Six In The Morning

Syria hit by diplomatic defection as UN fights divisions

　Envoy posts video on Facebook calling on members of military to join revolution

By Mariam Karouny
Syria's ambassador to Iraq defected on Wednesday in protest over President Bashar al-Assad's violent suppression of a 16-month uprising as the U.N. Security Council remained deadlocked over the next steps in the crisis. "I declare that I have joined, from this moment, the ranks of the revolution of the Syrian people," Nawah al-Fares said in a video statement posted on Facebook. He did not elaborate or say from where he had posted the statement. "I ask ... the members of the military to join the revolution and to defend the country and the citizens. Turn your guns toward the criminals from this regime," Fares said.

Opposition's hopes fade as Russian warships sail to aid Assad regime
The 11 vessels will set sail to protect merchant ships that are delivering military hardware to Syria

Beirut Thursday 12 July 2012
Hopes that Russia might distance itself from Bashar al-Assad's regime diminished yesterday as the head of the main Syrian opposition group left talks in Moscow angered and a flotilla of Russian warships was dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean. In a powerful signal of military might the 11 warships, some of which will dock in the Syrian port of Tartus where Russia has a naval base, set sail to safeguard Russian merchant ships from "interference" as they continue to deliver air-defence systems and helicopters to Syria, said Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, the deputy head of Russia's military technical co-operation agency.

In memoriam: Bosnians pray as the coffins of 520 Muslim men and boys killed in Srebrenica in 1995 are buried
The Irish Times - Thursday, July 12, 2012


POTOCARI, BOSNIA – Thousands of Bosnian Muslims prayed yesterday as the coffins of 520 Muslim men and boys killed in Srebrenica in 1995 and tipped into mass graves were passed overhead through the crowd and finally buried 17 years later. Draped in green cloth, the coffins were interred under a scorching sun in the Potocari memorial centre in eastern Bosnia at a funeral marking the anniversary of the massacre that brought the number of victims identified and buried to 5,657. Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic is on trial in The Hague accused of masterminding Europe’s worst atrocity since the second World War during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war, but for the families of the victims, the search for justice was of little comfort.

Tourists Flock to South Korea's 'German Village'
It has an Oktoberfest, German sausages and immaculate front gardens. South Korea's "German Village" is home to Koreans who spent years as migrant workers in Germany and their German spouses. Today, thousands of tourists come to visit the quirky settlement -- much to the annoyance of some residents.

By Manfred Ertel
Buim Ulmer's latest meeting about the Oktoberfest ran longer than planned. It will be the third time that she and her neighbors host a local version of the notorious beer-swilling fest, and this time the party could exceed all of their expectations. During their first Oktoberfest, she and her friends had 1,000 Bavarian weisswurst (white veal sausages) and all went smoothly. Then, last fall some 30,000 sausages were sold. "We never had imagined such crowds," said the 65-year-old nurse. "We were stretched to our limits." That is not surprising. It is hard to cater to the demand for Bavarian specialties when you are in a small village near the South Korean coast.

UN chief voices concern to Rwanda over support for Congo rebels
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern to Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Wednesday over U.N. claims that rebels in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were receiving support from Rwandan officials.

Reuters
Ban phoned both Kagame and DRC President Joseph Kabila to discuss a mutiny in the mineral-rich eastern Congo province of North Kivu, which has been swept by waves of violence since March after hundreds of former rebels defected from the army. An addendum to a recent report by U.N. experts found "substantial evidence attesting to support from Rwandan officials to armed groups operation in the eastern DRC." Rwanda has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Olympic Games security: Labour tables urgent question
Labour is demanding urgent answers from the government on why 3,500 extra troops are being drafted in for Olympic security.

The BBC 12 July 2012
The defence secretary had been due to submit a statement but is now being urged to explain to MPs in person. The troops are in addition to 13,500 already agreed, amid fears contractor G4S may not have enough trained staff. G4S said it had "encountered some delays" in processing applicants through the final stages of training. Labour's Tessa Jowell said there was "clearly a serious problem". Meanwhile, the chief inspector of borders has raised fresh concerns about the border controls at Heathrow in the run up to the Olympics.