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Egypt army topples President Mursi Egyptian Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announces the ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on state television in Egypt on
Wednesday. — AFP
Snowden case: France didn’t block Bolivian plane
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Pak PM Sharif leaves for China on maiden visit
Sikh couple told to leave US theatre for wearing kirpan
Bill to legalise abortion in Ireland passes first hurdle
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Egypt army topples President Mursi
Cairo, July 3 After a day of drama in which tanks and troops deployed near the presidential palace as a military deadline for Mursi to yield to mass protests passed, the top army commander announced on television that the president had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people". Flanked by political and religious leaders and top generals, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the suspension of the Islamist-tinged constitution and a roadmap for a return to democratic rule under a revised rulebook. The president of the supreme constitutional court will act as the interim head of state, assisted by an interim council and a technocratic government until new presidential and parliamentary elections are held. "Those in the meeting have agreed on a roadmap for the future that includes initial steps to achieve the building of a strong Egyptian society that is cohesive and does not exclude anyone and ends the state of tension and division," Sisi said in a solemn address broadcast live on state television. After he spoke, hundreds of thousands of anti-Mursi protesters in central Cairo's Tahrir Square erupted into wild cheering, setting off fireworks and waving flags. Cars drove around the capital honking horns in celebration. But a statement published in Mursi's name on his official Facebook page after Sisi's speech said the measures announced amounted to "a full military coup" and were "totally rejected". The Arab world's most populous nation has been in turmoil since the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak as Arab Spring uprisings took hold in early 2011, arousing concern among allies in the West and in Israel, with which Egypt has a 1979 peace treaty. The Muslim Brotherhood president, in office for just a year, was at a Republican Guard barracks surrounded by barbed wire, barriers and troops, but it was not clear whether he was under arrest. The state newspaper Al-Ahram said the military had told Mursi at 7 pm (1700 GMT) that he was no longer head of state. Military chiefs, vowing to restore order in a country racked by protests over Mursi's Islamist policies, earlier issued a call to battle in a statement headlined "The Final Hours". They said they were willing to shed blood against "terrorists and fools". Armoured vehicles took up position outside the state broadcasting headquarters on the Nile River bank, where soldiers patrolled the corridors and non-essential staff were sent home. In another show of force, several hundred soldiers with armoured vehicles staged a parade near the presidential palace, and security sources said Mursi and the entire senior leadership of his Muslim Brotherhood were banned from leaving the country. Security sources said the authorities had sent a list of at least 40 leading members of the Brotherhood to airport police.
— Reuters
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Snowden case: France didn’t block Bolivian plane
Paris, July 3 Bolivia demanded an explanation from various European countries it accused of thwarting President Evo Morales' flight. French officials denied today that France refused to let the plane cross over its airspace amid suspicions that Snowden was aboard. Spain, too, said the plane was free to cross its territory. The plane carrying Morales home from Moscow was rerouted to Austria yesterday night, in a new twist to the international uproar over Snowden and the widespread US surveillance that he revealed. It took off again from Vienna shortly before noon today. Bolivian and Austrian officials both say Snowden was not on Morales' plane, which left Moscow yesterday following a summit. Morales had suggested that his government would be willing to consider granting asylum to the American. Snowden is believed to be in a Moscow airport transit area, seeking asylum from one of more than a dozen countries. Bolivia's ambassador to the United Nations, speaking in Geneva today, continued to insist that several European countries had refused permission for the plane to fly in their airspace. Sacha Llorenti said it was an "act of aggression" and that France, Portugal, Spain and Italy violated international law. Llorenti said "the orders came from the United States" but other nations violated the immunity of the President and his plane, putting his life at risk. Bolivian officials said that France, Portugal and Italy blocked the plane from flying over their territories based on unfounded rumours that Snowden was on board. — AP
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Pak PM Sharif leaves for China on maiden visit
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today left for China on a five-day official trip, his first foreign trip after assuming office last month. Sharif has undertaken the trip with a wish list eyeing high-impact Chinese energy and infrastructure projects. The Pakistani Prime Minister expects China to extend crucial assistance to resolve some of these problems including, weak growth, inflation, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and problems of the energy sector. During his the visit, Nawaz Sharif is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, financial and corporate leaders. He will also visit major industrial centres and special economic zones of China. His visit to China has intrigued diplomatic circles here as it breaks the tradition of selecting Saudi Arabia as the first destination after assuming office. Sharif is known to have close personal links with royal family in Saudi Arabia where he spent seven years in exile. The Saudis were also instrumental in compelling Musharraf to allow him to return to Pakistan and participate in the 2007-08 elections once former slain premier Benazir Bhutto returned albeit with the American blessings despite Musharraf's insistence that none of the two popular leaders could come before the elections.
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SC orders treason probe against Musharraf
Islamabad, July 3 A three-member Bench headed by senior judge Justice Jawad S Khawaja‚ in its order, directed the government to pursue investigation against Musharraf under the constitutional provisions in high treason case and complete the investigation in the minimum possible time. The judge asked the government to complete the investigation in the case without unnecessary delay. Neither the government nor the court set any deadline for the completion of the probe by the investigators of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which may lead to framing of treason charges and institution of proceeding in a court of law. The court was told that the government had already constituted a special team to investigate the case. Under the law, only federal authorities can order proceedings for treason. The treason under Article 6 carries maximum death sentence. — PTI
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Sikh couple told to leave US theatre for wearing kirpan
Washington, July 3 The AMC Theatres, on the other hand, has justified its decision stating that it has banned weapons of any sorts in its 347 theatres across the United States and Canada. “Our ‘no weapons’ policy prohibits guests from carrying weapons of any kind into our theatres. This national policy is for the safety and security of our guests and staff,” it said. However, undeterred, Manjot Singh, who was on a night out with his wife to watch ‘Man of Steel’ at the AMC cinemas in Emeryville, California, has hired an attorney to sue the firm. Manjot Singh said he was forced to leave the theatre on June 22, after over 10 minutes of being made to stand in the lobby. — PTI |
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Bill to legalise abortion in Ireland passes first hurdle
London, July 3 The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill passed its first hurdle after a 138 to 24 vote in favour, clearing up decades of confusion over the right of women to have abortions in extreme circumstances. The Bill will now co me up for the final passage next week. The debate around the European nation's stringent anti-abortion laws was reignited following the death of 31-year-old Savita Halappanavar, who died from septicaemia following a miscarriage in October last year. Her inquest in April heard how she was repeatedly denied a potentially life-saving abortion. Catholic leaders warned that the proposed new law, which faces potential amendments this week, was a ‘Trojan horse’ designed to permit widespread abortion access in Ireland which, almost uniquely in Europe, officially bans abortion in all circumstances. Prime Minister Enda Kenny, however, insisted the country’s constitutional ban on abortion would remain unaffected. The current Irish government has been under pressure to pass a law on life-saving abortions ever since the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2011 that Ireland's inaction forced women to face unnecessary medical dangers. — PTI
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US drone attack kills 18 in Pakistan Regmi calls for successful Nepal poll North Korea restores hotline with South Putin signs gay adoption ban Egypt's Princess Fawzia dies at 92
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Egypt's armed forces overthrew elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi today and announced a political transition with the support of a wide range of political, religious and youth leaders.
Bolivia's President left Europe for home today amid diplomatic drama, a day after his flight was rerouted and delayed in Austria.
