Six In The Morning

Yemen says al-Qa'ida-linked cleric Awlaki killed

Friday, 30 September 201

Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born cleric linked to al-Qa'ida's Yemen-based wing, has been killed, Yemen's Defence Ministry said today.

"The terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed along with some of his companions," it said in a statement sent by text message to journalists, but gave no details.

A Yemeni security official said Awlaki, who is of Yemeni descent, was hit in a Friday morning air raid in the northern al-Jawf province that borders oil giant Saudi Arabia. He said four others killed with him were suspected al-Qa'ida members.

It was not immediately clear if Yemeni forces had carried out the raid or if Awlaki had been killed by a US drone strike. A US drone aircraft targeted but missed Alwaki in May.

Obama: A disaster for civil liberties
He may prove the most disastrous president in our history in terms of civil liberties.
By Jonathan Turley, The L.A. Times
September 29, 2011

Protecting individual rights and liberties — apart from the right to be tax-free — seems barely relevant to candidates or voters. One man is primarily responsible for the disappearance of civil liberties from the national debate, and he is Barack Obama. While many are reluctant to admit it, Obama has proved a disaster not just for specific civil liberties but the civil liberties cause in the United States.
President Obama not only retained the controversial Bush policies, he expanded on them. The earliest, and most startling, move came quickly. Soon after his election, various military and political figures reported that Obama reportedly promised Bush officials in private that no one would be investigated or prosecuted for torture. In his first year, Obama made good on that promise, announcing that no CIA employee would be prosecuted for torture. Later, his administration refused to prosecute any of the Bush officials responsible for ordering or justifying the program and embraced the "just following orders" defense for other officials, the very defense rejected by the United States at the Nuremberg trials after World War II.
...

Burma dam: Work halted on divisive Myitsone project

30 September 2011

Burma's president has suspended construction of a controversial Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam.

In a letter read out in parliament on Friday, Thein Sein said the $3.6bn (£2.3bn) Myitsone dam was contrary to the will of the people.

The project fuelled fighting between the army and ethnic Kachin rebels, and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi recently joined the anti-dam campaign.

The suspension is being seen as a rare victory for social activists.

The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey says it appears to be further evidence of the new leadership's desire to seek legitimacy by being more open to public opinion.

Civil servants block Greek ministries

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Friday, September 30, 2011

Angry civil servants blocked Greek government buildings for a second day this morning, disrupting the debt-laden country's talks with international lenders on a lifeline bailout payment.

At the transport ministry, several dozen government workers gathered to prevent senior members of an international inspection team from meeting the minister, Yannis Ragousis. Reporters saw the inspectors' car turn and drive away.

After a three-week breakdown in negotiations that unnerved financial markets, Greece and inspectors from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund resumed talks yesterday on an €8 billion aid tranche, which the country needs to avoid running out of cash next month.

Humanitarian disaster looms in Gaddafi's hometown

WILLIAM MACLEAN TRIPOLI, LIBYA - Sep 30 201

Interim government forces on Thursday recaptured the airport in Sirte, where Gaddafi loyalists have been using sniper, rocket and artillery fire to fight off full-scale assaults and retain one of their last two main bastions.

But the prolonged fight for Gaddafi's hometown has raised mounting concern for civilians trapped inside the city of about 100 000 people, with each side accusing the other of endangering civilians.

"They're shelling constantly. There's indiscriminate fire within individual neighbourhoods and from one area to another," Hassan, a resident who escaped the city, told Reuters.

Hugo Chávez tries to silence health rumors with his usual flair

Hugo Chávez assembled reporters to his palace and played ball, after a Miami-based newspaper suggested the spirited Venezuelan President was on his last legs.


By Girish Gupta, Correspondent / September 30, 2011
As rumors circulated all over the Internet that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had been rushed to the hospital with kidney failure, the great PR man had the world’s press in the palm of his baseball glove at his Miraflores presidential palace.

While his other hand theatrically threw a baseball up and down, President Chávez read out every word of anEl Nuevo Herald article that the previous night had suggested he was on his last legs.

“We must stop the speculation,” Chávez said, clad in a red tracksuit as he then tossed the ball back and forth with aides. "It is morbid and inhumane.”

Girls' Generation lead K-pop invasion of Japan

South Korean bands sweep 'cute' J-pop idols from charts to conquer world's second largest music market

• Justin McCurry in Tokyo
• guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 September 2011

The language is unmistakably Japanese, the lyrics delivered in familiar high-pitched tones over a backdrop of electronica. But the wave of pop music sweeping Japan is not the sugar-coated homegrown variety that has long clogged the airwaves.

Japanese teens and twentysomethings who once had ears only for J-popare now transfixed by K-pop, a phenomenon from South Korea that is taking the world's second-biggest music market by storm.

Korean pop culture's first foray into Japan was led almost a decade ago by Bae Yong-joon, a TV and film actor whose legions of mainly middle-aged, female devotees nicknamed him Yon-sama, or the Honourable Yon.

Anonymous Occupy Wall Street Call to Action

Greetings, people of the world. We are Anonymous.

As many of you are aware, over the past several days, significant demonstrations have been held in protest of the corrupt financial system that favors the richest 1% of our nation; while the remaining 99% have to deal with things such as abuse of our civil rights, overseas outsourcing of our jobs, and living off minimum wage while gas hovers around $3.50 a gallon. The minimal attention given to these demonstrations has caused growing concern, with rumors of media blackouts and repealed news coverage becoming increasingly harder to deny.

We would like to thank those in our national media that chose to cover the truth about the events of the wall street occupation. Your contribution to society will not go unrecognized.

Unfortunately, this coverage has not been sufficient, we must now take efforts to spread the truth into our own hands. It is now up to us, the people of this great nation, to act for ourselves. We must share the truth through our social networks, by texting, instant/private messaging, posting, and blogging to our friends and relatives. We must take to the streets and speak of the truth in our coffee shops and mall outlets. Our voices will be heard.

* Bloggers, dedicate your blogs to Occupy Wall Street,

* Website owners, Write an article about Occupy Wall Street,

* People in urban areas, Pass out and post up flyers about Occupy Wall Street,

* Social network users, Flood your twitter accounts with OccupyWallStreet hashtags, post videos, articles, and any news about Occupy Wall Street.

* Share this call to action, and encourage others to do the same.

To those currently occupying, stay strong, always know that you have our support.
We will not allow tyrannical police to oppress and bully you. Stay peaceful, stay vigilant, and know that you are making our nation proud.

To the police who wish to remain tyrannical, we will continue to show our support for the peaceful protesters. You will be exposed for the inhumane offences you commit, and everyone will know just who you are and what you have done. Your information will be posted everywhere and mirrored everywhere.

If you strip the freedom away from our peaceful protestors, then we shall strip your privacy away from you.

To the people of the world:

You are Anonymous.
You are Legion.
You are the media.
You are the voice of truth.
You can not forgive.
You can not forget.
They should expect us.

Bahrain medical staff sentenced over protests

Perhaps its because they did what why they were trained to do saving the lives and those injured by the governments violent crackdown against those asking for one simple thing.  The right to have an inclusive pluralistic government.


  Thirteen doctors and nurses who treated anti-government protesters during demonstrations in Bahrain earlier this year have been jailed for 15 years for crimes against the state.

Seven other medical professionals were given sentences of between five and 10 years by a special tribunal on Thursday that was set up during the emergency rule that followed the demonstrations.

The doctors' trial has been closely watched and criticised by rights groups for Bahrain's use of the security court, which has military prosecutors and both civilian and military judges, in prosecuting civilians.

Most of the medics worked at the Salmaniya Medical Centre in Manama, which was stormed by security forces after they drove protesters on March 16 out of the nearby Pearl Square - the focal point of Bahrain's protest movement.

The Bahrain News Agency said that the medics were tried for "forcefully occupying Salmaniya Medical Centre... possessing unlicensed arms (AK-47s) and knives, incitement to overthrow the regime, seizing medical equipment, detaining policemen, and spreading false news".

Six In The Morning

Germany backs revamped euro bailout fund

Merkel pushes through rescue package in step towards tackling the eurozone's sprawling debt crisis

• Helen Pidd in Berlin and agencies
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 29 September 2011

Angela Merkel has successfully corralled her government into voting for the revamped euro bailout fund, asserting her authority as chancellor by pushing through the bill without needing to rely on opposition help.

Of 611 MPs present in a highly-charged sitting at the Bundestag on Thursday morning, 523 voted in favour of expanding the powers of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).

Under the plan, the EFSF will be enlarged to €440bn (£382bn). It will also be given the ability to give "precautionary loans" to struggling European countries, buy EU government debt, and provide funding to shore up the capital reserves of European banks.

Syria slips towards civil war as sanctions bid fails

UN resolution diluted after veto threat from China and 

Russia

By Alastair Beach

Thursday, 29 September 2011

Fears are mounting that Syria may be on the verge of civil war as reports emerged yesterday that hundreds of army deserters were battling Bashar al-Assad's forces in the first major confrontation against the regime.

Click HERE to view graphic (135k jpg)

With an intensification of violence looking increasingly likely, Britain and its EU allies have been forced to drop calls for immediate UN sanctions against Syria after major powers failed to agree upon a suitable course of action.

She's Gonna Blow

Canary Island Evacuated Amid Volcano Fears

Thousands of tiny earthquakes have rattled the island of El Hierro since this July. But recently the tremors have grown stronger, prompting concern from officials, who fear that a volcano on El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, could be about to erupt.

On Wednesday, more than 50 residents and tourists staying at the base of the volcano were evacuated, and 11,000 locals nearby were advised to stock up on water, medicine and flashlights in case of an emergency.

Some 8,000 tremors have been registered on the island since July 19, according to the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN).

What Thein Sein promised Suu Kyi

By Larry Jagan 

BANGKOK - An emerging rapprochement between Myanmar President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has set a new tone over the country's historically military dominated political landscape. The two met on August 19 and details now emerging from that closed-door encounter indicate that major concessions could be in the cards in the weeks ahead.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest, recently told a small group of supporters outside of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party headquarters she believes there is an "opportunity for change". She has met and made public appearances with top government officials and insiders say that more meetings are imminent, perhaps as early as next week. 

Zimbabwe to introduce cash transfer scheme

Sep 29 201

The money will come from the Zimbabwean government and donors, including the United Kingdom, the European Commission and the UN children's agency, Unicef. About $45-million of the money for a child protection fund has been raised from donors, leaving a $30-million shortfall that will need to be covered before full national coverage can be ensured.

The scheme is part of a national action plan for orphans and vulnerable children that involves education assistance, child protection and cash transfers to the poorest families. 

Mexico drug war: Zetas' biggest rival may be social networks

The Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo has seen three brutal killings in an apparent campaign by the Zetas cartel against social media websites. What is it about these sites that makes the Zetas so angry?

By Hannah Stone, Guest blogger / September 29, 2011

The first two victims were found hanging from a bridge on September 13, with signs warning that “this will happen to all Internet snitches,” and naming the websites Frontera al Rojo Vivo, Blog del Narco, and Denuncia Ciudadano. One of the signs was marked Z, for the Zetas.

Less than two weeks later, the head and decapitated body of a woman were left close to another busy road in the city, with a message addressed to Nuevo Laredo en Vivo (NLV) “and social media sites,” saying “this happened to me because of my reports, and yours.” It was signed with the nickname that she used online -- “La Nena de Laredo” (the girl from Laredo), followed by “ZZZ.”

Meltdown-The Secret History

Following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September of 2008 then U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson   submitted this bill to Congress in an effort to bailout U.S. financial institutions.

    LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETSSection 1. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as ____________________.
Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Authority to Purchase.–The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States.
(b) Necessary Actions.–The Secretary is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the authorities in this Act, including, without limitation:
(1) appointing such employees as may be required to carry out the authorities in this Act and defining their duties;
(2) entering into contracts, including contracts for services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts;
(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them;
(4) establishing vehicles that are authorized, subject to supervision by the Secretary, to purchase mortgage-related assets and issue obligations; and
(5) issuing such regulations and other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to define terms or carry out the authorities of this Act.
Sec. 3. Considerations.
In exercising the authorities granted in this Act, the Secretary shall take into consideration means for–
(1) providing stability or preventing disruption to the financial markets or banking system; and
(2) protecting the taxpayer.
Sec. 4. Reports to Congress.
Within three months of the first exercise of the authority granted in section 2(a), and semiannually thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate with respect to the authorities exercised under this Act and the considerations required by section 3.
Sec. 5. Rights; Management; Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Exercise of Rights.–The Secretary may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act.
(b) Management of Mortgage-Related Assets.–The Secretary shall have authority to manage mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act, including revenues and portfolio risks therefrom.
(c) Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.–The Secretary may, at any time, upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell, or enter into securities loans, repurchase transactions or other financial transactions in regard to, any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act.
(d) Application of Sunset to Mortgage-Related Assets.–The authority of the Secretary to hold any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act before the termination date in section 9, or to purchase or fund the purchase of a mortgage-related asset under a commitment entered into before the termination date in section 9, is not subject to the provisions of section 9.
Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.
The Secretary’s authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time
Sec. 7. Funding.
For the purpose of the authorities granted in this Act, and for the costs of administering those authorities, the Secretary may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, are extended to include actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses. Any funds expended for actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses, shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such expenditure.
Sec. 8. Review.
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
Sec. 9. Termination of Authority.
The authorities under this Act, with the exception of authorities granted in sections 2(b)(5), 5 and 7, shall terminate two years from the date of enactment of this Act.
Sec. 10. Increase in Statutory Limit on the Public Debt.
Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu thereof $11,315,000,000,000.
Sec. 11. Credit Reform.
The costs of purchases of mortgage-related assets made under section 2(a) of this Act shall be determined as provided under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as applicable.
Sec. 12. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Mortgage-Related Assets.–The term “mortgage-related assets” means residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages, that in each case was originated or issued on or before September 17, 2008.
(2) Secretary.–The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Treasury.
(3) United States.–The term “United States” means the States, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia.

The original 3 page bill provided for no oversight or accountability from the banks once the legislation was signed into law.  An out raged American public flooded the House and Senate with calls to vote against the bill. Which actually happened leading to a complete rewrite of the legislation.

Six In The Morning

Power struggle deepens divisions among Bahraini royal family

Police suspended for torture reinstated as hardliners seek to 

marginalise their 'liberal' prince

By Patrick Cockburn

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Senior Bahraini police officers suspended for torturing detainees are being swiftly reinstated in a sign of a growing struggle for power within the al-Khalifa royal family over the extent of the repression to be used against pro-democracy protesters.

In addition, 90 Jordanian officers, serving in the Bahraini police force and alleged to have mistreated prisoners, are having their contracts terminated and are being sent back to Jordan, opposition sources have told The Independent. They say it is not clear if this is to purge the security forces of the worst offenders or to get rid of witnesses to the wholesale use of torture when the government crushed the Arab Awakening movement in Bahrain in March

Children fall victim as the battle rages for Syria's gateway city

A critical battle is under way in one of Syria’s gateway cities with forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad launching full scale attacks on civilian neighbourhoods, killing and injuring children and protesters by the dozen.

By Hussein al Haqq, Al Rastan

The Daily Telegraph has witnessed devastating scenes from the key city of Al Rastan – a city which bridges the country’s north-south divide – in which tanks and other heavy weapons are being used against schools and homes.

Armed opposition groups have taken to building barricades against the onslaught. And according to residents many parts of Al Rastan have become no-go zones with skirmishes and military raids a daily occurrence.

The much feared 'shabiha’ – pro-Assad militias- storm houses, hunting defected soldiers and arresting suspected dissidents as they go – 'looking for reasons to kill’ one resident said.

Greek PM appeals for German debt funds

George Papandreou admits mistakes but tells business leaders in Berlin that funding will help move Greece forward.

ast Modified: 27 Sep 2011

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has appealed to German business leaders to maintain their support for his country in the face of a crippling debt crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at the same conference, said her country would "do everything we can" to aid the Greek recovery and restore market confidence by boosting demand.

Papandreou, who spoke in Berlin on Tuesday before talks with the German chancellor, said Greece had made mistakes in the past but would repay all of its loans.

He assured investors that their money would be used to take the country forward, citing laws and reforms the country has made in a bid to explain why Greece deserved help.

"If people feel only punishment and scorn, this crisis will not become an opportunity, it will become a lost cause. And we are determined to make this a success," he said.

Flying colours: Sata renames Zambia's airports

LUSAKA, SOUTH AFRICA - Sep 27 2011

Capital city Lusaka's airport will now carry Kaunda's name, while the airport in Livingstone, near the world-famous Victoria Falls, will be named after early nationalist leader Harry Nkumbula, Sata said, on only his fifth day in office.

The airport in the mining town of Ndola will be named after Simon Kapwepwe, the country's first vice president, he added.

Sata said the new names were meant as a gesture of reconciliation among Zambian political parties. Kaunda is regarded as the father of the nation, but fell out politically with Nkumbula and Kapwepwe.

Church bomb shows Indonesian extremism 

By Gary LaMoshi 

BALI - Indonesia was shocked and shamed on Sunday when a suicide bomber struck a Christian church in Solo, killing at least one congregant and injuring at least 27 others. But the reaction from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been even more shameful. 

On Sunday morning, a still unidentified bomber detonated explosives at the entrance of Gereja Bethel Injil Sepenuh (Bethel Whole Gospel Church, GBIS) at the conclusion of the church's second service. Police say it was a low explosive device spiked with nails and bolts that aimed to harm people rather than destroy property. 

Shaken by increase in attacks since 2001, many Pakistanis fault U.S.

By Karin Brulliard, Tuesday, September 27,

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Muhammad Irfan Malik is a banker, and he relies on numbers to tell the story of his daughter’s death.

She was 17 years and 2 months old, a college student who had scored 800 out of 850 on high school graduation exams. On Oct. 20, 2009, she was with classmates in her university cafeteria when a suicide bomber detonated explosives that launched 46 ball bearings into her body. She died 43 days later, leaving her family to suffer incalculable grief.