1. Top Syrian officials killed

    Syria’s Defense Minister Dawood Rajiha and Deputy Minister Assef Shawkat — who is al-Assad’s brother-in-law — were killed in the explosion during a meeting of ministers and security officials at a national security building in Damascus, state TV reported.

    The attack brought the bloodshed* in Syria well into President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle and could mark a pivotal* point in the 16-month uprising.

    2. Myanmar lures foreign firms

    Myanmar has invited foreign energy firms to explore 23 offshore oil and gas blocks, as the Southeast Asian country seeks billions of dollars in investments to tap its vast reserves*.

    The offer is likely to attract interest from international oil majors after the U.S. Government two weeks ago cleared companies to invest in Myanmar, including in oil and gas, in its greatest loosening of tough sanctions so far.

    3. Argentina tightens currency controls

    Despite criticism from business circles, Argentine authorities are pressing ahead with their policy of tightening currency controls to stem capital flight and protect foreign exchange reserves.

    Argentina’s reserves shrank* nearly US$6 billion to US$46.6 billion in a matter of months, prompting President Cristina Kirchner’s government to slap tight controls on the currency market by limiting U.S. dollar purchases.

    4. Suicide bomber blamed in deadly attack

    A suicide bomber killed eight people on a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, the country’s interior minister said on July 19, and Israel said Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants were to blame.

    The attack took place on July 18 at Burgas airport, a popular gateway for tourists visiting the Black Sea coast.

    Video surveillance* footage* showed the bomber looked like a typical tourist upon arriving at the airport, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said.

    The bomber had been circling around a group of buses, which were to take Israeli tourists to a resort near Burgas, for about an hour before the explosion, the surveillance footage showed.

    5. N. Korean leader named marshal

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was named marshal* of the army, the country’s top military rank, in a move that adds to his array of titles and cements* his power in the state that has a 1.2-million-strong military.

    The decision came after the country’s top general was purged*. The new title completes Kim’s elevation following the death of his father Kim Jong Il in December.

    6. Murdoch quits boards of British papers

    News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch has stepped down as a director of a string of boards overseeing the Sun, Times and Sunday Times newspapers in Britain, the company said in an internal memo on July 21.

    The resignations follow the announcement in June that News Corp. would be split into two separate companies: a smaller publishing division and a much larger entertainment and TV group.

    7. Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest

    About 125 bearded men from around the world descended on Key West, Florida, for the annual Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest. The contest is focused on Hemingway’s “Papa” phase during the later years of his life when he lived in Key West.

    There are several other events being held as part of Key West’s Hemingway Days, including a satirical* running-of-the-bulls ceremony held on July 21 and an arm-wrestling* contest between Papa contestants on July 22.(SD-Agencies)