PUTIN REPLACES TOP GENERAL IN DEFENSE SHAKE-UP
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Friday replaced Russia’s top general with a veteran commander from the second Chechnya war, as part of a new shake-up in the armed forces after the sacking of the defense minister. Army chief of staff Nikolai Makarov is to be replaced by General Valery Gerasimov, a commander of the North Caucasus military district in the second Chechnya war, Putin announced days after the sacking of defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov in a graft scandal.

ASSAD SAYS ONLY ‘BALLOT BOX’ CAN DECIDE HIS FUTURE
MOSCOW: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that his future could only be decided through the ballot box, in an interview with Russian television where he warned the country could face a protracted war. Assad told state-run Russia Today that whether the president can “stay or leave” is a “popular issue” and “the only way [it] can be done [is] through the ballot boxes”. He also denied Syria was in a state of “civil war” but said the conflict with rebels could be “a long-term war” if they continued to receive support from abroad.

AUSTRALIA PROBES CHURCH CHILD-SEX COVER-UP CLAIMS
SYDNEY: The Australian state of New South Wales on Friday announced a special inquiry to look into claims the Catholic Church covered up for pedophile priests, silenced investigations and destroyed evidence. The inquiry, announced by state Premier Barry O’Farrell, will examine the allegations made by Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox who outlined his charges in a letter published in the Newcastle Herald newspaper. Fox criticized the O’Farrell government on national television for its failure to probe the alleged abuse by clergy in the Hunter Valley. Fox said he had “irrefutable” evidence, but had been ordered off the case by a superior officer.

STORM SANDY DELAYS GLOBAL LAUNCH OF TITANIC II
SYDNEY: The flamboyant Australian mining magnate behind the building of the Titanic II said on Friday that a New York gala to unveil plans for the vessel would be delayed out of respect for the victims of superstorm Sandy. Clive Palmer said that the launch planned to take place on the retired aircraft carrier USS Intrepid in New York, at which he was to unveil the design and plans for his Titanic II project, will be rescheduled for early 2013. Palmer caused an international stir in April when he announced plans to construct a replica Titanic with almost exactly the same dimensions as its ill-fated predecessor, which sank in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people.

CHINA INCREASES SECURITY AFTER TIBET PROTESTS
BEIJING: China has ramped up security in Tibetan areas, rights groups and residents said on Friday, after new self-immolation protests belied boasts of national unity at a key Communist Party congress in Beijing. Six such incidents since Wednesday—the eve of the gathering where the ruling party names its new leaders—capped a recent escalation that marks the worst outbreak of Tibetan discontent since massive anti-China rioting in 2008. Analysts say the campaign may prompt a further spiral of clampdowns and immolations, deepening the divide between Tibetans and authorities