Six In The Morning

Discord Fills Washington on Possible Libya Intervention

By DAVID E. SANGER and THOM SHANKER Published: March 7, 2011
WASHINGTON — Nearly three weeks after Libya erupted in what may now turn into a protracted civil war, the politics of military intervention to speed the ouster of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi grow more complicated by the day — for both the White House and Republicans.
President Obama, appearing Monday morning with Australia’s prime minister, tried to raise the pressure on Colonel Qaddafi further by talking about “a range of potential options, including potential military options” against the embattled Libyan leader.
Despite Mr. Obama’s statement, interviews with military officials and other administration officials describe a number of risks, some tactical and others political, to American intervention in Libya.

Life in Sierra Leone on International Women's Day


Howa Bio is chairwoman of a World Vision community project in Jiaima Bongor, Sierra Leone
Guardian Tuesday 8 March 2011
The civil war was a terrible time. If a woman was beautiful, the rebels would pick her out to travel with them – ordering her to carry their things into the bush. She would rarely return.
I was so young before the war broke out. I'd achieved my teaching certificate and I had a job at the local primary school. I had a strong, handsome husband and two beautiful children.
Four main roads led into the middle of the town where we lived. It was a strategic place for every faction that had a stake in the war. The government soldiers eventually settled well here, but when they first arrived they came in shooting.

In Europe's last dictatorship, all opposition is mercilessly crushed

By Jerome Taylor Tuesday, 8 March 2011
The KGB headquarters in the centre of Minsk is known to locals as "Amerikanka". No one is really sure how the sprawling complex got its name, but everyone in Belarus knows it is not a place you want to end up.
With its Corinthian columns and bright yellow walls, the building looks harmless from the outside. But it is in fact a cage for Europe's last prisoners of conscience and the epicentre of a brutal crackdown carried out by the continent's last dictator.
As the Middle East burns with popular anger over the region's lack of democratic progress it is easy to forget that one corner of Europe still steadfastly refuses to abandon its dictatorial past.

US relations and Tibetan politics top agenda at annual Chinese parliament
The Irish Times - Tuesday, March 8, 2011
CLIFFORD COONAN in Beijing
DELEGATES AT China’s annual parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC), focused on issues of foreign relations, especially with the US, and the need to keep a tight grip on Tibet, as the week-long gathering continued yesterday.
The Great Hall of the People is draped in red flags for the event and many delegates wear the traditional dress of ethnic minorities, or military uniforms, as well as the sober blue suits that have become the Communist Party uniform.
Security is tight for the NPC, which largely has the role of rubber-stamping bills decided by the leadership, but it can provide a forum for debate on some of the more contentious issues affecting China.

SC asks govt to book Hasan Ali under stricter laws


Agencies
New Delhi/Mumbai, March 08, 2011
The Supreme Court on Monday mulled CBI probe into possession of fake passport by Pune stud farm owner Hassan Ali Khan, accused of massive money laundering and tax evasion, and suggested invoking terror charges against him. The Supreme Court asked why Khan has not been booked under stricter laws
even as the Ali claimed innocence and said that he was a victim of political conspiracy
The apex court sought a progress report directly from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the case and asked the government to look into angle of the national security.
The Supreme Court will hear the case on 18th of March after the government files the second status report.