AFGHANISTAN
Deadliest month for U.S. troops
KABUL — The month began with a fatal roadside bombing and ended with word that an American had died of wounds suffered in a firefight. After nearly eight years of warfare in Afghanistan, July proved by far the deadliest month yet for U.S. troops and their foreign allies.
Bombs and rocket attacks, ambushes and aviation accidents killed at least 70 foreign troops across the country in July, including 42 Americans. Previously, the highest monthly U.S. toll was 28 in June 2008, according to icasualties.org.
July was also the worst month for Britain since the 1980s Falklands war. Twenty-two British soldiers died, spurring soul-searching in a country where a recent poll suggested that a majority considers the Afghan war unwinnable.
Analysts and military officials cited a web of factors in the record death toll, including a major American military offensive in the south and a parallel push by British troops.
Also driving the increased casualty count is the growing U.S. troop presence, Western forays into previously Taliban-dominated areas and a resilient insurgency.
About two-thirds of the coalition deaths were caused by what the military calls improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
— Laura King, Tribune Newspapers
SOUTH AFRICA
A birthday present that is also a gift to the whole continent
Nelson Mandela receives a kiss Friday during a ceremony combining the celebration of the former president’s 91st birthday and the announcement of a new hospital in Johannesburg that will be devoted to providing specialist care for children on the continent. Scheduled to open in 2010, it will be the fifth such facility in Africa. Two others are in Egypt, one is in Kenya and another is in Cape Town, South Africa. Mandela’s birthday was July 18.
HONDURAS
Harder stance by regime
TEGUCIGALPA — Honduras’ coup-installed leader has dampened hopes for a negotiated solution to the country’s crisis, capping days of mixed signals by saying firmly there is no way the ousted president can return to power.
Also marking a tougher stance, riot police fired tear gas and arrested supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya who blocked a main artery leading into the Honduran capital Friday. Interim President Roberto Micheletti said his government would no longer tolerate street blockades that regularly snarl traffic in Tegucigalpa and other cities.
Zelaya’s return has been a key demand of crisis mediator and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, who has also proposed amnesty for the coup plotters and other measures as part of a compromise deal.
IRAQ
Mosque bombings kill 29
BAGHDAD — Near-simultaneous explosions shook five Shiite mosques around Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 29 people and wounding dozens in the most serious outbreak of violence in the capital since U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq’s cities June 30.
The bombings shattered a period of relative calm that had given rise to discussion of the possibility that the U.S. military could consider speeding up the timetable for its withdrawal. All U.S. forces are supposed to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.
July was the least deadly month yet for U.S. personnel, with seven deaths.
In the worst of the latest attacks, 24 people were killed when a parked car exploded outside al-Shoroufi mosque in northeastern Baghdad just as worshipers were leaving Friday prayers.
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FLORIDA
Shuttle Endeavour returns
CAPE CANAVERAL — Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, completing a long but successful construction job that boosted the size and power of the International Space Station.
While visiting the space station, the shuttle crew put on an addition to Japan’s $1 billion lab, installed fresh batteries and stockpiled some big spare parts.
They accomplished all of their major objectives and were part of the biggest gathering ever in space: Counting the six station residents, the crowd totaled 13.
The shuttle flight lasted 16 days and spanned 6.5 million miles, one of NASA’s longest.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
New GI Bill ready for fall
The Post-9/11 GI Bill rolls out Saturday, just in time for the fall semester for veterans of recent wars. Reminiscent of the GI education benefits signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt two weeks after D-Day in 1944, the measure is aimed at transforming the lives of a new generation of veterans.
President Barack Obama will attend a rally Monday at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., in celebration.
In the next decade, $78 billion is expected to be paid out under the new GI Bill, which is the most comprehensive education benefit offered since World War II.
Many veterans who served after the Sept. 11 attacks are eligible for full tuition and fees for four years at a state university, a monthly housing stipend and up to $1,000 annually for books.
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Rejection by Saudi Arabia
Prince says his nation will not attempt to improve relations with Israel: chicagotribune.com/saudi
Metal of honor for fallen Marine
Navy to christen its newest destroyer in memory of a young corporal killed in Iraq: chicagotribune.com/warship
New look at ancestor of modern-day Venice
Scientists have used 2007 photographs to create a map of the ancient city of Altinum: chicagotribune.com/altinum