From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

 

　　The Arizona community of Prescott is paying final respects today to 19 fallen firefighters. A memorial service attended by families, close friends and thousands of firefighters and law enforcement officers from across the nation. Vice President Joe Biden, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, the state's congressional representatives and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are there. Napolitano served as governor of Arizona.

 

　　A Syrian rebel group has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in Lebanon's capital Beirut that has injured dozens of people. NPR's Kelly McEvers reports the group made the claim on Facebook.

 

　　A branch of the Free Syrian Army calling itself Division 313 says the blast targeted the Shiah militant group Hezbollah, which had several offices near the parking lot when the bomb went off. Division 313's Facebook page faults Hezbollah for fighting alongside the Syrian army in places like the Syrian city of Homs, where government troops are besieging Syrian rebels. Syrian rebels are buy and large Sunni, while Hezbollah is Shiah. The explosion sent huge plumes of black smoke over the city, left a large crater in the pavement and burned more than a dozen cars in the parking lot where it occurred. A hospital official said most of the injured were cut with glass and shrapnel. Kelly McEvers, NPR News, Beirut.

 

　　The White House says a decision on how many American troops to leave in Afghanistan after next year is not imminent. Here’s spokesman Jay Carney.

 

　　“We have long been clear that this is something that we will discuss and negotiate with the Afghan government.”

 

　　But Carney says zero troops in Afghannistan is a possibility.

 

　　The International Monetary Fund is lowering its forecast for global economic growth this year and next. NPR's Dave Mattingly reports the US, China and the Europe are weighing on the IMF's outlook.

 

　　The IMF projects the world economy will grow little more than 3% this year and less than 4% next year. Those are slightly weaker outlooks than three months ago. The IMF cites economic slowdowns in China and Brazil and Europe’s protracted recession.

 

　　“I don't expect Europe to come out of recession anytime soon. But I don't expect it to get worse.”

 

　　That's First Trust chief economist Brian Westbury. He says the IMF is also concerned the Federal Reserve might begin scaling back its bond-buying program designed to spur borrowing and spending later this year instead of next. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　At last check on Wall Street, Dow was up 78 points at 15,303; NASDAQ gaining 20 at 3,505; S&P 500 up slightly at 1,652. This is NPR News.

 

　　In the court-martial of Army Private Bradley Manning, a witness for the defence says certain documents Manning disclosed to Wikileaks did not threaten national security. Retired Air Force Colonel Morris Dave says most of the detainee assessments in question from Guantanamo have been exposed by sources other than the anti-secrecy website, but the documents are still classified.

 

　　A Brazilian newspaper is reporting that the US has spied on most Latin American countries with the focus on energy and oil. O Globo is citing documents leaked by former NSA contractor worker Edward Snowden, the American fugitive wanted in the US on espionage charges. The paper says the materials show Brazil, Mexico, Columbia and Venezuela drew the greatest attention. There has been a flurry of speculation today on whether Venezuela was granting Snowden asylum but so far no confirmation of that.

 

　　Thirty people were arrested during a United Mine Workers of America protest in West Virgina. NPR's Allison Keyes tells us the union workers were demonstrating against Patriot Coal.

 

　　They came from all over the country to gather in Fairmont, West Virginia, huddled under umbrellas and plastic ponchos to protest Patriot Coal's plant to cut wages, benefits and health care. UMWA President Cecil Roberts told the crowd, “We will get our health care, we are kept by our health care, and we won't stop fighting until we have it.” Patriot Coal is a spin-off of Peabody Energy and filed for bankruptcy last year. The union says that was a deliberate plan to end health care for retirees. A US bankruptcy judge ruled in May that Patriot could abandon its collective-bargaining agreements with the miners union. Last week Patriot said it was imposing benefit cuts that are less severe than those approved by the court, and that talks with the union continue. Allison Keyes, NPR News.

 

　　This is NPR.