing viruses at all aquatic venues, with experts saying athletes are almost certain to be exposed to pathogens.
     Speaking at a news conference dominated by questions about Rio's sewage pollution problem, Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi said the IOC will be sticking to World Health Organisation guidelines recommending only bacterial testing.
     The AP's independent analysis of water quality showed high levels of viruses and, in some cases, bacteria from human sewage in all of Rio's Olympic and Paralympic water venues, including the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, where rowing will take place, the Guanabara Bay, where the sailing competition are to be held, and at Copacabana Beach where distance swimming events will take place.
     In 

IOC rules out viral testing of Rio's Olympic waters

Iran's foreign minister, who negotiated his country's nuclear deal with world powers, discussed ways of ending Syria's civil war with President Bashar Assad in Damascus today, as attacks surged around the Syrian capital, killing at least 36 people and wounding dozens.
	Stepped-up rebel shelling and government airstrikes came just a few hours before Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Damascus, where he discussed a four-point proposal Iran wants to offer to the United Nations as a way out of Syria's grinding conflict.
	That plan, according to a Lebanese politician familiar with the proposal, includes a cease-fire and a power-sharing government that would keep Assad in the picture, at least for now, pending internationally supervised elections.
	The politician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to divulge details of the plan, said it shows the Iranians were "not ready" to withdraw their support for Assad.
	Syrian state-run TV quoted Zarif as saying after ...

Deadly attacks surge as Iran's foreign minister visits Syria

All was quiet today at a GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical plant that was shut down after the drug maker discovered the bacteria that cause potentially fatal Legionnaires' disease in a cooling tower at the site.
	Only a handful of cars could be seen in the parking lots outside the manufacturing plant about 25 miles east of Raleigh where asthma medications and other inhalable products are produced.
	People can contract Legionnaires' disease when they inhale water vapor or mist containing the bacteria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. It does not spread from person to person, the agency said.
	The cooling tower "does not come into contact with product manufactured at the facility," GlaxoSmithKline said late yesterday.
	Glaxo spokeswomen have not responded to questions about whether there was any risk of indoor exposure to employees or medicines from water droplets that could carry the legionella bacteria.
	The company hasn't described what type of work was conducted at .

Glaxo plant with Legionnaires' bacteria is quiet for 2nd day

A beauty queen has been jailed on charges she faked having leukemia to benefit from fundraisers, and will be stripped of her title.
	Online court records show 23-year-old Brandi Lee Weaver-Gates, of State College, was arraigned yesterday on charges of theft by deception and receiving stolen property. State police say an April bingo benefit raised USD 14,000 for the Miss Pennsylvania pageant winner.
	Police are asking the public to come forward if they have donated money to her.
	Butler's Beauties, the company that sponsors the pageant, says in a Facebook page statement that it was also "led to believe that she was dealing with this horrible disease" and are making her return her crown and sash.
	Records don't list an attorney for Weaver-Gates, who faces a preliminary hearing August 19.

AP

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