Six In The Morning

Nato to end Libya campaign on 31 October

Alliance decides to maintain air patrols for nine more days, while Russia pushes UN to dismantle resolution authorising force

Associated Press guardian.co.uk, Saturday 22 October 2011

Nato will officially end its seven-month operation in Libya on 31 October, its governing North Atlantic Council has said. Russia meanwhile, is pushing for the UN security council to lift the no-fly zone over Libya soon. Moscow has previously accused Nato of abusing the UN resolution authorising military actions by seeking to bring about regime change rather than just protecting civilians. The Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said on Friday: "It's time to wrap it up, including the no-fly-zone." The Nato secretary-general

Basques seek fresh start as Eta campaign ends at last

Life gets back to normal in Spanish region as separatist group declares peace after 43 years

By Alasdair Fotheringham in Madrid Saturday, 22 October 2011

Church bells did not ring out across the Basque countryside yesterday, nor were there mass celebrations in town and city squares following Eta's announcement on Thursday evening that, after 43 years, its guerrilla war is finally over. Instead, something far more valuable and long-lasting appears to have broken out in Euskadi, as the Basque country is known: normality. "There is a huge feeling of contentment and relief that the news has finally come through," said Alain Laiseka, a journalist from Bilbao. "Last night when I was watching the announcement on television, the presenter got very emotional and started to improvise because she said after so many years of just talking about bombings and deaths, it was amazing this day had finally come.

Uncertainty in Tunisia ahead of vote

Political parties make final pitch to voters before the country's first democratic election on Sunday.

Yasmine Ryan

TUNIS, Tunisia - The streets of downtown Tunis were calm on Friday morning, as the election campaign for the country’s first democratic election entered its last day. Voters are going to the polls to elect a constituent assembly, a body that will be tasked with deciding what kind of political system the country will have, writing a new constitution, and appointing a new government to replace the interim government. Voting for Tunisians living abroad began on Thursday, with the first vote being cast in Melbourne, Australia. Overseas voting will continue until Saturday. Election day inside Tunisia is on Sunday, and the results are expected to be announced the following day.

Are Drones Creating a New Global Arms Race?

'Messengers of Death'

By Andreas Lorenz, Juliane von Mittelstaedt and Gregor Peter Schmitz

Plastic tanks and miniature models of fighter jets are on display in Steven Zaloga's home office, and his bookshelves are overflowing with volumes about the history of war. War is Zaloga's area of expertise, but even more than that, it's his business. For 36 years, the historian has analyzed global trends in weapons. He currently works for the Teal Group, a renowned defense consulting firm in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington. Zaloga knows exactly how and where war can be profitable at any given point. And when he discusses which weapons have the best business prospects, he doesn't spare a glance for his models of tanks and fighter jets. Those weapons belong in history books.

Villagers rise up to save a generation of girls

Senegalese communities have created an effective campaign against a devastating cultural practice

Celia Dugger October 22, 2011

SARE HAROUNA, Senegal: When Aissatou Kande was a little girl, her family followed a tradition considered essential to her suitability to marry. Her clitoris was sliced off with nothing to dull the pain. But on her wedding day, Kande, her head modestly covered in a plain white shawl, vowed to protect her own daughters from the same ancient custom. Days later, her village declared it would abandon female genital cutting for good. Across the continent, an estimated 92 million girls and women have undergone it. But like more than 5000 other Senegalese villages, Sare Harouna has joined a growing movement to end the practice.