Six In The Morning

Turkish troops killed in ‘Kurdish PKK suicide blast’

 

BBC

Two Turkish security troops have been killed and 31 wounded in a suicide attack by Kurdish PKK militants, the regional governor’s office says.

A tractor laden with explosives was driven at a military police station, reports by Turkish media say.

The attack happened early on Sunday near the town of Dogubayezit in Agri province, near the border with Iran.

Since 24 July, Turkey has carried out hundreds of air raids on PKK bases on both sides of the Iraq-Turkey border.

The Turkish state news agency, Anadolu, said that the tractor was carrying two tons of explosives that were detonated by a suicide bomber.

  Opinion: Tough talk at the expense of Calais migrants

 The Eurotunnel in Calais has become a symbol of the failing migration policy in Europe. The British government is exploiting the plight of migrants for its own ends. This cannot continue, DW’s Bernd Riegert writes.

DW-DE

Britain’s Daily Mail tabloid has compared migrants’ attempts to stow away in the Eurotunnel to the feared German invasion of Britain during the World War II. Populist Nazi comparisons still go over well with the British, but, ultimately, they are outrageous and nonsensical. This week, an estimated 100 to 150 people have actually succeeded in stowing away on trains or trucks going through the Eurotunnel. When looking at these numbers, can one actually speak of “migrant madness” as some British papers do? Obviously not.

It is even more disagreeable to hear that the British prime minister reacted to the exaggerated reports by holding security Cabinet meetings and speaking of a “swarm of people” heading toward Great Britain. David Cameron should actually explain why his government stubbornly refuses to accept its European responsibilities and duly welcome more refugees as the number arriving in the EU continues to grow. Great Britain has initiated 24,000 asylum proceedings in the first six months of the year. In the same time period, 170,000 applications have been submitted in Germany and 60,000 in Italy.

  Chinese military paper warns a corrupt army does not win wars

 

BEIJING (Reuters)

The Chinese military’s official newspaper warned on Sunday that a corrupt army would not win wars, three days after the government announced a former senior officer would be prosecuted for graft.

Serving and retired Chinese military officers as well as state media have questioned whether China’s armed forces are too corrupt to fight and win a war.

President Xi Jinping has made weeding out corruption in the armed forces a top goal and several senior officers have been felled, including two of China’s most senior former military officers, Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong.

The super-rich are spending incredible amounts on the presidential election already

     

 by Andrew Prokop

At least 62 donors have already given $1 million or more to  Super PACs supporting presidential candidates, new FEC filings revealed Friday. And more of those high-dollar givers are backing Jeb Bush than any other candidate.

It’s an unprecedented flow of donations into the presidential race so early. And it proves yet again that the Citizens United era has transformed our campaigns, and made winning the support of the wealthiest individuals in the country more crucial for candidates than ever.

 Why Japan’s 1945 surrender speech is almost incomprehensible

  On Saturday, the Imperial Household Agency released a digital version of the original 1945 Hirohito speech announcing Japan’s surrender.

 By Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press

Tokyo – The 4 ½-minute speech that has reverberated throughout Japan’s modern history since it was delivered by Emperor Hirohito at the end of World War II has come back to life in digital form.

Hirohito’s “jewel voice” – muffled and nearly inaudible due to poor sound quality – was broadcast on Aug. 15, 1945, announcing Japan’s surrender.

On Saturday, the Imperial Household Agency released the digital version of the original sound ahead of the 70th anniversary of the speech and the war’s end. In it, the emperor’s voice appears clearer, slightly higher and more intense, but, Japanese today would still have trouble understanding the arcane language used by Hirohito.

Israelis protest hate crimes in wake of baby’s death

  Thousands attend rallies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem after occupied West Bank arson attack and Gay Pride march stabbings.

 02 Aug 2015 07:16 GMT

Thousands of Israelis have held protests against hate crimes, as the parents and brother of a Palestinian baby burned to death by suspected Jewish settlers continued to fight for their lives in hospital.

The firebombing of the family’s home in the occupied West Bank that killed 18-month-old Ali Saad Dawabsheh on Friday, sparked an international outcry over Israel’s failure to curb violence by hardline Jewish settlers.