Six In The Morning

We Accept Peaceful Demonstrations
At least 2 dead as authorities regain control of main square; nation on lockdown


Bahrain military moves in after police storm protest camp


MANAMA, Bahrain — More than 50 armored vehicles were seen heading toward central Manama on Thursday shortly after police firing tear gas and wielding clubs cleared anti-government protesters from a landmark square.
Police destroyed a makeshift encampment at Pearl Square, which had become the hub for demands to bring sweeping political changes to the kingdom,
The main opposition group Al Wefaq said at least two people were killed in the pre-dawn assault, which was littered with flattened tents, trampled banners and broken glass.

Rage Rage Against Muammar
Plans circulated by anonymous activists on social networking sites urge protesters to 'make it a day of rage in Libya'

Libyan protesters prepare for 'day of rage'

Protesters in Libya were planning to take to the streets for a "day of rage," inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, but rights groups warned of a possible crackdown by security forces.
In a country where public dissent is rare, plans for the protests were being circulated by anonymous activists on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and it was not clear if the demonstrations would materialise.
Libya has been tightly controlled for over 40 years by Muammar Gaddafi– who is now Africa's longest-serving leader – but the oil exporter has felt the ripples from the overthrow of long-standing leaders in its neighbours Egypt and Tunisia.

Sent Packing


Japan forced to halt whaling in Antarctic as activists claim victory

Environmentalists claimed victory yesterday after Japan halted its annual Antarctic whaling cull following weeks of harassment by a militant conservationist group.
The US-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has been stalking the whaling fleet with their own vessels, claimed that the Japanese ships had managed to harpoon just 30 whales, a fraction of their 945 target. "We've shut them down basically," Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson told The Independent by satellite from aboard the MY Steve Irwin. "It's silly to say they've suspended the hunt. We suspended them."

What Do You Think? I Don’t Know What Do You Think?
Belgium has on Thursday beaten war-torn Iraq's world record of 249 days without a government as popular anger grows after the Belgian federal MPs responsible for the deadlock pocketed a pay and perks rise of over £2,500.


Belgium breaks Iraq's 249-day record without a government

Deep divisions between Belgium's squabbling Flemish, Dutch-speaking and Walloon, francophone, political parties since elections last June have meant that the country has remained without a federal government for over eight months.
The political impasse breaks a world record set by Iraq after its general election in 2010, the first that was openly and fully contested, despite violence from insurgents, since the US-led invasion on 2003
The new world record was set as Belgium's official gazette noted that the total income of federal MPs, whose failure to agree on tax and political reform has driven the crisis, had continued to rise during the crisis.
Over the last year, personal income for MPs, including pay and perks, increased to £87,300 (103,705 euros), a figure that rose to £143,000 (170,000 euros) when parliamentary and other allowances were taken into account.

We’ll Terrorize Your Bank Account


Hitting terrorist organisations in the wallet

NITSANA DARSHAN-LEITNER has dedicated her life to fighting terrorism her way: using courts around the world to bankrupt terrorist organisations and disrupt the flow of funds from rogue states.
Now the Israeli lawyer says she wants to go after the Bali bombers and the organisations that bankrolled them.
Ms Darshan-Leitner says her Israel Law Centre has collected $120 million for victims of terrorism, put liens on $600 million more and won judgments for more than $1 billion against groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the governments of Iran and North Korea, and several banks

Johnny Lost His Pork


All voices heard as House brainstorms for budget trims

As the House explores ways this week to trim federal spending beyond the $61 billion in cuts that Republicans have already proposed, Speaker John A. Boehner has said all ideas are welcome - from obscure trims involving mustang roundups out West to major reductions such as eliminating funding for the Iraq security forces.
But such a free-for-all can have surprising results, and one of the biggest Wednesday was a victory forPresident Obama and a defeat for a Boehner-backed initiative.
Many tea-party-backed freshmen broke ranks with their GOP leaders and joined liberal Democrats in voting to cut funding for an alternative engine for a fighter jet. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine project has long been a frequent but elusive target, as well as one that provided jobs in Boehner's home state of Ohio.