Six In The Morning

Egypt President Mursi explains army chief replacement

　Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has said his move to order the retirement of two of the country's top generals was for "the benefit of this nation".

The BBC 13 August 2012
He was speaking after replacing the powerful head of the armed forces, Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, and the chief-of-staff, Gen Sami Annan. Mr Mursi is said to have issued a new constitutional declaration giving him broad legislative and executive powers. The generals assumed presidential powers after the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Mr Mursi annulled a key constitutional declaration issued in June which gave the military legislative powers and budgetary controls as well as the right to oversee the process of drawing up a new permanent constitution.

Australian refugee plan criticised by human rights groups
Proposal recommending refugees who arrive by boat should be sent offshore for processing may breach refugee convention

Alison Rourke in Sydney guardian.co.uk, Monday 13 August 2012 08.06 BST
A panel of experts set up to advise the Australian government how to deal with refugees who arrive by boat has recommended they be processed offshore in a third country, prompting condemnation from legal and human rights groups. The panel recommended refugees be sent to the Pacific island of Nauru and to Papua New Guinea's Manus Island for processing as a disincentive to others considering undertaking the dangerous voyage to Australia.

Aleppo's other battle line
More than 800 years after Saladin fought back the Crusaders, the ancient Citadel of Aleppo is once again the scene of conflict

KIM SENGUPTA MONDAY 13 AUGUST 2012
One shell demolished the front of the house, leaving a gaping hole where the arched gateway once stood. A second gouged out a crater 10ft wide in the walled garden and a third smashed into bedrooms and the library. The family of seven living there all suffered injuries, three of them severe and needing emergency surgery. "We thank Allah that they are alright. But this home has now gone. It is 390 years old," said Awni Abu Riadh. "There was a fountain in the garden which was one of the oldest working ones in the city.

Remembering inner-German border victims
While the Berlin Wall remains a symbol of German division and the brutal former East German regime, a new project aims to focus attention on the many victims of the equally forbidding East-West German border zone.


On August 13, 1961, the communist East German regime began building the Berlin Wall. The construction became the infamous symbol of a divided Germany, but the border between the two countries received less public attention, despite also being heavily guarded from an even earlier point in time. Politically, Germany had been split since 1949. Four years after the end of the Second World War, the Federal Republic of Germany was created in the west, and the geographically smaller German Democratic Republic (GDR) - commonly known as East Germany - was established on the other side. Despite its name, the GDR was a communist dictatorship that severely limited its citizens' political freedom and regularly punished dissidents.

Egypt's Morsi shows his clout by removing generals
President Mohamed Morsi has dismissed two top generals and quashed a military order curbing his powers, further stamping his authority on the country.

13 AUG 2012 08:01 - EDMUND BLAIR
There had been much debate over the fate of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi (76), who until Morsi's election in June had ruled Egypt as head of a military council since Hosni Mubarak was toppled last year. The timing of Sunday's announcement to replace him as armed forces head was nevertheless a surprise. But an embarrassing debacle for the army on the border with Israel, where 16 Egyptian troops were killed by militants a week ago, may have given Morsi the opening he needed to step up the pace in rolling back the military's influence, pushing aside Tantawi and military chief of staff Sami Enan.

London Olympics 2012: What are the lessons for next host, Brazil?
With the London Games wrapping up today, the spotlight moves to Rio, the host city of the 2016 Olympics.

By Rachel Glickhouse, Guest blogger /
The London Olympics come to an end today with a big Brazilian performance during the closing ceremony to mark the next games in Brazil. With the conclusion of the London games, the reports on Rio's preparedness for 2016 are bubbling up yet again. But it wasn't exactly smooth sailing in the UK. London's experience provides some insight ahead of the games in Rio. Traffic was a problem, despite an extensive subway system. The city set up "Olympic lanes" for athletes, which caused confusion and traffic during the beginning of the games. And despite the special lanes, traffic caused delays for athletes arriving at several events.