Egypt's new president-elect Mohamed Morsi (front-L) walks with Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim Yusef (C) during their meeting in Cairo on June 26, 2012. Egypt's first civilian president, and its first elected leader since an uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak early last year, pushed ahead with selecting a government of mostly technocrats amid delicate negotiations with the ruling military on its future powers
Coup Claims — Citing security officials quoted in Egyptian media, Israel’s Haaretz reports the dismissal of army top brass there thwarted a coup attempt. “President Mohammad Morsi was alerted to the plot’s existence by military officials, who informed the newly elected leader that plans were being drafted within the army to takeover power in Egypt and even assassinate Morsi himself during the funeral of Egyptian officers killed in the recent Sinai attack,” it wrote.
Turkey’s Turn –– Germany’s Der Spiegel examines how the Euro debt crisis is impacting E.U. enlargement, with admission to the club a long-held–but fading–aim for neighboring countries. “Amid the euro crisis drama, Turkey has seen economic growth as its European neighbors have suffered,” it wrote. “…the country has a new-found confidence that makes E.U. membership seem less important. But the waning aspiration could stall important democratic reforms.”
Tibet Tumult — The day after reporting more self-immolations by Tibetan monks, Radio Free Asia said a popular Tibetan singer has been detained “because of politically sensitive lyrics in his songs.” The U.S.-based outlet wrote: “Choksal, a resident of Driru county in [Tibet], was taken into custody on July 29 in the Qinghai provincial capital Xining by Chinese police, who told him he was wanted by authorities in Driru and in Lhasa,” according to the singer’s cousin.
Harmful History — On the 67th anniversary marking the end of Japan’s colonial rule in South Korea, the BBC reports that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has said that Japan’s historical stance threatens to damage relations between the two nations. Relations have been particularly tense in the past few days following President Lee’s visit to remote islands that are also claimed by Japan, resulting in Tokyo recalling its envoy in Seoul. Japanese police have meanwhile arrested five Hong Kong activists who landed on islands disputed between Japan and China.
Accused Nazi — Reuters writes that 90-year-old Charles Zentai, an alleged Nazi war criminal now living in Australia, has won his “long battle against the government’s attempts to extradite him to Hungary to stand trial for the murder of a Jewish teenager.” Hungarian authorities have accused Zentai of beating a Jewish teenager to death in Budapest in 1944. However, Australia’s highest court ruled extraditing him, as the offence “war crime” did not exist in Hungarian law when the alleged murder occurred.
Slow Response — Al Jazeera English observes the mounting criticism towards the Iranian government over its ineffective response to two earthquakes that took at least 306 lives. Frustration has focused on the shortage of tents that have been made available as well as President Ahmadinejad choosing to proceed with an overseas trip.The moderate conservative newspaper Asr-e Iran reported that some villages were still awaiting relief, two days after being devastated by the earthquakes. Despite an earlier refusal, the Iranian government will now be accepting international aid.