W O R L D

Mursi sworn in Egypt Prez
Cairo, June 30
Mohammed Mursi was sworn in today as Egypt's first freely elected President bringing his Muslim Brotherhood to power after 84 years of struggle, even as the military seemed determined to retain control.
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi gives his first official presidential address at Cairo University after taking the oath of office on Saturday. — AFP

Hardliners destroy Timbuktu religious treasures in Mali
Bamako, June 30
Hardline Islamists occupying northern Mali went on the rampage in Timbuktu today, destroying ancient tombs of Muslim saints and threatening to wipe out every religious shrine in the fabled city.

After 22 yrs, US appoints envoy to Myanmar
Washington, June 30
For the first time in 22 years, the US has appointed its ambassador to Myanmar as part of efforts to upgrade ties with the country which has launched a slew of democratic reforms after five decades of authoritarian rule.

Storms leave millions without power in US
Washington, June 30
More than 2 million people were without power in the US mid-Atlantic region on Saturday from hurricane-force winds that ripped through the area overnight. Restoring power in storm-damaged parts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia is expected to take as long as five days even as the region grapples with a record-breaking heat wave. At least one person was killed by the storm.

Students hijack US drone midair for $1,000 wager
Texas, June 30
Texas college researchers hacked into and hijacked a drone of the US Homeland Security before the eyes of the officials operating it. Using a technique called ‘spoofing’ where a signal from hackers imitates the one sent to the drone’s  on-board GPS, the researchers managed to take control of a small but powerful drone in mid-air.

‘Smartphones facilitating cyber-bullying’
Sydney, June 30
With the rise of smartphones, parents are finding it difficult to monitor teenagers’ use of technology, driving a wave of cyber-bullying, says an Australian psychologist. Sheryl Hemphill conducted the most detailed study yet of children’s behaviour towards each other.

Mursi sworn in Egypt Prez
Brings Muslim Brotherhood to power after 84 yrs of struggle

Cairo, June 30
Mohammed Mursi was sworn in today as Egypt's first freely elected President bringing his Muslim Brotherhood to power after 84 years of struggle, even as the military seemed determined to retain control.

Mursi, who was the winner of the presidential run-off, was officially sworn in before Egypt's High Constitutional Court as Egypt's first civilian president.

"I swear by the Almighty God to sincerely preserve the republican order and to respect the constitution and law, and completely care for the people's interest," 60-year-old Mursi said at the ceremony in the Constitutional Court. "We aspire to a better tomorrow, a new Egypt and a second republic," Mursi said.

He became Arab world's first freely elected Islamist president and Egypt's fifth head of state since the overthrow of the monarchy some 60 years ago. He took his oath before the general assembly of the High Constitutional Court, composed of 18 top judges, lead by Farouk Sultan.

The ceremony was broadcast live by state television, after an apparent change of plans: state television had earlier announced the ceremony would be recorded and aired at a later time. The national anthem played to mark the beginning of the ceremony, with Mursi sitting between Sultan and his deputy judge, Maher El-Beheiry.

Farouk Sultan congratulated Mursi on behalf of the judges' general assembly in an opening speech ahead of the oath-swearing.

"May God assist you with the challenging task you are taking on," said Sultan, adding that "based on article 30 of the Constitutional Declaration announced on 17 June 2012 I call you to swear the oath." Following Sultan's speech, Mursi recited the oath.

Mursi symbolically swore himself in yesterday before tens of thousands of supporters in the iconic Tahrir Square and vowed to fight for authority, defying country's ruling generals.

After the swearing in ceremony today, Mursi headed to Cairo University to give his first presidential address.

The Islamist, in a suit and burgundy tie, promised to lead a "civil, constitutional and modern state" in a short speech after taking the oath. "We aspire to a better tomorrow, a new Egypt and a second republic," Mursi said.

Mursi, was forced to take his oath at the court instead of in parliament after the military disbanded the Islamist-led house following a court order earlier this month.

His rise to presidency marks a dramatic reversal of fortunes for the Brotherhood that was banned under ousted leader Hosni Mubarak.

Mursi, in his first public speech yesterday promised to be a "president for all Egyptians", adding: "You are the source of all authority and legitimacy." He insisted that "no institution will be above the people," critiquing an army which has sought to shield itself from parliamentary oversight. — PTI 

Hardliners destroy Timbuktu religious treasures in Mali

Residents of Timbuktu restore the ‘City of 333 Saints’ Great Mosque prior to the Maouloud festival marking the birth of Prophet Mohammed in this file photo. — AFP

Bamako, June 30
Hardline Islamists occupying northern Mali went on the rampage in Timbuktu today, destroying ancient tombs of Muslim saints and threatening to wipe out every religious shrine in the fabled city.

The onslaught by armed militants from the fundamentalist Ansar Dine group was launched just two days after UNESCO named the city an endangered world heritage site because of the unrest in the vast desert north of Mali.

"They have raped Timbuktu today. It is a crime," said a source close to a local imam in the town known as the "City of 333 Saints".

Witnesses said the Islamists had destroyed the ancient tomb of one revered Muslim figure after encircling a cemetery in the north of the Timbuktu, and were on the attack against another in the east.

"This is tragic news for us all," Alissandra Cummins, chair of UNESCO's executive committee, said in a statement to AFP in Russia, where the body is meeting this week, describing the attacks as "wanton damage".

"I appeal to all those engaged in the conflict in Timbuktu to exercise their responsibility." Ansar Dine, one of the hardline Islamist groups which seized control of the vast desert north of Mali in the chaotic aftermath of a March coup in Bamako, said no site would be safe in Timbuktu.

"Ansar Dine will today destroy every mausoleum in the city. All of them, without exception," spokesman Sanda Ould Boumama told AFP through an interpreter from the city.

The Ansar Dine spokesman suggested today's action was in retaliation for the UNESCO decision to put the World Heritage site, a cradle of Islamic learning founded in the fifth century, on its endangered list on Thursday.

"God is unique. All of this is haram (or forbidden in Islam). We are all Muslims. UNESCO is what?" he said. — AFP 

After 22 yrs, US appoints envoy to Myanmar

Washington, June 30
For the first time in 22 years, the US has appointed its ambassador to Myanmar as part of efforts to upgrade ties with the country which has launched a slew of democratic reforms after five decades of authoritarian rule.

The appointment of veteran diplomat Derek Mitchell, who was till now the Special US Representative and Policy Coordinator for Myanmar, was confirmed by the Senate yesterday and he is expected to leave for that country soon.

Mitchell's appointment as the US envoy to Myanmar follows steps taken by the two countries in recent months to normalise diplomatic ties following democratic reforms in Myanmar.

The US is currently represented by a lower-level diplomat in Yangon. "I congratulate Derek Mitchell on his confirmation as our Ambassador to Burma," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

"He has done an excellent job in his current role as Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma; his experience will serve us well in the region as he builds on the strong foundation established by Michael Thurston and our embassy team in Rangoon (Yangon)," McConnell said.

Earlier this week, during his confirmation hearing, Mitchell said if confirmed as ambassador to Myanmar he would work with both the opposition and the government." — PTI 

Search warrant issued to facilitate arrest of Pak ex-PM Gilani’s son 
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

In a bid to facilitate the arrest of former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's son Ali Musa, an anti-narcotics court on Saturday issued a search warrant in a case related to alleged irregularities in the import of the controlled drug ephedrine.

The search warrant was issued by the special court in response to a request from the army-led Anti-Narcotics Force.

The same court had earlier issued an arrest warrant for Ali Musa, who is a member of the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament.

ANF officials said they had sought the search warrant after their failure to arrest Ali Musa. With the issuance of the search warrant, the ANF has the authority to conduct raids to arrest Ali Musa, officials said.

Storms leave millions without power in US

Washington, June 30
More than 2 million people were without power in the US mid-Atlantic region on Saturday from hurricane-force winds that ripped through the area overnight. Restoring power in storm-damaged parts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia is expected to take as long as five days even as the region grapples with a record-breaking heat wave. At least one person was killed by the storm.

Repairing damage "is a monumental task. This is something that is going to take days, not hours," said Ed McDonough, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Emergency Management.

A line of powerful thunderstorms with winds of more than 80 mph and heavy rain accompanied by intense lightning tore through the area late on Friday, downing trees and power lines.

About 800,000 customers in Maryland were without power on Saturday. Every county in the state had reported outages, McDonough said.

Karl Neddenien, a spokesman for Dominion Virginia Power, said 700,000 customers were without electricity because of "catastrophic damage" in central and northern Virginia.

In West Virginia, Governor Ray Tomblin declared a statewide emergency. A spokesman for the state's emergency management office said about 672,000 people were without power.

In the District of Columbia, the Pepco utility said 68,000 customers were hit and that power might not be restored until Wednesday. Area power companies are calling in crews from utilities in neighboring states to help clear damage and restore power.

WJLA Television reported one fatality in suburban Fairfax County, Virginia, after a tree fell on a car. The area is facing a weekend of extreme heat and the possibility of more thunderstorms that could cause more damage and outages. — Reuters

Students hijack US drone midair for $1,000 wager

Texas, June 30
Texas college researchers hacked into and hijacked a drone of the US Homeland Security before the eyes of the officials operating it. Using a technique called ‘spoofing’ where a signal from hackers imitates the one sent to the drone’s on-board GPS, the researchers managed to take control of a small but powerful drone in mid-air.

The hostile takeover of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) owned by the college was done before the weary eyes of DHS officials, Fox News reported.

During the experiment conducted at the University of Texas stadium, the small red drone soared into the sky following a clear set of commands entered into its computer.

Shortly after, the aircraft veered to the side, making it obvious that it was no longer following its original orders.

Then, the drone hurtled toward the ground as if given a self-destruct command and was saved in the last moment. And the hijacking was just for a $ 1,000 wager.

But the incident has unnerved American Homeland security officials, as the spoofing has made it possible for anyone with a USD 1,000 and a plan to turn a harmless UAV into a missile and crash it into a building.

The hijackers team led by Professor Todd Humphreys at Austin Radio-navigation Laboratory said his team for a few hundred dollars was able to build the most sophisticated spoofing system yet that tricked the drone into following a new set of commands.

“Spoofing a GPS receiver on a UAV is just another way of hijacking a plane,” Humphreys said. The stadium display was not the first time government officials witnessed spoofing in action.

Last Tuesday, officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Homeland Security watched as Humphreys' team repeatedly hijacked a drone from a remote hilltop in the desert of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The implications of the experiments are both far-reaching and unsettling since the government is currently considering plans that will allow local law enforcement agencies and other groups to employ scores of drones in US airspace.

It is believed a US drone was brought down in Iran last December when someone jammed its GPS system Drones have been widely used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen to take out terror suspects. Domestically, the use of UAVs has been limited to southern border patrols. — PTI

‘Smartphones facilitating cyber-bullying’

Sydney, June 30
With the rise of smartphones, parents are finding it difficult to monitor teenagers’ use of technology, driving a wave of cyber-bullying, says an Australian psychologist. Sheryl Hemphill conducted the most detailed study yet of children’s behaviour towards each other.

She followed 700 Victorian school students from year 7 to 9, asking them whether they had teased, threatened or spread rumours about or excluded other children either in person or using a computer or phone. — ANI