News Headlines - 02 August 2013

▽BBC News - British embassy in Yemen to close as 'precaution'

The British embassy in Yemen is to be closed on Sunday and Monday as "a precautionary measure", the Foreign Office has confirmed.

▽Washington issues al-Qaeda terror alert - FT.com

The US issued a global travel alert on Friday about the potential for terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda and its affiliates, particularly in the Middle East and north Africa.

▽British banks have six years to fill ￡121bn hole - FT.com

UK banks will need to make up a ￡121bn ($185bn) equity capital shortfall in the next six years to comply with European rules, the Bank of England has revealed. The gap in banks’ balance sheets has been identified after the UK’s eight largest lenders including Barclays had already been pushed by the regulator to strengthen their balance sheets by the end of this year.

▽Renesas to close Japan plant making chips for game consoles, cameras | Reuters

Japan's Renesas Electronics Corp said Friday it will close a plant that makes system LSI chips for Nintendo Co Ltd's game consoles and other consumer electronics after failing to find a buyer for the facility in Tsuruoka in northern Japan.

▽Ukip condemns Home Office roundup of suspected illegal immigrants | UK news | The Guardian

A Home Office roundup of suspected illegal immigrants was condemned on Friday by the Ukip leader Nigel Farage as deeply disturbing, as Labour called on the home secretary to reveal whether the sweep had broken official guidelines on how to conduct stop and search operations.