Six In The Morning

Assad forces continue to pound Damascus

　Government forces shell opposition strongholds in capital for second day, as Red Cross declares conflict a civil war.

Last Modified: 16 Jul 2012 07:57
There has been no let up in violence in Syria with parts of the capital, Damascus, under fire for a second day, activists have said. The military offensive on Monday reportedly continued to batter several neighbourhoods in the capital, including Tadamon, Kfar Souseh, Nahr Aisha and Sidi Qadad. "The regular army fired mortar rounds into several suburbs", where members of the Free Syrian Army, the main armed oppositiong group mainly composed of military defectors, are entrenched, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the UK-based activist group. "(It has) never been this intense," Abdel Rahman told reporters.

North Korean military chief is removed in possible sign of power struggle
Official reason is illness but analysts suspect Ri Yong-ho, a key mentor of Kim Jong-un, was sidelined for political reasons

Justin McCurry in Tokyo guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 July 2012 05.47 BST
North Korea's top military official has been removed from his post, media reports said on Monday, in what could be the start of a power struggle sparked by the regime's young leader, Kim Jong-un. In surprise announcement, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Ri Yong-ho, who was often seen at Kim's side after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, last December, had been relieved of his duties after a short illness.

Israel's man on fire is symbol of economic injustice
Self-immolation protest puts pressure on Netanyahu to act

DONALD MACINTYRE MONDAY 16 JULY 2012
A 57-year-old Israeli man was in a critical condition yesterday after setting fire to himself during a demonstration by more than 8,000 people marking the anniversary of last summer's widespread protests in support of social and economic justice. Moshe Silman, a former small businessman who has since fallen on dire financial circumstances, was said to have second- and third-degree burns on more than 90 per cent of his body after dousing his clothes with petrol and starting to immolate himself.

Scientists link road design to fatal Russian flood
The Irish Times - Monday, July 16, 2012

CHARLES CLOVER in Moscow
A CATASTROPHIC flash flood that killed at least 164 people in southern Russia on July 7th may have been exacerbated by badly planned road construction, according to scientists studying satellite images of the disaster. The flood, in which an estimated 50 million cubic metres of water swept through the southern town of Krymsk, was the first significant natural disaster of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s third term.

AU ready to deploy force to quell Congo fighting
The African Union said yesterday that it is ready to send peacekeeping troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sapa-AFP | 16 July, 2012 00:24
AU leaders were meeting at a biannual summit to discuss African trouble spots and to vote for nominees for the bloc's top job. AU commission chairman Jean Ping told leaders at the opening of the two-day summit that the AU was "prepared to contribute to the establishment of a regional force to put an end to the activities of armed groups" in DR Congo. No further details about the force were given at the meeting, attended by both DR Congo President Joseph Kabila and Rwanda's Paul Kagame, who rejects accusations by UN experts and Kinshasa that he supports the mutiny by Congolese troops.

Olympic athletes come with lots of baggage
As the Olympic Games near Athletes begin to arrive in Heathrow with lots of luggage in tow.

By Sheila Norman-Culp, Associated Press
Kenneth Andreasen, the head coach for the US Olympic sailing team, is not a man who travels lightly. He's already sent 10 shipping containers full of sailboats, motor boats, masts, sails, trailers and other marine equipment to the Olympic sailing center at Weymouth. Andreasen and his team of 16 sailors and assorted coaches are arriving Monday morning at Heathrow Airport with what can only be described as gobs more luggage. He will have plenty of company — Monday is crunch time for Olympic arrivals at Europe's busiest airport because that's the day the Athletes Village opens at London's Olympic Park.