Six In The Morning

A Maritime Disaster that Was Waiting to Happen'

The Costa Concordia disaster, which has claimed at least 13 lives, has shocked the world. But maritime experts say such a catastrophe was just a matter of time.

SPIEGEL Staff
On the Tuscan island of Giglio, the night sky is clear and the stars are out. Three men are sitting among the cacti and lemon trees near the cliffs behind the harbor. When the weather is nice, couples come here at sunset to make out. It's Thursday night of last week. Seven days have now passed since the Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy. The moon is shining as the men stare at the wreckage of the capsized cruise ship, not far from the harbor entrance. Two of the men are local Italians from the island, who have spent the last few days in a desperate struggle, and who have saved many lives in the process. They are comforting the third man, an Indian from Mumbai, who is still hoping for a miracle.

Turkish fury likely over French bill on Armenian genocide


RUADHÁN Mac CORMAIC in Paris
FRANCE IS bracing itself for a major diplomatic stand-off with Turkey after senators in Paris approved a draft law to make it illegal to deny that the mass killing of Armenians during the first World War was genocide. The National Assembly, France’s lower house, voted overwhelmingly in December for the genocide-denial bill, prompting Ankara to freeze political and economic ties and temporarily recall its ambassador. Hundreds of Turks and Armenians protested outside the senate building during yesterday’s debate on the bill, which would mean anyone denying the deaths amounted to genocide could face a one-year jail term and a fine of €45,000.

Egypt's winds of change remain to be seen
They stood in a moment of silent unity, honouring the revolutionary martyrs who helped make this historic dream a reality.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - Jan 24 2012 07:42
And then the cracks began to appear. The first ultra-conservative Salafist MP to go off script was Mamdouh Ismail, who added "... if not in contradiction with God's doctrine" to his oath of office and others quickly followed suit. Liberals hit back by tacking on their own spontaneous post scripts, promising to serve the nation "in accordance with the demands of the revolution".

Foodistan: India-Pakistan chefs fight for taste buds
It's being billed as an "epic battle" between India and Pakistan.

By Geeta Pandey BBC News, Delhi
Many sported bright yellow "No to military trials" armbands, an emblem of fierce opposition to the ruling generals and refused to join a bout of collective applause for the army council that still maintains an iron grip on the country's levers of power. But instead of being fought on the battleground, it's being fought in the kitchen. The armies comprise eight professional chefs from each country, fighting to conquer the taste buds of judges. This is Foodistan - a new show that begins on Indian television channel NDTV Good Times on Monday night. The programme-makers say it's a cook-off between "highly talented chefs from Asia's two most culturally rich countries".

Sheikhs fall in love with renminbi
Middle East

By M K Bhadrakumar
China and Qatar have been taking virtually opposite positions apropos events in Libya and Syria. Yet, they do not seem to be deterred by this little difference and are bonding in a big way in economic cooperation to mutual benefit. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who visited Doha last week, disclosed at a press conference on Friday: a) China proposes to invest in the manufacturing of ''downstream oil products, which are most urgently needed by Qatar''; b) China and Qatar signed an agreement to jointly build a refinery in Taizhou, Zheijiang, in China; c) Chinese companies propose to participate in infrastructure projects in Qatar; and d) China and Qatar are discussing a "long-term, stable and comprehensive cooperative partnership" in natural gas.

Sumatran elephant upgraded to critically endangered status
Species has lost half its population and 69% of its habitat through deforestation in the past 25 years

Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 January 2012 06.00 GMT
The Sumatran elephant has been placed on the list of critically endangered species after losing half of its population in a single generation, prompting calls from conservation groups for emergency measures to halt the destruction of its habitat. Deforestation is seen as the primary reason for the collapse in numbers in Indonesia, which until recently was seen alongside India and Sri Lanka as one of the last great refuges for elephants in Asia. The animal is now at risk of becoming extinct within decades.