Putin: we have lost Russia's trust
Russian prime minister admits power is too centralised and few people trust his system of government
Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, admitted that his government had lost of the trust of its people and pledged to introduce what he called "direct democracy" to refresh it, when he is returned for a third presidential term next March.
Challenged during a meeting with foreign academics and journalists to admit that power in Russia was too centralised, that 80% of President Dmitry Medvedev's decrees were ignored or not fully implemented by the regions, and that no one trusted the power structure he had created, Putin astonished everyone by agreeing. He said: "I tell you, I agree. I don't object to anything you have said."
Niger grants asylum to Saadi Gaddafi
Niger has risked the wrath of the new authorities in neighbouring Libya by granting asylum to Col Muammar Gaddafi's third son in defiance of an Interpol request for his extradition.
Saadi Gaddafi, a bisexual playboy, was granted asylum on "humanitarian" grounds, the Niger president said, adding it was unlikely he would ever be extradited back to his home country.
Saadi, who crossed into Niger in the last weeks of his father's regime, has been under house arrest in a state guest house in the capital, Niamey.
Libya's new leaders made the 38-year-old was made the subject of an Interpol red notice.
Tripoli alleges he misappropriated property and engaged in "armed intimidation" when he headed the Libyan Football Federation
Armed forces with unlimited powers are answerable to no one
A MAIN focus of anger for the people of Kashmir is the reviled Armed Forces Special Powers Act, in effect in the province since 1990.
The act, known by its clumsy acronym AFSPA, gives police and soldiers in the valley almost unlimited powers to maintain order, including the right to shoot to kill, to detain indefinitely without charge and to enter and search any building.
Above all, it gives police officers and soldiers immunity from prosecution. Regardless of their actions, they cannot be brought before a court.
Will Aba be the CCP's Waterloo?
By Peter Lee
The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) setbacks in a remote corner of Sichuan province, Aba prefecture (more accurately, the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture), may in time be seen as the beginning of the end of its authoritarian reign.
Today, Aba is in the news because of a string of self-immolations at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Kirti, on the outskirts of a county town in Aba, in response to a brutal government crackdown.
Aba was also in the news in 2008, when an earthquake in the southeastern corner of the prefecture, Wenchuan, killed tens of thousands.
Today, Aba is in the news because of a string of self-immolations at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Kirti, on the outskirts of a county town in Aba, in response to a brutal government crackdown.
Aba was also in the news in 2008, when an earthquake in the southeastern corner of the prefecture, Wenchuan, killed tens of thousands.
Stranger than fiction: 'Elite Squad 2' opens as politician who inspired movie flees Rio
But is the congressman's abrupt departure from Rio de Janeiro actually a political ploy for the city's upcoming mayoral election? Just another stranger than fiction event in Rio's struggle with crime.
Elite Squad 2 will be released in the US on November 11, and those unfamiliar with the plot may think it's just a creative screenplay. But in reality, much of the story is based on fact, because in Rio, truth is often stranger than fiction.
There's been quite a few big news stories on Rio security in the past two weeks, but not everything is exactly as it seems.
Local politician "in exile:" Marcelo Freixo flees Rio
Last week, popular Rio Congressman Marcelo Freixoannounced that he was fleeing Brazil after death threats from Rio militias escalated. He found little support for increased security from the Rio authorities, who he claims have failed to investigate the threats against him.
Deaths in Syria as Arab League weighs action
Arab foreign ministers to discuss further action against Damascus after failure of earlier deal to end bloodshed.
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Last Modified: 12 Nov 2011 08:49
The Arab League has come under mounting pressure to suspend Syria's membership as it meets to discuss the country's steadily worsening eight month crisis.
The regional bloc faces calls, from within its ranks and from European countries, to act as its 22 member states meet in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday after an earlier deal with Syria failed to achieve an end to the violence in that country.
Under an Arab League plan agreed on November 2, Syria pledged to pull the military out of flashpoint cities, free political prisoners and start talks with the opposition.
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