Egypt starts on new constitution

A 10-strong panel of legal experts, appointed by interim President Adly. Mansour, is to start work on Sunday on amending Egypt's constitution. They have 30 days to draft changes paving the way for new parliamentary and presidential elections. The previous constitution framed by the government of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi has been suspended. His Muslim Brotherhood movement has denounced the rewriting of the constitution. Thousands of pro-Morsi supporters are continuing to protest against his removal in the Nasr City area of Cairo. Demonstrators, many of them from Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, staged large rallies across Egypt on Friday, angry at his overthrow by the military on 3 July. The Brotherhood has refused to recognise the new military- backed administration. However, interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, in his first televised interview, said on Saturday he was hoping for everyone to take part in a national dialogue. "We cannot write a constitution when the country is divided. We have to return to harmony," he said. In a separate development, Jordan's King Abdullah on Saturday became the first Arab leader to visit Egypt since the fall of the Islamist-led government. He met the caretaker president and gave his backing to "Egyptian national choices," a presidential statement said. Professors and judges The Morsi-backed constitution was approved in a controversial December 2012 referendum but considered one of the most contentious measures in his year in office. Opponents complained the charter was too Islamist in content, gave Mr Morsi extensive new powers and failed to protect freedom of expression and religion. Under the caretaker president's decree announced on Saturday, a committee, made up of four university professors and six judges, has been given the task of presenting its suggested amendments to a larger, 50- member panel comprised of religious officials, politicians, unionists and army officers. One in five members of the second committee will be young people involved in Egypt's revolutionary street movements and women. The panel will have 60 days to review the proposals before the amended constitution is put to a referendum. A parliamentary vote would then follow. The Muslim Brotherhood has rejected calls for reconciliation and denounced the move to redraft the constitution. At least 60 people have been killed in violence since Mr Morsi was deposed. On Friday, three women were killed and several others hurt when a group of pro-Morsi supporters was attacked in the Nile Delta city of Mansura, The army has warned it will clamp down on violent protests. But the ousted president is still being held by the military without charge despite objections from a number of international leaders and rights groups.

Philippe becomes new Belgian king as Albert II abdicates

Crown Prince Philippe has been sworn in as the new Belgian king after the emotional abdication of his father Albert II. The Oxford- and Stanford-educated, trained air force pilot took the oath as the country's seventh king in a ceremony in parliament. To warm applause, King Philippe, 53, promised to uphold the constitution. Belgium has a constitutional monarchy in which the king plays a largely ceremonial role. One of the duties the monarch does have is trying to resolve constitutional crises. In his final address before signing a legislative act to step down, 79-year-old King Albert said his country must remain a "source of inspiration" to Europe. His resignation on the grounds of ill-health came after nearly 20 years on the throne and was timed to coincide with Belgium's national day. He stressed his wish that Belgium - split between the Dutch- speaking north and the French south - remained united. Balcony appearance In a colourful ceremony topped off by trumpet fanfare and cannon-fire, Philippe took his oath in the country's three official languages - Dutch, French and German. This was a reminder of the delicate political task that awaits him - trying to mediate across the divide between French- speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders, where support for independence has been rising fast, says BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris. Flag-waving supporters gathered in the midday sun waiting for their new king and his wife, Mathilde, to greet them from the balcony of the nearby royal palace. "The new king is a bit of history," said Xavier De Graef, draped in the red, yellow and black of the Belgian tricolour. "That doesn't happen very often so we wanted to be here," Mr De Graef, from French-speaking Liege, told Reuters news agency. But not everyone was celebrating. The far-right separatist Vlaams Belang party boycotted the swearing-in ceremony. Meanwhile, Jan Jambon, parliamentary head of the N-VA party that wants Dutch-speaking Flanders to break away from Belgium and favours a republic, said the occasion "leaves me cold". Constitutional crises In the abdication ceremony at the royal palace in Brussels, the former monarch told his son: "You have all the emotional and intellectual qualities to serve our country well." He thanked an audience of some 250 dignitaries and political leaders "for all that you have achieved during my reign". Ex-king Albert also thanked his wife, Paola, for the support she had given him during his reign, and was in turn thanked by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo for his service to his country. Mr Di Rupo holds the political power in the 183-year-old parliamentary democracy. Albert II then embraced his son and signed the official abdication papers, ending his reign. King Albert exercised his authority in mediating between political leaders on the formation of a government during the 2010-2011 parliamentary stalemate, when Belgium was left without a government for 541 days after elections failed to find a clear winner. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking and French communities sometimes run high, and the issue has brought down several governments, creating frequent political instability. Respect for the royal family, though, is one of the few factors that crosses the communal divide. King Albert's abdication comes only three months after Queen Beatrix of the neighbouring Netherlands vacated the Dutch throne in favour of her son Willem-Alexander.

Froome triumphs in Tour de France

Britain's Chris Froome has won the 100th edition of the Tour de France. Taking the title by more than four minutes, he linked arms with his team-mates as he crossed the line in Paris. It is Britain's second successive victory in the race - Froome's Team Sky colleague Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win it a year ago. Marcel Kittel claimed the final stage in the twilight, with Manxman Mark Cavendish third in a hotly contested sprint along the Champs Elysees. Cavendish was attempting a 26th Tour stage win - and a fifth on the trot in Paris - which would have put him third on the all-time list behind five-time Tour winners Eddy Merckx (34) and Bernard Hinault (28). But he was edged out by a wheel length by Germany's Kittel and Andre Greipel in the French capital, with more than 350,000 spectators lining the streets. Froome had finished runner-up last year but with Wiggins electing not to defend his title after injury problems, the 28- year-old was favourite to win the race and he brought the yellow jersey home in emphatic style, ahead of Colombian Nairo Quintana and Joaquim Rodriguez of Spain. He had first taken the lead when he won the eighth of the 21 stages in a summit finish at Ax 3 Domaines in the Pyrenees. The Briton, who was born and raised in Kenya, claimed a further two stages in his maiden Tour de France title. He told ITV4: "Crossing the line with [the] guys brought tears to my eyes. I expected it to be big but this is something else. "Dave [Team Sky manager Sir Dave Brailsford] has been talking about the future of cycling - the youngsters coming through and the way the sport is moving. I look at the last decade and the way sport is going - we've got something to be proud of." But in the first Tour since disgraced rider Lance Armstrong admitted to doping in his seven Tour de France wins , which have since been expunged from the records, Froome found himself having to answer questions about drugs in the sport. He added: "I'm glad I've had to face those questions - after all the revelations of the last year. I'm glad that's been channelled towards me. "I've been able to deal with it. Cycling has changed - the peloton is standing together." In his victory speech while standing on the podium, Froome dedicated his triumph to his mother Jane, who died of cancer in 2008, for giving him "hopes and dreams". "Without her encouragement to follow my dreams, I'd probably be at home watching this event on TV," he said. "It's a great shame she never got to come see the Tour, but I'm sure she'd be extremely proud if she were here tonight." He also thanked his Team Sky colleagues for "burying themselves" for him during the gruelling race. "I'd like to thank my team-mates, who have buried themselves day in day out throughout this Tour to keep this yellow jersey on my shoulders, and the Team Sky management for believing in my ability and building this team around me. "This is one yellow jersey that will stand the test of time," he added, in a reference to doubters over doping suspicions. The final stage started as a procession, as is the tradition, and the 170 riders headed off from Versailles with Rodriguez celebrating his third place overall by handing out cigars to fellow podium finishers Froome, donning a yellow bike, and Quintana. The Brit was also handed a glass of celebratory champagne as he rode alongside a Team Sky car with its branding coloured in yellow, while he was surrounded by team-mates in special yellow-tinged sunglasses. The sun was beginning to set as they arrived in the centre of Paris and Froome made sure his trusty wingman Richie Porte led the Sky train over the finish line of the Champs- Elysees on the first of 10 circuits. A few riders attempted breakaways, included Britain's David Millar, but they were swallowed up by the peloton and it was left to the sprinters to contest the final straight.

Metallica reveals film footage, rocks secret show at Comic-Con

Metallica appeared at Comic-Con in San Diego on Friday to promote their upcoming 3-D IMAX concert film "Metallica Through the Never." The band debuted footage from the movie to a crowd of fans in the Convention Center's Hall H and later rocked an intimate crowd at a secret show. "Metallica Through the Never" was directed by Nimrod Antal ("Predators") and intersperses live Metallica concert footage with a fictional narrative about a young roadie named Trip who is sent on a mission during the show. Actor Dane DeHaan ("The Amazing Spider-Man 2") plays Trip in the film. There is a distinct storyline woven through the concert footage, but singer/guitarist James Hetfield confirmed that there is no dialogue involved. The front man wouldn't elaborate on the plot any further, but did say that a lot of thought went into creating the exact right film for Metallica. "People have done live concerts," Hetfield told CNN before the band's Comic-Con panel. "We've done live concerts and DVDs. If we're going to invest a lot of time and money and effort into something, let's make it unique. That's what we've always done. We had a ton of ideas for this thing. You get really creative with something way out of your budget and then you shrink it down. Some of the best ideas hang on and end up in the film. We wanted animation, we wanted CGI -- you name it! But I think the narrative is extremely potent and multilayered. There's a lot of dynamics going on at once. It's a couple movies in one." Another can of "Kick-Ass" "Through the Never," which opens September 27, has been rated R, which should give fans a sense of what's to come from the film. The footage revealed Friday during the panel included people rioting in the streets, a public hanging, bloody handprints and giant coffins dangling above the stage. The actual concert footage showcases a massive stage with extensive visual effects, including pyrotechnics. Hetfield hinted during the panel that Metallica may eventually bring that stage setup on tour. Following the panel, Metallica played the 1,500-capacity venue Spreckels, performing crowd pleasers like "Seek and Destroy," "Enter Sandman" and even the "Star Wars" theme and "Darth Vader's Imperial March." Actor Bradley Cooper and football player Drew Brees were in attendance. Batman and Superman: Is the screen big enough? Although the focus for the band is on promoting the film, they are slowly still working on a new album as well, which would be Metallica's first since 2008's "Death Magnetic." Hetfield was hesitant to offer any details about the music, however. "Right now we're doing the movie," he said. "When we're able to focus [on our album] we'll do that."

Search of North Korean ship is slow process

Four days have passed since Panamanian authorities discovered undeclared military weapons hidden aboard a North Korean ship, and the painstaking process of examining the entire vessel is crawling at a snail's pace.
The ship has five cargo holds, only
one of which has been emptied as of Thursday. "The technicians on board have told us that this cargo was loaded in a way that makes it difficult to unload,"
Panamanian Security Minister Jose
Raul Mulino said. The North Korean crew had resisted the Panamanian authorities and cut the cables to the onboard cranes.
Panamanian investigators brought
their own cranes, but removing the containers inside the cargo holds has been an "odyssey," Mulino said.
The ship originated in Cuba, and the Cubans have admitted to owning the military equipment, claiming it was being sent to North Korea to be repaired and returned.
But many questions remain. If the weapons were not a secret, why were they hidden under sacks of sugar? Why the did the captain attempt to commit suicide? A public prosecutor is charging the captain and 35 North Korean crew members with illegal possession of weapons and international arms trafficking,
Panamanian government l spokesman Eduardo Camacho said.
North Korean officials, meanwhile, asked for Panama to release the cargo ship and let the crew go.
Panama has formally asked the United Nations for guidance on how to handle the case. "For us, it is important to finish this operation, wait for the United Nations to come, and they will decide" how to proceed, Mulino said. "Panama is completely transparent in this; we have no experience in dealing with
this type of problem." Because it is pursuing nuclear weapons, North Korea is banned by the United Nations from importing and exporting most weapons.
Scene at the port At the port of Manzanillo, inspectors opened shipping containers in front of reporters. Heavily armed troops stand guard.
In the first cargo hold, six shipping containers were found underneath sacks of brown sugar, in two stacks of three. The tops of some of th containers were caved in because of the weight of the sugar.
Inside the containers lies the military equipment. Inspectors walked inside the containers, taking pictures.
Cuban officials have described the
materiel as "240 metric tons of
obsolete defensive weapons" sent to North Korea "to be repaired and returned to Cuba."
The equipment was manufactured in the mid-20th century and included two anti-aircraft missile systems, nine missiles in parts and spares, two MiG-21 jets and 15 motors for this type of airplane, the Cuban foreign ministry said.
    U.S. involved in investigation
The United States and Panama had
been tracking the ship as it crossed the Panama Canal to Cuba and then back, two U.S. officials said. And a U.S. State Department
spokeswoman said Wednesday that the United States would help in the investigation.
The Panamanians asked the United States for imaging equipment and technicians to fully examine the boat and determine what is on board, according to a U.S. official who declined to be identified because the person was not authorized to speak publicly.
Speculation has surged since Panama announced its find, with some warning that it was a troubling sign of weapons deals between North Korea and Cuba, and others disputing whether any dangers lay within the antiquated haul.
Cuba says the weapons are
"obsolete." And experts who identified early Cold War relics such as the Soviet-designed SA-2 air defense system among the ship's cargo say that's not far from the truth.
"Today there is no reason for any
Western pilot to be hit by an SA-2. If you get caught by one of them, you've done something bloody stupid, or you've got very bad luck," said James O'Halloran, editor of Jane's Land Based Air Defence and Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems. "No modern country wants to be seen with those." But others saw the weapons haul as a more ominous sign. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a frequent critic of the Cuban government, described the weapons shipment as a "flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions."

Grief and despair in India's poisoned village

In Masrakh, an impoverished village in India's northeastern Bihar state -- scenes of trauma, confusion, intense grief. Here, at the site of the school meal poisoning incident that has claimed 23 young lives and imperiled 25 others, thousands of people mill around, stunned, hungry for information. They listen to the procession of politicians that streams into the village to pay respects and make promises. But they cannot offer what these people want most: answers as to how the government-mandated free meals, meant to nourish the community's children, could instead have cost them their lives. India's school program: Ambitious, but far from perfect Four burnt out police vehicles fringe the side of the road, a sign of the simmering anger felt towards authorities over the tragedy. Investigators had previously flagged issues with food safety at schools in the state, with one report in April from India's Ministry of Human Resource Development noting that school food "was kept in open and dirty ground." A fresh grave has been dug in front of the ramshackle, solitary classroom where 120 of the village's children were enrolled -- an unambiguous sign of protest over the incident. There are many others buried nearby. Above all this, the wails of grieving families pierce the air. Sarita Devi is inconsolable as she mourns the loss of her five- year-old daughter, Dipu. The wife of a migrant worker, Devi says her daughter had not wanted to go to school that day, and laments the fact she had even given her a paisa -- a sub-unit of India's rupee -- to attend. "Why isn't anyone bringing Dipu back?" she cries. Mom anguishes over child poisoned by lunch: Why aren't you coming back? Like many here, she has words of anger for the school's principal, who authorities say has absconded together with her husband, and whom they are seeking to interview. Devi's grief eventually overpowers her, and her body goes limp. This is a poor village, in one of India's poorest states. Locals live in simple dwellings made of clay. The school is the heart of the community, meaning that scarcely a family here has not been affected. Even the school's cook, Manju Devi, lost children to the tragedy; her husband, Lal Babu Rai, told a reporter from CNN- IBN, CNN's sister network, that two had died after eating the tainted food, while another remains in hospital. The settlement's solitary water pump is where locals say they were first alerted to the commotion following Tuesday's regular midday school meal. School children had congregated there to wash their plates after the regular daily meal of rice and potatoes. On this occasion, however, they began vomiting and collapsing.

'Improving' Mandela turns 95 in hospital

Millions of people around the world marked Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday Thursday, heartened by news that the hospitalised icon was now able to smile and nod to visitors.
After six weeks of intensive hospital treatment, Ndileka Mandela told AFP her grandfather was "steadily improving" and "using his eyes, nodding." That message was echoed by President Jacob Zuma who visited his predecessor's Pretoria bedside "found him really stable and I was able to say 'happy birthday' and he was able to smile." That is a dramatic turnaround for the ailing peace icon, who just weeks ago was thought to be close to death.
Mandela was rushed to hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection that had already put him in hospital three times in less than a year. Outside the Pretoria facility which has been the focal point of a national vigil for the last 41 days, there were joyous scenes.
Revellers sang anti-apartheid struggle songs, school children read poems dedicated to a man nearing the end of his long walk that took him from political prisoner to South Africa's first black president. "Tata (father) Mandela has once again proved that he is a fighter," said well- wisher Agnes Shilowane, a local university student.
Thursday's news was a relief
elsewhere in the country to South
Africans who marked Mandela Day
with a panoply of good deeds.
Biker gangs cleaned streets,
volunteers painted schools and
politicians spent 67 minutes on
worthy projects -- all to mark
Mandela's 67 years of public service.
Near Pretoria, Zuma tried to channel Mandela's cross-community appeal by delivering government housing to poor whites.Messages of support also poured in from around the world -- and even from astronauts on the International Space Station -- to mark the anniversary, which many feared Mandela would not live to see.
US President Barack Obama -- who was unable to visit Mandela during a trip to South Africa last month -- led tributes to the peace icon, calling on people to honour him through volunteer work. "Our family was deeply moved by our visit to Madiba's former cell on Robben Island during our recent trip," Obama said in a statement.
"We will forever draw strength and inspiration from his extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness, and humility."Other well-wishers included the Dalai Lama, former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, US actor Morgan Freeman and Mandela's former jailer FW de Klerk, who went on to share the Nobel Peace Prize with him.
"Mandela's place in South Africa's
history is assured," former president De Klerk said in a statement. "His legacy of courage,perseverance and magnanimity will continue to inspire us -- and people throughout the world -- for generations to come."
The Mandela family also did their bit, with his grandchildren volunteering at a children's home.
They were then expected to gather at the hospital for lunch, along with Mandela's third wife Graca Machel, who also celebrates 15 years of marriage to her husband today.
"We're doing our 67 minutes and
bringing our old clothes that we're
not using anymore. Then we'll
converge at the hospital to have lunch with granddad," said Mandela's granddaughter Ndileka said. She said the birthday meal would include Mandela's favourite food, including "oxtail, prawns,dumplings and vegetables" Another granddaughter, Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway, distributed food at a school. "I think it's important for us to give back," she said. "We are a family, we hope for him to come home, and we know the whole nation would hope the same thing, and the whole world."
The United Nations declared the
Nobel Peace laureate's birthday
Mandela Day in 2010, but for many this year it takes on extra poignancy. In central Lisbon the Don Pedro IV Square was to be renamed Nelson Mandela Square, and an open-air Mandela-themed opera concert was planned in Paris.
On Saturday, the Australian city of
Melbourne will hold a concert
featuring local and African artists.
Born on July 18, 1918, Mandela fought against white rule in South Africa as a young lawyer and was convicted of treason in 1964. He spent the next 27 years in jail. It was in part through his willingness to forgive his white jailers that Mandela made his indelible mark on history.
After negotiating an end to apartheid, he became South Africa's first black president, drawing a line under centuries of colonial and racist suppression.
He then led reconciliation in the
deeply divided country.
But the sunset of Mandela's life has been somewhat eclipsed by bitter infighting among his relatives.
A row over his final resting place has seen three of his children's graves dug up and their remains moved amid public brawling and legal action among his children and grandchildren.