Six In The Morning

Syria conflict: Russia-US still split ahead of talks

　 Areas of "difficulty and difference" remain between Russia and the US ahead of key talks on the crisis in Syria, a US official says.

The BBC
Western powers, Russia, and Arab countries including Qatar are meeting in Geneva to try and save a peace plan brokered by envoy Kofi Annan. Earlier, Russia said there was a "very good chance" of finding common ground. Some 15,800 people have died in the 16-month anti-government uprising in Syria, rights groups say. Violence in Syria has continued, despite a nominal ceasefire brokered by Mr Annan, joint envoy of the UN and the Arab League.

After the final whistle – Ukraine's dark future corruption
As football fans prepare for the final of Euro 2012, allegations of corrupt practices continue to haunt the host nation and its leaders.

Kiev Saturday 30 June 2012
As Kiev prepares for the last act of Euro 2012 – tomorrow night's final between Italy and Spain – the country is reflecting on a tournament that went a lot better than many expected in terms of organisation and fan experience. But attention is now turning to corruption allegations surrounding President Viktor Yanukovych and his government. The government spent around £6bn on preparations for the Euros according to some estimates. But having cancelled competitive tenders set for contracts to build stadiums and infrastructure, critics say that up to 40 per cent of the cash could have been pocketed by people in Mr Yanukovych's inner circle.

Political pig-trading comes at a price on PNG's hustings
Mounting election campain costs and debts owed by candidates may have deeper implications if they win, writes Hamish McDonald in Mount Hagen.

June 30, 2012
James Yoka has been given nearly 400 large pigs. It is an awesome amount of campaigning firepower in a Melanesian election. But it brings daunting obligations. ''The big thing is sometime down the line I might have to repay these pigs,'' says the 41-year-old former accountant. ''I have planned my finances for the future but I haven't planned for that.''

Morsi to take oath as first Egypt civilian president


By AFP Posted Saturday, June 30 2012 at 10:08
Mohamed Morsi, champion of the long-banned Muslim Brotherhood, was poised to take the oath on Saturday as Egypt's first civilian president, launching a tricky cohabitation with the military. In a display of the popular mandate he claims after his run-off win in a divisive presidential election, Morsi addressed a huge crowd on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, epicentre of the Arab Spring uprising that ousted veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak early last year.

What is Russia thinking on Syria? A brief guide
As the crisis in Syria collapses into what looks like full-blown civil war, foreign ministers of key United Nations Security Council and Arab League powers will meet in Geneva tomorrow for a last-ditch effort to find a political solution.

Fred Weir, Correspondent
The central principle the Russians cite for opposing any outside intervention in Syria is sovereignty, the supreme authority of each state to determine affairs on its own territory. Along with the sometimes contradictory right of each nation to self-determination, sovereignty is the core principle of international law, enshrined in the UN Charter. The Russians argue that, for all its flaws, the inviolability of each state's control over its own affairs is the only thing standing in the way of neo-imperialist domination by strong states over weaker ones

Paraguay suspended from Mercosur
South American trading bloc suspends country after impeachment of its president, Fernando Lugo

Associated Press in Mendoza guardian.co.uk, Saturday 30 June 2012 00.32 BST
The Mercosur trading bloc suspended Paraguay's membership on Friday for having impeached and ousted its president, but will not apply economic sanctions to the poor, landlocked country. The South American bloc also announced that Venezuela will become its fifth full member from 31 July. Paraguayan president Fernando Lugo was impeached by the country's congress a week ago in a fast-track trial triggered by a land eviction that killed 17 people in clashes between police and landless peasants.