World news in the media

[mendeleyev]

Almost half past 1am in Cairo and for those who'd like to know what is going on in Egypt, this is a live video stream from Russia Today television in Cairo:

http://rt.com/on-air/opposition-rally-egypt-morsi/

The Egyptian Army took over all national TV channels for a brief period yesterday to signal President Morsi that he has 48 hours to meet citizen's demands or the military would create a new roadmap for the country.

Yesterday protesters emptied into the streets by the millions and in Cairo burned and looted the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi's main sponsor.

US President Obama, with US troops stationed in Egypt and bolstered last week in light of the coming demonstrations, assured Morsi that he had American backing.

President Obama is in Tanzania, the last leg of his Africa tour where three of the largest African countries, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia had uninvited him, citing security concerns. Kenya is his ancestral homeland and Mr. Obama has visited there before. Police in South Africa used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear demonstrators from a parade route prior to Mr. Obama's Johannesburg speech in which he promised a $7 billion aid package to electric power for villages in sub-Saharan Africa.

Meanwhile Russia continues to accept minority Christians fleeing violence in Egypt and Syria. Islamic elements in both countries are stepping up deadly attacks on Christian minorities. Under the previous Egyptian regime and the current Syrian government, Christians have been considered protected minorities but the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Islamic rebels in Syria have declared a religious war on their Christian populations. Since the overthrow of Constantinople (Istanbul) Moscow has considered itself as the "Third Rome" with the responsibility to protect Orthodox Christians in the Mid East and Africa.

[mendeleyev]

 Bolivian President Evo Morales's jet took off Wednesday from Vienna after it was diverted on suspicion of harbouring fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.

The incident has sparked a diplomatic row with Bolivia and Austria insisting Snowden was not aboard the plane. According to International law an airplane carrying a country's leader or diplomatic officers is considered to be a flying Embassy and not to be detained or searched. Bolivia has vowed to file a UN complaint over European airspace blockade which forced the plane to land.

Bolivia will file a complaint to UN chief Ban Ki-moon over several European countries' moves to block President Evo Morales's plane from flying over their airspace, the Latin American country's envoy said Wednesday.

"The decisions of these countries have violated international law ... We are already making procedures to denounce this to the UN secretary general," Bolivia's ambassador to the UN Sacha Llorenti told reporters in Geneva.


Read more: http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_07_03/Bolivian-president-Evo-Moraless-plane-has-left-Vienna-0657/

[mendeleyev]

(Russia Today) Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has offered a consensus government as a way out of the country's crisis, but offered no new compromises. The leader has refused to step down, and instructed the military not to "take sides."

The proposed coalition government would include a Prime Minister elected by political powers, according to a presidential statement. The statement added that "the scenario that some parties are trying to impose is rejected by the people."

The military ultimatum given to President Mohamed Morsi has come and gone, as hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets. Morsi previously rejected the deadline, which gave him 48 hours to meet the demands of the people before facing army intervention.
According to some reports, Morsi has until 5pm local time to either form a coalition government or face the prospect of a coup.

The meeting between Commander-In-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Abdul Fatah Khalil Al-Sisi, and political forces is still ongoing, Al Arabiya reports. The most important issue being discussed is reportedly that of sending reassuring messages to the Brotherhood's leaders.

The two sides seem unwilling to budge, with protesters stating that Morsi and his Brotherhood party are pushing an Islamist agenda on Egypt.

Live steaming link from Cairo protests here.

[mendeleyev]

Orthodox and Coptic Christians can breathe easier now that the Muslim Brotherhood's President Morsi has been ousted. The Army rejected threats from Washington that removing Morsi might result in a cutoff of funding. Egypt's Christian minority has suffered since the election of Morsi with hundreds killed and the headquarters of the Coptic Patriarch attacked while police stood by.

Now this from Russia Today:

Massive crowds of protesters are celebrating in Cairo’s Tahrir Square following the army's announcement that the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is ousted. The mass rallies are the culmination of frustrations over what the demonstrators say is Morsi’s failure to tackle the serious economic situation and continuing security problems in the country since assuming office a year ago.

[mendeleyev]

From the Voice of Russia Radio:

The ongoing events  in Egypt  confirm that the so-called Arab Spring has led not to democratic renewal but  to chaos, says  Russian State  Duma international affairs  committee  head Alexei Pushkov. "The events in Egypt  show that there can't  be a quick and  gentle transition from an  authoritarian regime to  political democracy.  There can't be such  a transition in  the Arab East  countries,"  Pushkov said. "This shows that democracy doesn't  work as a panacea primarily in countries that  do not  belong to  the  Western world.  This is  a very difficult, long and painful  process affecting economic development and social conditions. In other words, the Arab Spring has so far led not to democracy but to chaos. We  can see this in  Egypt, in Libya, in Syria, and in Iraq," he said.

An Egyptian army source has told the AFP news agency that it is holding Morsi "preventively for final preparations". The AFP continues by saying that may be a hint the army is preparing formal charges. What they are - and indeed if that is what is meant - remains to be seen.

In a carefully worded statement today, Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by the military's move to topple Morsi's government and suspend Egypt's constitution. He said he was ordering the US government to assess what the military's actions meant for US foreign aid to Egypt. Under US law, the government must suspend foreign aid to any nation whose elected leader is removed in a coup. The US provides $1.5 billion a year to Egypt in military and economic assistance that is considered a critical US national security priority. "I now call on the Egyptian military to move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through an inclusive and transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters,'' Obama said.

"Morsi and the entire presidential team are under house arrest in the Presidential Republican Guards Club," Gehad El-Haddad, the son of a top Morsi aide, said. Haddad's father, Essam El-Haddad, widely seen as Morsi's right-hand man, was among those held, he added.

[mendeleyev]

Now that Russian spy Anna Chapman has offered to marry Edward Snowden, expect no end of jokes in the continuing saga of the patriot Snowden verus the police state formerly known as the USA.



Is this a serious offer? Hell, we don't know but we do know that Snowden is single and she is hot. Some claim that she is too chummy with President Vladimir Putin and perhaps that is behind her offer of marriage to the stranded young man.



Meanwhile things are a different kind of hot over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue what with all the pissed off European leaders upon discovering their phones and emails being "stored" by the NSA with promises that they're stored but not read or listened to. Right, I used to buy Playboy just for the articles too.

With pissed off allies like Germany's Merkel demanding an immediate meeting with Mr. Obama, we're thinking that while the White House is preoccupied, the time is ripe for Ms. Chapman to hail a cab and get young Snowden over to the Moscow ZAGS, el pronto. That by the way, would give him a pathway to permanent residence and eventually full Russian citizenship.

She is very hot, Snowden and if you think the photos are nice just wait till you meet her in person.

[Faux Pas]

Maybe she just wishes to scam him for his NSA documents? History has proven spy documents do turn her on. 

[mendeleyev]

FP, oh ye of little faith. They're never met (to my knowledge) but don't you believe in love at first Twitter?

She is a professional spy so I'm sure that spying on her back is certainly above her. Surely Snowden would be on top of that (idea) right away! Oh the puns on so many levels. Whew!   

[Faux Pas]

FP, oh ye of little faith. They're never met (to my knowledge) but don't you believe in love at first Twitter?

She is a professional spy so I'm sure that spying on her back is certainly above her. Surely Snowden would be on top of that (idea) right away! Oh the puns on so many levels. Whew!   

Oh the comedic possibilities there eh?  No way she's a green card girl. He doesn't have a country

[mendeleyev]

Goodness, these things have a way of turning from the weird to the bizarre.

Moscow's "TV Rain" is reporting that the main Moscow ZAGS directorate has ruled that Anna Chapman and Edward Snowden may not marry inside the Moscow Sheremetyevo transit area.

To be married outside a ZAGS it is necessary to receive a required waiver.

The TV station billed the story as "no white dress for Anna Chapman at SVO." You are kidding me, right? Nobody at this address expected her to be a virgin and we're sure that Snowden right about now cares for a hot home-cooked meal more than the colour of a wedding dress.

Then again, we're not even aware if Anna can cook because her time in New York seemed to revolve around high end restaurants and contemporary cafes.