The Other Side of Life 24/7: Morning Digest: Rebels keep pressure on Assad, fight near government buildings

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Morning Digest: Rebels keep pressure on Assad, fight near government buildings

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07/19/2012

Reuters Election 2012 Daily round-up of the day's top news from the campaign trail, the White House and all the politics in between

Rebels keep pressure on Assad, fight near government buildings

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels kept up pressure on President Bashar al-Assad following the assassination of three top lieutenants, fighting loyalist troops within sight of the presidential palace and near government headquarters, residents said on Thursday..

Bulgaria says suicide bomber blew up airport bus

BURGAS, Bulgaria (Reuters) - A suicide bomber carried out an attack that killed seven people in a bus transporting Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, the country's interior minister said on Thursday, and Israel said Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants were to blame..

Stock index futures point to fresh peaks

(Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a firmer open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.3 percent, while Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 futures gained around 0.4 percent each by 3.57 a.m. EDT..

Actor Gordon-Levitt changes masks for "Dark Knight Rises"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come a long way from his television days playing a disguised extraterrestrial stranded on Earth, harnessing a chameleon-like ability to inhabit a variety of roles in independent films and big-budget blockbusters..

Steely Woods makes perfect start at British Open

LYTHAM ST ANNES, England (Reuters) - Tiger Woods, with a steely glint in his eye, made three birdies in his first six holes to grab a share of the early lead in the British Open first round on Thursday..

Washington state first to launch Facebook voter registration

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington will become the first U.S. state to allow eligible residents to register to vote through Facebook, in an initiative due to launch this month, Brian Zylstra, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said on Wednesday..

NASA's Mars rover may be in for blind landing

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA's new Mars rover is heading for a risky do-or-die touchdown next month to assess conditions for life on the planet, but the U.S. space agency may not know for hours whether it arrived safely, managers said on Monday..

Cash-strapped Berlin stalked by 450-year-old debt

BERLIN (Reuters) - The sleepy hamlet of Mittenwalde in eastern Germany could become one of the richest towns in the world if Berlin were to repay it an outstanding debt that dates back to 1562..