Six In The Morning

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Abbas is punished by $200m cut in aid from US

Congress makes Palestinians pay for seeking UN recognition

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem

Saturday, 1 October 2011

The United States Congress has blocked nearly $200m in aid for the Palestinians, threatening projects such as food aid, health care, and support for efforts to build a functioning state.

The decision to delay the payments runs counter to the wishes of the Obama administration and reflects Congressional anger at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's so far unrealised pursuit of Fatah-Hamas reconciliation and statehood recognition at the UN.

Maastricht bans cannabis coffee-shop tourists

1 October 2011

A  ban on some foreign tourists has come into force in the cannabis-selling coffee shops of the Dutch border city of Maastricht.

City authorities say the influx of tourists buying soft drugs is threatening public order and causing major traffic problems.

Coffee shop owners say the ban won't work and will hit the local economy.

However, the ban does not apply to visitors from Germany and Belgium who are the majority of foreign customers.

The move comes ahead of a proposed nationwide crackdown being discussed in the Dutch parliament.

Karzai suspends Taliban talks

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Saturday, October 1, 2011, 

Afghanistan's government says it has made no progress in working with Pakistan to start a peace process and is suspending talks with the Taliban.

Instead of trying to negotiate with Taliban groups based in Pakistan, Afghanistan may work more closely with the United States, Europe and India, President Hamid Karzai said in a statement.

The comments followed a meeting of top government officials to review policy after the assassination of the country's leading peace envoy by a Taliban bomber who officials say was sent from Pakistan.

The litmus test for Libya's new rulers

KIM GAMEL TRIPOLI, LIBYA - Oct 01 2011 

The treatment of prisoners has become a litmus test for the transitional government as it tries to rein in young men who fought in the civil war that ousted Gaddafi and now refuse to lay down their weapons.

The New York-based rights group said on Friday it had visited 20 detention facilities in Tripoli and interviewed 53 inmates, including 37 Libyans and 16 sub-Saharan Africans. Five were considered "high value" because of their positions in Gaddafi's government, the report said, without elaborating.

Human Rights Watch, which said it was given unrestricted access to the detainees, said the allegations were even more troubling because Gaddafi's regime was known to torture and kill inmates in its prisons.

Pakistan's military and legislators plan peace talks with Taliban

In the midst of bad and worsening relations with Washington, Pakistan considers new round of peace talks with Pakistan-based Taliban, arguing that 'military solutions' are making things worse.

By Owais Tohid, Correspondent 

After a rare gathering of top military officials and the heads of more than 50 political and religious parties, Pakistan's government has announced that it would negotiate with the militants in the tribal belt along Afghan border rather than dealing with them militarily. The decision marks a significant shift in Pakistan's tactics since the war on terror began after Sept. 11, 2001, and it comes at a time of tense public relations between Pakistan and the United States.

“Pakistan must initiate dialogue with a view to negotiating peace with our own people in the tribal areas,” reads a statement issued after the Sept. 29 meeting in Islamabad. “…There has to be a new direction and policy with a focus on peace and reconciliation. ‘Give peace a chance’ must be the guiding central principle henceforth,” reads the statement.

Wall Street protesters march on NY police headquarters

Demonstrators say cops used heavy-handed tactics at earlier rally

By Ray Sanchez

updated 10/1/2011

NEW YORK — Protesters who have camped out near Wall Street for two weeks marched Friday on police headquarters in Manhattan over what they viewed as a heavy-handed police response to a previous demonstration.

The Occupy Wall Street movement, whose members have vowed to stay through the winter, are protesting issues including the 2008 bank bailouts, foreclosures and high unemployment.

More than 1,000 people marched past City Hall and arrived at a plaza outside police headquarters in the late afternoon. Some held banners criticizing police, while others chanted: "We are the 99 percent" and "The banks got bailed out, we got sold out."