SYRIA - Rebels fighting to depose Syrian president Bashar al Assad have for the first time acquired a small supply of surface-to-air missiles, according to a news report that a Western official did not dispute. NBC News reported Tuesday night that the rebel Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen of the weapons, which were delivered to them via neighboring Turkey, whose moderate Islamist government has been demanding [Mr] Assad's departure with increasing vehemence. Indications are that the US government, which has said it opposes arming the rebels, is not responsible for the delivery of the missiles.

USA - In Camp Pendleton, California, the Marine Corp have created a law-enforcement battalion (ELB) consisting of specialized military police officers (SMP) that will be deployed to assist in investigating crimes dealing with drug trafficking, train security and terrorism. The ELBs contain an estimated 500 SMPs and trained dogs. While capitalizing on their investigative and police training, they will take the role of current street cops while still remaining part of the Marine Corp.

EUROPE - Süddeutsche reports that a number of eurozone member states, including France and Italy, as well as leading members of the ECB Governing Council, favour granting the eurozone’s permanent bailout fund, the ESM, a banking licence – which would give the fund “virtually unlimited firepower” via an open credit line at the ECB.

MIDDLE EAST - When the Arab Spring began in early 2011, Iran's government declared that it was happy with what it was seeing. The people of the Middle East, it announced, were following the example set by Iran in 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah. But that happiness has given way to anxiety as Iran sees its only reliable ally in the region struggle to stay in power.

USA - Yes, another crash is coming soon because we’re back playing the same speculative games as we did for years prior to the 2008 crash. Nothing’s changed. And when we collapse, it will be because America’s leaders never do learn the lessons of history. And never will, if you get the meaning of economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff who surveyed “800 Years of Financial Folly” and saw nothing but repetitive cycles.

USA - The titans of the Internet, including Google, eBay, Amazon and Facebook, are combining forces under the blanket of a newly formed lobby group that wants to influence lawmakers on how they can manipulate the Internet, as well as how important they truly are.

IRAN - Whether bluff or bluster, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for a total halt to crude oil exports, a move that could be economic suicide but also could cause a worldwide depression. Iran relies on oil for approximately 80 percent of its foreign income, which Ahmadinejad needs to continue his race for nuclear capability.

USA - Accident-prone Americans: be aware! The Red Cross says that they are experiencing a 15-year low with blood supplies, and to make matters worse the country is also being hit with a severe shortage of doctors. The American Red Cross says that the number of blood donors they saw in June was around 50,000 fewer than expected, and now the agency’s supply is the slimmest it has been since the end of the twentieth-century. According to one of the agency’s latest press releases, the amount of blood ready to be used has reached emergency levels, and anyone about to go under the knife is being affected.

UK - Fears over safety and traffic are preventing children playing outdoors, research for Play England suggests. Almost half of parents (49%) said their children did not play outside because of fears about "stranger danger". The survey of 1,000 parents found nearly a third (31%) said their child did not play outside the house because of fears of an accident or injury. Cath Prisk, director of Play England, said: "Playing outside should be an everyday event for all children. If we want to foster the next generation of Olympians and sports stars, then we need children with confidence, who love being active and are confident in tackling challenges."

WASHINGTON, USA - Growing security threats from Islamist militants and China's increasing influence throughout Africa are topping the agenda as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton begins an 11-day swing around the continent. [Mrs] Clinton departs Tuesday for her latest marathon overseas journey, which will take her to at least six African nations, including the world's newest country, South Sudan, as well as Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa.

CHINA - China's third lunar probe will blast off in the second half of 2013, the state Xinhua news agency reported late on Monday. Other reports said it would land and transmit back a survey of the moon's surface. If successful, the landing would be China's first on the lunar surface and mark a new milestone in its space development. It is part of a project to orbit, land on and return from the moon, Xinhua said. Beijing sees its multi-billion-dollar space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

USA - Are we rapidly approaching a moment of reckoning for the global financial system? August is likely to be a relatively slow month as most of Europe is on vacation, but after that we will be moving into a “danger zone” where just about anything could happen. Historically, a financial crisis has been more likely to happen in the fall than during any other time, and this fall is shaping up to be a doozy (extremely unusual or special). If things take a really bad turn, this crisis could become much worse than the financial crisis of 2008 very quickly. All over the world people are starting to write about the possibility of a major economic crisis starting this fall.

USA - Once upon a time, most Americans had never even heard of “flash mob robberies” or “organized looting”. Now they are considered to be a part of normal life in America. On Saturday, more than 20 teens stormed into a trendy clothing store in Chicago and stole more than $3,000 worth of jeans, but it barely made a blip on the national news because this kind of thing has become so common. The sad truth is that the streets of America are changing. They are becoming a lot more hostile and a lot more dangerous. Young people in America today do not have respect for authority, they do not have respect for those that are older than them and they do not even have respect for themselves.

EUROPE - A Eurozone break-up would plunge the UK into an even deeper recession than the last one, force the Government to nationalise the banks, and trigger a £1 trillion bout of money printing, leading economic consultancy Fathom has warned. According to Fathom Consulting, the economy would shrink by 5.2 per cent in 2013 if the euro collapsed – a projection that former Bank of England deputy governor Sir John Gieve, speaking at Fathom’s quarterly Monetary Policy Forum, described as “modest”. In 2009, the worst year of the recent recession, the economy shrank by just 4 per cent.

GREECE - Greece's deputy finance minister warns that the near-bankrupt country is "on the brink" with cash reserves at "almost zero," as eurozone unemployment hits a record level of 11.2 per cent. The IMF warns that the fallout from the eurozone debt crisis will be prolonged and costly, as Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti prepares to meet French president Francois Hollande in Paris today.