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This is the world in brief from The Economist.

Our top stories, rebels in Syria, attacked Aleppo, the country's second biggest city.

More than 180 fighters have been killed and some 14,000 people have been forced to flee,

according to reports. It is the first time Syria's opposition has captured territory from the regime in years.

The fighters are a part of Hayat Tarira al-Sharm, an Islamist group with a stronghold in Idlib, a north-western

province. British MPs passed a bill that would legalise assisted dying for terminally ill

people in England and Wales. After a heated debate, 330 MPs voted in favour of a reform and 275 voted against it.

Surveys suggests that a majority of Britons support the idea.

The bill will face further scrutiny from lawmakers before it becomes law.

Chad said it was leaving a defence pact with France,

five years after signing a revised vision of the deal

because of growing threats from Islamic extremists.

Some 1,000 French soldiers in Chad may soon be required to leave.

The announcement is a blow to Western

influence in the Sahel as other powers such as Russia grow their interests in the region.

The Eurozone's annual inflation rate was 2.3% in November, up from 2% in October. It is the first time since August that

inflation has exceeded the European Central Bank's target rate of 2%. Still, the relatively

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