Brasilia, August 1 (RHC)-- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez classified MERCOSUR, the Common Market of the South, as the largest driving force preserving independence and accelerating integral development in South America.

Damascus, August 1 (RHC)-- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the country's armed forces are engaged in a “crucial and heroic battle.”  Addressing troops on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Syrian Army, al-Assad said "the destiny of the nation and its people" hangs in the balance.

Brasilia, August 1 (RHC)-- President Hugo Chávez affirmed that he will win the Presidential elections in October by a landslide.  Chávez made this comment in Brasilia, after having a lunch with Argentinean President Cristina Fernández, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, and Uruguayan President José Mujica.

United Nations, August 1 (RHC)-- During an upcoming UN General Assembly session, representatives of the BRICS countries plan to vote against a draft resolution on Syria which was mapped out by Saudi Arabia along with a number of Western countries.

New York, August 1 (RHC)-- U.S. writer and a strong critic of U.S. foreign policy, Gore Vidal, has died at the age of 86.  A national icon who authored more than 20 novels and five plays, Vidal was one of the best known chroniclers of American history and politics.  He dedicated his work to writing and critiquing the injustices of U.S. society.

Washington, August 1 (RHC)-- There are new reports that the White House is taking new steps to back the Israeli government’s position on bombing Iran. 

La Paz, August 1 (RHC) Legislators from Bolivia´s Movement Towards Socialism classified a new report by the U.S. Office of Narcotics Control, which says that Bolivia is the second largest producer of cocaine in the region, as a political move.

Asuncion, August 1 (RHC)—The Paraguayan Congress, the main perpetrator of a parliamentary coup against constitutional President Fernando Lugo, expressed concerned that the country might be expelled from the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) and made public the actions it has undertaken to avoid that.

Ankara, Aug 1, (PRESSTV), -- The Turkish army has staged tank exercises near its border with Syria days after it reinforced its border troops with tanks, missile launchers and armored combat vehicles.

Damascus, Aug 1, (RHC), -- At least 150 rebels have been killed after Syrian troops stormed a rebel-held school in the northern city of Aleppo.

Kabul, Aug 1, (RHC), -- NATO casualties in Afghanistan have risen to 266 so far this year, after four NATO soldiers were killed in three separate roadside bomb attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan.