Al-Qaida: Egypt coup shows failed democracy
CAIRO – Al-Qaida’s leader said the military coup that ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi provides proof that Islamic rule cannot be established through democracy and urged the Islamist leader’s followers to abandon the ballot box in favor of armed resistance.
In a 15-minute audio message posted online late Friday, Ayman al-Zawahri also lashed out at the Egyptian military, the country’s secular and liberal elites as well as the Coptic Christian minority, accusing them of conspiring against Morsi solely because he was an Islamist.
Egypt’s army ousted Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader, July 3 after days of mass protests demanding the president’s removal. The coup has divided the nation into rival camps, with an array of liberal and secular Egyptians supporting the military’s move and Morsi’s supporters and Islamist allies rejecting it.
Pro-Morsi protesters warned to leave sit-in
CAIRO – Egypt’s Interior Ministry warned supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday for a second time to abandon their protest encampments as a senior U.S. diplomat was meeting with officials on both sides of the political divide to try to find a peaceful resolution to the standoff.
Egyptian authorities have outlined plans in recent days to break up the two main sit-ins by Morsi’s supporters as they seek to end the political stalemate that has paralyzed the country since the military overthrew the Islamist leader July 3. Morsi’s backers say they will not disperse until he is returned to power, setting the stage for a potential bloody showdown if security forces move in on the two main sites that are home to tens of thousands of protesters.
In a bid to avoid more bloodshed, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns held talks Saturday with interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour as well as Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei. Burns, the No. 2 American diplomat, was also scheduled to meet with Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood and their Islamist allies. The Europeans Union’s special envoy, Bernardino Leon, was also involved in the talks.
Afghans killed in attack on Indian consulate
KABUL, Afghanistan – Three suicide bombers tried to attack the Indian consulate in an eastern Afghan city Saturday, sparking a shootout with guards on a bustling downtown street that left at least nine civilians dead, official said.
The attack, which ended when the militants detonated a car bomb that left charred debris scattered in central Jalalabad near the Pakistan border, did not appear to damage the consulate itself, and Indian officials said all of the facility’s staff members escaped unharmed.
The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, and suspicion instead fell upon Pakistan-based terrorist groups that have been blamed for deadly violence against Indian interests in Afghanistan in the past.
The bombing comes at a time when Afghanistan and India are both trying to patch up relations with Pakistan. Islamabad considers Afghanistan its strategic backyard, and has always viewed India – with which it has fought several wars in the past 65 years – as a rival here.
Officials: Mugabe wins with 61 percent
HARARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s longtime President Robert Mugabe won 61 percent of the presidential vote, trailed by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai at 33 percent, election officials announced Saturday.
Mugabe, 89 and in power for 33 years, has another five-year term in office, according to the results.
Mugabe’s party won 158 of the 210 parliament seats, giving it a two-thirds majority in the legislature that enables it to make amendments to the new constitution and existing laws, according to the results announced by the state Election Commission. Tsvangirai’s party captured 50 seats and two went to independent candidates.
Tsvangirai earlier Saturday rejected the results as fraudulent and called for fresh elections.
Berlusconi aides seek presidential pardon
ROME – A Silvio Berlusconi loyalist warned on Saturday of a possible “civil war” if the ex-premier’s punishment for tax-fraud conviction is not lifted, as his aides maneuvered to win a presidential pardon so he can avoid a prison term and a ban on holding public office.
Berlusconi stalwarts also urged the 10 million Italians who voted for the conservative leader in this year’s election to fill the streets of Rome on Sunday.
Italy’s highest court on Thursday upheld Berlusconi’s four-year prison sentence, the first time that the media mogul was definitely convicted and sentenced in two decades of trials and other criminal probes. A law to reduce prison overcrowding slashes his sentence to one year and since he is over 70, he can choose house confinement or perform social services instead of going to prison.
Berlusconi insists he is a victim of prosecutors and judges who he says have leftist sympathies.
Associated Press
