Greece may seek 24 billion euros in a first tranche of bailout aid from international lenders in August to prop up its banks and repay debts falling due at the ECB, a pro-government Greek newspaper said in its early August 2 editions.

Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said on July 31 each nation's interests clashed over an intellectual property issue and they could not reach a Pacific Rim trade deal.

Three members of former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's family were killed when a private jet crashed in southern England on July 31, British police said on August 1.

Pacific Rim trade ministers failed to clinch a deal on July 31 to free up trade between a dozen nations after a dispute flared up over auto trade between Japan and North America, New Zealand dug in over dairy trade and no agreement was reached on monopoly periods for next-generation drugs.

Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore on July 30 formally joined the crowded field seeking the Republican presidential nomination for the 2016 election.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man stabbed and wounded six participants, two of them seriously, in the annual Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem on July 30, with police saying the suspect was jailed for a similar attack 10 years ago.

In a rare admonishment of a close ally, the United States urged the European Union on July 29 to speak out more forcefully to support Washington in its dispute with China over building and militarization of man-made outposts in the East Vietnam Sea.

Afghanistan said on July 29 that Mullah Omar, the elusive leader of the Taliban movement fighting to topple the government, died more than two years ago.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on July 28 the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and major world powers this month will help fight terrorism and bloodshed in the Middle East, Iran's state TV reported.

The Republic of Korea declared on July 27 it is effectively out of danger from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), more than two months after the first case was reported and began spreading in hospital settings to kill 36 people.