Six In The Morning

Syria conflict: Fresh fighting follows regime deaths

　There have been clashes throughout the night in many parts of Syria, after the deaths on Wednesday of three top regime figures in a suspected suicide attack.

The BBC 19 July 2012
Government and opposition both said large numbers of people died, in one of the bloodiest days of the conflict. Activists said artillery and helicopters were used in the worst attack, on a funeral south of Damascus. The president's brother-in-law, defence minister and head of Mr Assad's crisis team died in yesterday's bombing. Rebel groups said the bomb had been planted the day before the meeting at national security headquarters where it was detonated. They predicted the government's imminent fall.

Israel blames Iranian campaign of terror as bus bomb kills tourists
Attack leaves seven dead in Bulgaria - and is latest in series targeting Israelis abroad, says Netanyahu

DONALD MACINTYRE JERUSALEM THURSDAY 19 JULY 2012
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran last night for a bomb attack which killed at least seven people and wounded 32 when a bus carrying mainly young Israeli tourists blew up in a Bulgarian Black Sea resort. As unconfirmed Israeli media reports said that seven had been killed. The airport at Burgas, a popular destination for Israeli holidaymakers, was closed down for civilian flights after the blast. It was not immediately clear whether it had been caused by a suicide bomber or a remotely detonated explosive device.

Disillusioned German Islamists Abandoning Jihad
More than 200 Islamists are believed to have left Germany to join the jihad in Pakistan. But, after learning what life there is really like, many of them are abandoning the cause and heading home -- right into the unwelcoming arms of the law.

By Oezlem Gezer and Holger Stark in Istanbul
Istanbul's Kumkapi neighborhood is normally the kind of place where belly dancers can be found gyrating their hips in front of drunk patrons. For Peter B., who is currently locked up in a cell in Kumkapi, it's the place where God is testing him for paradise. The Turkish prison for detainees awaiting deportation is a beige, sandstone building. Surveillance cameras monitor the three floors, and guards armed with submachine guns are posted at the entrance. In a room on the ground floor, Peter B. is kneeling on white tiles in front of his 3-year-old son, Uwais. The boy asks his father: "Why did the police arrest you?" Stroking his father's face, he adds: "If you pray a lot, they'll let you out."

China doubles loans to Africa to $20 billion
President Hu Jintao said Thursday China would offer $20 billion in new loans to Africa, as he delivered a speech to a Beijing forum on co-operation with the resource-rich continent.

Sapa-AFP | 19 July, 2012 08:22
The pledge -- double the amount Beijing agreed to lend to Africa at the last forum in 2009 -- underscores China's growing links with African nations as it looks to secure key commodities to feed its economic growth. Hu said the loans would focus on supporting infrastructure, manufacturing and the development of small businesses in Africa, although he did not specify what time period they would cover. "China and Africa's destinies are closely linked, Chinese and African friendship is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people on both sides," he said, delivering an opening address to an audience of African leaders.

Armed with sticks, Colombia's Nasa tribe attacks a military base
The Nasa tribe has long been caught in the crossfire between the Colombian government and the FARC. As fighting has increased in recent months, the tribe has asked both sides to leave its area

By James Bosworth,
The Nasa tribe in Colombia has long been caught in the crossfire between government and FARC attacks. As the fighting has increased in recent months, the tribe has asked both sides to leave the area. The Colombian government has based much of its security strategy around territorial control and protection of populations. Security gains in recent years have come due to increased security presence in population centers. They believe that removing the military from the area would cede ground to the FARC and be a step back in terms of security.

Japan's female athletes fly economy while men's team sit in business
Japan's female national football team Nadeshiko Japan placed in economy seats on flight to France sparking gender debate

Justin McCurry in Tokyo guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 July 2012 04.56 BST
They are world champions and brought hope to a nation reeling from a natural disaster, but Japan's female Olympic footballers had to make do with economy class seats during their gruelling flight to Europe this week, while the less celebrated men's team relaxed in business class. The issue surrounding "Nadeshiko Japan", who lifted the women's world cup in Germany last summer, began soon after they arrived in Paris on a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo. "I guess it should have been the other way around," Homare Sawa , the team's star player, told Japanese media. "Even just in terms of age, we are senior," she joked.