Six In The Morning

A Syrian plan to attack protesters?
Human rights activist says document lays out how to brutally suppress the opposition
By Michael Isikoff National investigative correspondent
WASHINGTON — A document purportedly drafted by senior Syrian intelligence officials details a chilling plan to infiltrate the ranks of anti-regime protesters, arrest and assassinate their leaders, and link anti-regime demonstrations to the work of “Zionist” and other outside agitators.
The document was circulated by Syrian opposition figures Wednesday and cited by dissidents as fresh evidence of the brutality of the regime of President Bashar Assad. “It is very scary — this is the work of a Mafia state,” said Radwan Ziadeh, a prominent Syrian human rights activist and visiting scholar at George Washington University, who said he obtained the document from sources inside Syria on Tuesday night.

While the Saudi elite looks nervously abroad, a revolution is happening
The gap between the Saudi regime's conservative ideology and modern urban reality has fed discontent across society
Soumaya Ghannoushi
The Guardian, Thursday 14 April 2011
The Saudi regime is under siege. To the west, its heaviest regional ally, the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, has been ousted. To its north, Syria and Jordan are gripped by a wave of protests which shows no sign of receding. On its southern border, unrest in Yemen and Oman rages on. And troops have been dispatched to Bahrain to salvage its influence over the tiny kingdom exerted through the Khalifa clan, and prevent the contagion from spreading to Saudi Arabia's turbulent eastern provinces, the repository of both its biggest oil reserves and largest Shia population.

UK and France cajole coalition nations to join air raids on Gaddafi
Qatar meeting of foreign ministers exposes clash in strategies for dealing with the Libyan uprising
By Patrick Cockburn Thursday, 14 April 2011
Britain and France are asking other members of Nato to step up air strikes on Libyan government forces at a meeting of foreign ministers in Qatar that has underlined the radically different policies of the countries involved in the Libyan crisis.

Divisions between the foreign ministers were also evident over issues such as using frozen Libyan state assets to fund the opposition in eastern Libya and the feasibility of arming the rebels. Germany expressed doubts about the legality of using money belonging to the Libyan government.

UN hails Palestinian Authority progress towards statehood

Isabel Kershner April 14, 2011
A United Nations report has praised Palestinian Authority efforts at strengthening its institutions, describing aspects of its administration as sufficient for an independent state.

The endorsement came at a crucial time for the Palestinian Authority, which has set a September deadline for the completion of its state-building program and is working towards international recognition of Palestinian statehood in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem that month.

September is also the target date set by Israel and the Palestinians to reach a negotiated agreement for a Palestinian state, but the latest round of peace talks has been stalled for six months.

Kashmiris defy Geelani's boycott call, 1st phase J&K panchayat poll records 78% turnout

Randeep Singh Nandal, TNN | Apr 14, 2011, 01.26pm IST
SRINAGAR: First-time panchayat election contestant Farida Bano (40) was tense at the start of the polling on Wednesday morning. But her confidence grew as the number of voters swelled outside a polling booth in Budgam district's Sheikhpura village. By 10 am 28% voters had voted.

Farida is one of the four women contesting the first phase of the elections in the area. She said brisk voting awed her a little. "I am nervous but this is good. I want to serve my village and think I will do a good job if given a chance," she said.

Kenya revives its colonial rail system to meet its modern needs
A private company sees the country's dilapidated railways as an opportunity to make a profit and meet Kenyans needs for faster transportation.
By Mike Pflanz, Correspondent / April 13, 2011
ON THE 06:40am TO NAIROBI – We pull slowly out of Athi River station, leaving behind the run-down railroad shed that is now home to the Jesus Victory Center and a tinshack kindergarten.

Ahead, an hour-long commute, through the Athi plains once swarming with wildlife, beneath final approach to the international airport, through the smoggy iron roof slums and the industrial area, and into the heart of Nairobi.