Mohamed Morsi gives his first speech at Tahrir Square since being elected President of Egypt in Cairo, Egypt, June 29, 2012.
Power Struggle — Al Jazeera English reports on the Egyptian president’s decision to dismiss the powerful head of the army, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and force several senior generals to retire. The confrontational surprise move Sunday by Mohamed Morsi cancels constitutional amendments restricting presidential powers issued by the military just prior to his June election. “All of this has happened very fast, and it was unexpected,” said its Cairo correspondent.
Berlin Vs. Brussels — Der Spiegel explores “the gathering momentum” in Germany for holding a referendum on transferring power to the E.U. “Chancellor Angela Merkel wants Europe to move toward an ever closer union in a bid to solve the euro crisis,” it wrote. “But she is already pushing at the limits of what is possible under the constitution.” The German weekly goes on to outline three ways a vote could occur: the voluntary way, the forced way or the European way.
Asylum Advice — The Sydney Morning Herald details the much-anticipated release of an expert panel report on asylum policy which recommends Australia process asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, while its contentious people swap deal with Malaysia “be built on further.” It also urges the country’s humanitarian program be increased immediately to 20,000 places a year (from the current 13,750), with a possible increase to 27,000 within five years.
Happy and Glorious — The curtain has been brought down on the 30th Olympics in London with a closing ceremony which received mixed reviews. The event showcased one of Great Britain’s main exports to the world — music — with an outpouring of material from the past few decades, taking in the likes of Queen, The Who, George Michael and even the reforming of the Spice Girls. The Washington Post noted “the coupling of Olympic solemnity with English humor and a wave of euphoria in a host nation that seemed to rediscover the “great” in Great Britain.” But India Today thought the show was “even more madly bonkers” than the actual Olympics.