Six In The Morning

Egypt military 'warns' President Mursi over parliament

　Egypt's military council has said the decision to dissolve parliament must be upheld, after new President Mohammed Mursi ordered the assembly to reopen.

The BBC 10 July 2012
The military closed parliament last month after a court ruling. Its latest intervention is seen by some as a challenge and warning to the president, who was sworn in barely a week ago. It could be the first confrontation between the military and the president since Mr Mursi's election. On President Mursi's orders, the speaker has convened a meeting of parliament on Tuesday. Crowds were gathering in Tahrir Square ahead of the meeting called for 10:00 (08:00 GMT) in defiance of the military's decision.

Eurozone ministers agree €30bn bailout for Spanish banks
Finance ministers expected to approve one-year extension of Spain's deadline for achieving budget deficit of 3%

Associated Press in Brussels guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 July 2012 07.26 BST
European finance ministers have agreed on the terms of a bailout for Spain's troubled banks, saying that €30bn (£24bn) can be ready by end of this month. The finance ministers for the 17 countries that use the euro as their official currency will return to Brussels on 20 July to finalise the agreement, having first obtained the approval of their governments or parliaments, the Luxembourg prime minister and eurozone chief, Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday. As part of the agreement with Spain, finance ministers from all 27 European Union countries are expected to approve a one-year extension – until 2014 – of Spain's deadline for achieving a budget deficit of 3%.

Thousands of leatherback turtle eggs 'crushed by workers' on Trinidad beach


AP TUESDAY 10 JULY 2012
Thousands of leatherback turtle eggs and hatchlings have been crushed by heavy machinery along a Trinidad beach widely regarded as the world's densest nesting area for the biggest of all living sea turtles, conservationists said. Government work crews with bulldozers were redirecting the Grand Riviere, a shifting river that was threatening a hotel where tourists from around the globe watch the huge endangered turtles lay their eggs.

Retreating Congo rebels abandon key foothold
The Democratic Republic of DRC's newest rebel group has retreated from the strategic town of Rutshuru, heading into a mountain gorilla haven.

10 JUL 2012 06:23 - SALEH MWANAMILONGO
An official said on Monday heavy bombing was preventing rangers from protecting the critically endangered primates in the Virunga National Park. "M23 have infiltrated this area and the armed forces have pulled back ... so most of Rutshuru [district] appears to be under M23 control," said park director Emmanuel de Merode. Rebel leader Sultani Makenga said they were retreating as they waited to hear if the government is ready to negotiate their demands over the March 23 2009 peace deal that had paved the way for them to join the army. UN peacekeepers supporting the DRC's army have deployed helicopter gunships to bomb rebel positions, one of the mission's spokesperson, Alex Essome, said.

There will be hell to pay for NATO's Holy War
THE ROVING EYE

By Pepe Escobar
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is running out of rhetorical ammunition in the US's Holy War against Syria. Perhaps it's the strain of launching a NATO war bypassing the UN Security Council. Perhaps it's the strain of being eaten for breakfast routinely by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Hillary has just called on "Western powers" and their Arab stooges - the NATOGCC compound [1] that passes for the "international community" - to "make it clear that Russia and China will pay a price because they are holding up progress" regarding weaponized regime change in Syria. In non-newspeak, this means, "If you block our new war, there will be payback".

Taliban poetry and the lone fighter
Given the infamous ban on music by the Taliban in Afghanistan, many might be surprised to learn that poetry and singing were actively encouraged. And as Nato forces prepare to leave, these arts are being used to reawaken the mythology of the lone warrior.

By Dawood Azami BBC World Service
There is something of the bard in every Afghan, even Taliban fighters. Despite the ban on music and songs while they ruled the country, the militants understood early on that poetry is cherished at the very heart of Afghan culture cutting across ethnic and language boundaries. Epic songs and battle hymns have for centuries lent fortitude to tribal warriors. But as international forces begin winding down their operations, the Islamist militants are redoubling efforts to take ownership of this treasured cultural tradition and use it for their own ends.