Dealing With The Euro Crisis

As the the brains drain

Six In The Morning

Western pressure on Syria grows ahead of UN debate

Western countries are preparing to push for a tough resolution at a UN Security Council meeting on the crisis in Syria.

The BBC 31 January 2012
Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi will be asking the Council to back the League's new plan calling on President Bashar al-Assad to resign. Western foreign ministers who back the Arab plan will try to overcome Russia's threat to veto any such resolution. The diplomacy follows a day of particularly heavy bloodshed, with more than 100 people killed across Syria. Activists say more than 40 civilians were among the dead in Monday's violence, but their claims cannot be independently verified as the the BBC and other international media are severely restricted inside Syria.

China tightens security at Tibetan monasteries
Officials try to prevent protests spreading from neighbouring communities into Chinese-ruled Tibet, including Lhasa

Associated Press in Beijing guardianTuesday 31 January 2012
A senior official in Chinese-ruled Tibet has ordered an increase in security at Buddhist monasteries and along key roads as the government tries to prevent protests spreading from neighbouring Tibetan communities. Inspecting security around the Tibetan capital of Lhasa this week, the city's Communist party secretary, Qi Zhala, warned officials and clerics at monasteries that they would be dismissed if any trouble arose and told police at a highway checkpoint to be alert for acts of sabotage.

Japan's population to fall by third in 50 years
Unprecedented threat to economy, healthcare and culture as numbers plummet by 41 million

David McNeill Author Tokyo Tuesday 31 January 2012
Japan's government yesterday released stark new evidence that the nation is on the brink of a demographic crisis, forecasting that its population will shrink by 30 per cent in the next half-century, while soaring life expectancy will further burden the state. Click here to see the 'Demographic timebomb - ageing Japan' graphic The report estimates that by 2060 the number of people in the Asian powerhouse will have fallen from 128 million to about 87 million, of which almost 40 per cent will be 65 or older. The report by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research warns that by 2110 the number of Japanese could plummet to 42.9 million – a third of the current population – "if things remain unchanged".

European Politicians in Denial as Greece Unravels
Europe's politicians are losing touch with reality. Greece is broke, and yet Brussels wants to send the country billions in new loans, to which there is growing opposition within the coalition government in Berlin. Rescue efforts are hopelessly bogged down by bickering over who will ultimately step up.

By Sven Böll, Alexander Neubacher, Ralf Neukirch, Christian Reiermann, Christoph Schult and Anne Seith
Martial music booms from the loudspeakers as warlike images gallop across monitors. A short euro crisis film montage shows police officers being posted in front of the parliament building in Athens and the jostling of frantic reporters, then US investor George Soros uses grim words in an appeal to rescue the euro zone. "The alternative is just too terrible to contemplate," he says. Speaking in a panel that follows the short film, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has a gloomy expression.

Two killed in Senegal as anger mounts against Wade
Senegal readied for fresh protests Tuesday after security forces shot dead a 60-year-old woman and a teenager at a rally against President Abdoulaye Wade's controversial bid for a third term.

Sapa-AFP | 31 January, 2012 07:29
Tensions have escalated in the West African nation after the constitutional council gave Wade the green light to run in February 26 polls, prompting international calls for calm and condemnations of violence. Senegal, typically a beacon of democracy among troubled neighbours, was urged by Amnesty International to halt a clampdown on protesters after two people were shot dead by security forces in the northern city of Podor.

Mexico envoy in Venezuela kidnap drama
After being seized from upscale area of Caracas, ambassador and his wife are released in a slum before dawn.

Last Modified: 31 Jan 2012 01:35
Mexico's envoy to Caracas was seized overnight then freed in the latest high-profile kidnapping in Venezuela, where violent crime is routinely listed as citizens' top worry. In the style of "express" kidnappings that are rife in Venezuela, four armed men seized ambassador Carlos Pujalte and his wife in their car after a reception in the upscale Country Club zone of Caracas, diplomats and officials said. The kidnappers then released the couple in a slum before dawn on Monday. "We're so happy he is safe, I've been up following the case all night," said a senior European diplomat, whose own security has been increased in recent months.

Six In The Morning

US drones provoke outrage in Iraq

Officials say use of unarmed aircraft an affront to nation's soverignty

By ERIC SCHMITT and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
A month after the last American troops left Iraq, the State Department is operating a small fleet of surveillance drones here to help protect the United States Embassy and consulates, as well as American personnel. Senior Iraqi officials expressed outrage at the program, saying the unarmed aircraft are an affront to Iraqi sovereignty. The program was described by the department’s diplomatic security branch in a little-noticed section of its most recent annual report and outlined in broad terms in a two-page online prospectus for companies that might bid on a contract to manage the program. It foreshadows a possible expansion of unmanned drone operations into the diplomatic arm of the American government; until now they have been mainly the province of the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Dalai Lama and west 'distorting Tibetan protests'
Exiled Tibetan leader is eager to stir up trouble so as to garner support from the west, according to China Daily

Reuters in Beijing guardian.co.uk, Monday 30 January 2012 06.28 GMT
The Tibetan government-in-exile has colluded with western governments to distort a recent string of police shootings in Tibetan areas of China in a bid to discredit the government, an official Chinese newspaper said on Monday. Protests by ethnic Tibetans, who accuse Chinese authorities of stifling their traditions and religious freedoms, have gathered pace in the mountainous frontiers of southwestern Sichuan province that border on Tibet proper since last Monday.

Extreme close-up: German film brings the spread of neo-Nazi gangs into focus


Berlin Monday 30 January 2012
For a film that has touched a raw nerve in Germany with its portrayal of neo-Nazi violence, the opening of Kriegerin, or Combat Girl, is deceptively benign: the camera pans to a 10-year-old girl on a lonely Baltic beach weighed down by a heavy load on her back. "Can I stop now grandpa?" the girl asks the kindly looking pensioner who greets her with open arms. "Of course you can, my darling," he replies with a smile as he removes her rucksack. It proves to be full of wet sand. "You've done well, my little Kreigerin," he tells her.

Jailed Rwanda journalists launch Supreme Court appeal
Two Rwandan journalists imprisoned for insulting President Paul Kagame and denying genocide will appear before the country's Supreme Court on Monday to argue for their freedom.

Jan 30 2012 08:17
The fate of Agnès Uwimana and Saïdati Mukakibibi, who are supported by an international team of lawyers and British human rights groups, has become a test case for free speech in the Central African state. The ban on denial of the country's 1994 genocide, which claimed as many as 800 000 lives, is being exploited as a legal weapon to silence political opponents, it is alleged. Rwanda insists the law is no different to those in Europe outlawing denial of the Holocaust.

The toughest place to be a binman
Jakarta and the surrounding metropolitan areas are home to 28 million people, and the Indonesian city is struggling to cope with all the rubbish it generates. What's it like for the binmen?

By Eamonn Walsh BBC News 30 January 2012
Each day soon after sunrise, Imam Syaffi sets off with his hand-pulled cart to collect the rubbish from some of the more desirable residences in Jakarta. With his cheery cry of "Sampa!" (rubbish), he lets the residents in their gated homes know that he has arrived. The spacious houses and leafy streets of Guntur, close to the financial district are a stark contrast to the cramped conditions elsewhere in Jakarta where many millions live in poverty.

After Egypt, Tunisia, Libya overthrows, Arab upheaval begins to settle
Egypt quietly moves into another phase of voting, while the monarchs in Morocco and Jordan have stabilized their rule through reforms.

By Dan Murphy, Staff writer, Nicholas Seeley, Correspondent, Kristen Chick, Correspondent
Tumult. Tragedies. Victory. Exulta­tion. That was 2011 in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, where longstanding dictators were swept away by popular revolts that are still reshaping the Arab world. "We started the revolution, but we're still completing it," says Ahmed Salah of Cairo, who quit his job at a stock exchange last year to help unite revolutionary forces. Indeed, 2012 is the year of what comes next, of deep breaths after a furious sprint, of political strategizing, building on gains made, and repairing economies damaged by a year of almost unprecedented upheaval.

Arianna Huffington: Beyond Left and Right

Arianna Huffington, the co-founder of The Huffington Post, the online home for hundreds of journalists and opinionated celebrities, is. She tells Al Jazeera: "I don't see American politcs as a left-right game. I think that in fact when we continue to see it as a left-right game we are having a much harder time laying out the choices for the American people. Caring for the middle class, caring for jobs, wanting to prioritise that - is that a left-wing position? Shouldn't everybody care about that?... I think we are using these terms in a way which has made this type of national conversation much, much harder to have and which really marginalises issues." Born in Greece, Arianna Huffington emigrated to the US where she married former US Congressman Michael Huffington. After their divorce she embarked on her own political career, running for the governorship of California in 2003.

Many on the American left seem to have little respect for Arianna Huffington or the Huffington Post. They it view as nothing more than a tabloid at best. Before deciding that she was a "liberal" Arianna Huffington frequently appeared on American television as a conservative commentator.

Six In The Morning

On Sunday

Hundreds arrested at Occupy Oakland; protesters break into City Hall



By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services
Sgt. Christopher Bolton of the Oakland Police Department told msnbc.com that the number arrested was likely between 200 and 300. "We are still processing the arrests," he said. He was speaking after the release of a statement on the Oakland City website that put the number of arrests at 200. "That figure is probably on the low side and we don't have a confirmed total yet," said. Sgt Bolton. In the statement, released in a PDF file format, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said: "Once again, a violent splinter group of the Occupy Movement is engaging in violent actions against Oakland. The Bay Area Occupy Movement has got to stop using Oakland as their playground." The statement also said there were reports of damage to exhibits inside City Hall during the protest.

Apple hit by boycott call over worker abuses in China
US writers attack conditions at Foxconn plant and call for consumers to act

Paul Harris in New York The Observer, Sunday 29 January 2012
Apple, the computer giant whose sleek products have become a mainstay of modern life, is dealing with a public relations disaster and the threat of calls for a boycott of its iPhones and iPads. The company's public image took a dive after revelations about working conditions in the factories of some of its network of Chinese suppliers. The allegations, reported at length in the New York Times, build on previous concerns about abuses at firms that Apple uses to make its bestselling computers and phones. Now the dreaded word "boycott" has started to appear in media coverage of its activities.

Is Sarkozy about to throw in the towel?
France's leader addresses nation as speculation grows he may not run again

By John Lichfield Sunday 29 January 2012
President Nicolas Sarkozy will be fighting for his political life when he makes a live appearance on French TV tonight. Some senior figures within his own party fear that he has already lost all chance of winning the two-round presidential election in April and May. There is speculation – possibly rooted in wishful thinking – that Mr Sarkozy may soon be tempted to throw in the towel and allow another senior centre-right politician to run in his place. Sources within his centre-right party insist that the President will make no dramatic statements tonight. He will not say that he is pulling out of the race.

A Papua New Guinea wedding: Face paint, grass aprons and pigs
It's not every day you get a chance to visit Papua New Guinea, and even rarer to be invited to a highland wedding, where grass aprons are de rigeur and the bride's value is measured in pigs.

By Pauline Davies Papua New Guinea
It was a wedding I could not pass up - a traditional tribal ceremony in the remote southern highlands of Papua New Guinea and I was invited as family. Komya village was once home for Moses, the bridegroom. After being abandoned as a child and on the verge of starvation, he was taken in by an Australian couple and ended up in Melbourne. There he met Danielle - my niece. They were only 13 years old, but romance slowly blossomed and a decade later they decided to marry.

Nigeria pressured to end Boko Haram violence
Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram has killed hundreds in an onslaught of attacks that authorities have been unable to stop, prompting growing calls for talks to bring an end to the bloodshed.

MJ SMITH AND AMINU ABUBAKAR KANO, NIGERIA
The group has long had unclear aims and a structure that is difficult to define, but a number of patterns have emerged in violence attributed to Boko Haram, offering more pieces to a complex puzzle. Attacks blamed on the group took on a new dimension on January 20, when a siege of Nigeria's second-largest city of Kano saw coordinated bombings and shootings which killed at least 185 people.

Active 200-km fault found off Honshu's Kii Peninsula
Previous shifts caused magnitude 8.6 quake, huge tsunami: scientists

Kyodo Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012
An active fault around 200 km long that is believed to have been a source of huge quakes in the past has been found off Honshu's Kii Peninsula, according to researchers at the University of Tokyo. If the fault on the Nankai Trough moves, it could trigger a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, the researchers said, adding they have found a seabed cliff several hundred meters high that was created by the fault's past movements.

Six In The Morning

Goldman Sachs ties enrich Romney

No other company but Bain so closely intertwined with candidate's public, private lives

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE, PETER LATTMAN and KEVIN ROOSE
When Bain Capital sought to raise money in 1989 for a fast-growing office-supply company named Staples, Mitt Romney, Bain’s founder, called upon a trusted business partner: Goldman Sachs, whose bankers led the company’s initial public offering. When Mr. Romney became governor of Massachusetts, his blind trust gave Goldman much of his wealth to manage, a fortune now estimated to be as much as $250 million. And as Mr. Romney mounts his second bid for the presidency, Goldman is coming through again: Its employees have contributed at least $367,000 to his campaign, making the firm Mr. Romney’s largest single source of campaign money through the end of September.

Israel warns time is running out before it launches strike on Iran
Growing body of opinion suggests that Iranian response to an attack would be muted

Saturday 28 January 2012
Economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States can only be allowed a limited time period to prevent Iran from attempting to acquire a nuclear arsenal before a military strike must be contemplated, Israeli leaders have declared. The tough public stance from Tel Aviv comes amid conflicting reports on the readiness of the Israeli military establishment to carry out an attack on Iran.

Syria: claims of 'racial cleansing' as 14 family members are killed
Even by the numbing standards of Syria's uprising, the most brutal of the Arab Spring, the images are harrowing.

By Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent
Their faces battered and bloodied, the four children are laid out on a bed. The camera hovers first over the corpse of a male toddler in a turquoise sleep suit and blue and pink socks. He is not yet of walking age; his legs are still bowed. A bib around his neck is splattered in blood and he is lying on the upstretched hand of his older sister, whose face is stained crimson. Beneath them on the sheet are the bodies of two more young children, a boy and a girl, both bearing horrific injuries.

Libya prisoners make new torture allegations
New evidence has emerged that supporters of the former Libyan leader, Col Gaddafi, have been tortured while in detention.

The BBC 28 January 2012
The BBC has been told by inmates at a jail in Misrata that they were beaten, whipped and given electric shocks. The head of the city's military council has dismissed the allegations. United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay has called on Libya's transitional government to take full control of all prisons. The allegations come exactly 100 days after Col Gaddafi's violent death at the hands of former rebels.

Army up his sleeve: Mugabe’s military strongmen likely to stay


RAY NDLOVU HARARE, ZIMBABWE
The two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) parties led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube have now threatened to fight Mugabe "legally and politically" in a bid to block the reappointments, which observers believe will strengthen Mugabe's position ahead of elections expected this year. The terms of office of Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga and Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri expire at the end of this month. Coming to an end in February are the terms of office for the prisons services commissioner, retired Major General Paradzai Zimondi, air force commander Air Marshal Perence Shiri and Zimbabwe National Army commander Lieutenant General Philip Sibanda.

How Haiti is fighting poverty by killing cash
With many of Haiti's physical banks destroyed, Haitians are beginning to rely on their cell phones as 'mobile wallets.'

By Margo Conner, Global Envision /
In Haiti, cash is escaping from wallets and savings accounts are breaking free from brick-and-mortar banks. Two years after 2010’s devastating earthquake, mobile money has taken off in the island nation. While the country has seen setbacks in many areas and continues to struggle, one bright spot is the transformation of the country’s traditional banking sector. Physical banks were wiped away by the quake and subsequent hurricane, and a mobile banking network that uses cell phones has grown up in their place.

South Korea's Pop Wave

South Korean pop music known as 'K-Pop', is flourishing around the world, finding new fans across Asia, Europe and the US. With attractive artists, catchy tunes and polished dance moves, K-Pop is the number one draw-card for tourists to South Korea and generates tens of millions of export dollars. But punishing schedules and contracts, plus links to prostitution and corruption have revealed a dark side to the industry. Meanwhile critics claim K-Pop is too manufactured to create mega-international stars or to sustain its future. 101 East explores South Korea's K-Pop phenomenon and asks if it is a music revolution that is set to last. Korea's music and entertainment are not the exception when it comes to the abusive treatment of those involved. These people are treated at best like chattel and at worse as slaves. Lives so controlled that one might use a metaphor; seemingly free yet kept in solitary confinement. Conditions which exist in Japan and Taiwan as well.

Six In The Morning

Jonathan urges Boko Haram to state demands

Nigerian president says government will engage in "dialogue" if the group identifies itself and lays down clear demands.

Last Modified: 27 Jan 2012
The Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, has challenged Boko Haram to identify itself and state clearly its demands as a basis for talks. The radical Islamist group killed more than 500 people last year and another 250 in the first weeks of 2012 in gun and bomb attacks in the West African country, according to Human Rights Watch. "If they clearly identify themselves now and say this is the reason why we are resisting, this is the reason why we are confronting government or this is the reason why we destroy some innocent people and their properties ... then there will be a basis for dialogue," Jonathan said in an interview to Reuters at the presidential villa in the capital, Abuja,on Thursday.

Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt faces genocide trial
Judge links Rios Montt to deaths of 1,700 people as soldiers used rape and torture to rid country of leftist insurgents in 1980s

Reuters in Guatemala City guardian.co.uk, Friday 27 January 2012
Former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt will face trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity as the Central American nation seeks to put a brutal 36-year civil war behind it. A judge found sufficient evidence that linked Rios Montt, who ruled during a particularly bloody period in 1982-83, to the killing of more than 1,700 indigenous people in a crackdown on insurgents. "I believe that there is enough evidence in these charges," said Judge Carol Flores, who agreed with prosecutors that Rios Montt should answer for brutality under his rule.

Settlers who went too far - even for Netanyahu
Donald Macintyre ventures to the village which has provoked a legal crisis in Israel

Friday 27 January 2012
Itai Harel gazed across at the rocky wilderness of the Judaean Mountains and urged us to "look at all this wonderful, empty land all the way from Jerusalem, waiting for its sons to come to build and live in it". It was one of the few moments that Mr Harel, a 38-year-old social worker, turned lyrical in helping to explain why he, his wife and six children are living with 50 other families in a fenced outpost on a remote hilltop east of the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Sudan and South Sudan leaders bid to defuse oil dispute
The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan are to meet in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to discuss a dispute over transit fees for South Sudan's oil.

The BBC 27 January 2012
Since independence last July, South Sudan has been using Sudan's infrastructure to export its oil. However, last week South Sudan said it was suspending oil production, accusing Sudan of "stealing" its oil. Sudan says the south has not been paying transit fees and that it has taken the oil in lieu of payment. The summit will bring together South Sudanese president Salva Kiir and his Sudanese counterpart - and old enemy - Omar al-Bashir.

Iran Set to Turn Off Oil Supply to Europe
The European Union embargo on Iranian oil will only come into effect in six months, but the leadership in Tehran wants to act first: Exports to Europe are set to be halted immediately. It is a move which could mean added difficulties for struggling economies in southern Europe.

Spiegel
It's a move which has tit-for-tat written all over it, but one which could nonetheless have a serious impact: The Iranian government wants to present a bill to parliament this weekend calling for an immediate halt to oil deliveries to Europe. The move, with most reports citing the Iranian news agency Mehr, has come about in response to the EU agreement to impose sanctions against Iran, which were announced earlier this week. The sanctions banned any new contracts for buying oil from Iran, but allowed existing deals to continue until July in order to give countries time to find other sources. But that process is now at risk after the latest move from Tehran, a step the Iranian government had already threatened.

Court blocks 'Mein Kampf' excerpts from being published


By Christopher Cottrell, CNN January 26, 2012
A civil courtin Munich has blocked a British publisher's plans to print excerpts of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in Germany later this month. The court ruled Wednesday that British publisher Peter McGee's plans to disseminate portions of the anti-Semitic manifesto in Germany were not protected by long-standing citation rights. Initially slated to hit the shelves in the Zeitungszeugen magazine in Germany on January 26, it would have been the first time that any parts of the book had been reprinted in a newspaper or magazine in that country since the end of World War II.

Six In The Morning

World's giant trees are dying off rapidly, studies show

 Ecological 'kings of the jungle' being toppled by forest fragmentation, severe drought and new pests and diseases 

 

• John Vidal, environment editor
• The Guardian, Thursday 26 January 2012

 The biggest trees in the world, known as the true ecological kings of the jungle, are dying off rapidly as roads, farms and settlements fragment forests and they come under prolonged attack from severe droughts and new pests and diseases.

Long-term studies in Amazonia, Africa and central America show that while these botanical behemoths may have adapted successfully to centuries of storms, pests and short-term climatic extremes, they are counterintuitively more vulnerable than other trees to today's threats.

Palestinians to walk away from peace talks

 President Abbas blames Israeli settlements for failed bid to revive top-level negotiations

Jerusalem

Thursday 26 January 2012

 
The Palestinians were last night preparing to walk away from talks with Israel aimed at reviving peace negotiations as international mediators frantically shuttled between Ramallah and Jerusalem in an attempt to keep the peace process alive.

Palestinian representatives believe that negotiations have run their course as a deadline for both sides to present proposals on borders and security expires today. Israel, which has criticised the deadline as "artificial," said talks should continue.


 Prisoners being tortured in Libya, UN says
 Human-rights chief Navi Pillay "extremely concerned" about detainees accused by fighters of being Gaddafi loyalists.

Last Modified: 26 Jan 2012 09:12

Detainees from Libya's war held by fighters continue to be subjected to torture despite efforts by the provisional government to address the issue, according to the UN human-rights chief.
Navi Pillay told the UN Security Council on Wednesday she was extremely concerned about thousands of prisoners, most of them accused of being loyalists of the toppled government of Muammar Gaddafi and many from sub-Saharan Africa.
 "The lack of oversight by the central authorities creates an environment conducive to torture and ill-treatment," Pillay said.

"My staff have received alarming reports that this is happening in places of detention that they have visited."

PIP breast implant boss arrested in France

 The owner of a French breast implant maker at the centre of a safety scare has been arrested in France.

Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) founder Jean-Claude Mas, 72, was held at his home southern France, police sources told reporters.
In 2010, France banned PIP implants made with the low-grade industrial silicone, amid fears they could rupture and leak.
An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 women in 65 countries were given implants.
In France, 30,000 women were advised to remove them.
Interpol
Mr Mas, who was arrested in Six-Fours-les-Plages, has been under investigation since he revealed in a police interview last year that PIP ordered employees to hide the unauthorised silicone when they visited its factory.

Kidnapped US aid contractor reportedly held by militants in Pakistan

Some five months after Warren Weinstein was kidnapped, the US aid contractor is reported to be in the custody of a Pakistani Al Qaeda affiliate, McClatchy Newspapers reports.

 By Tom Hussain, McClatchy Newspapers


 A kidnapped American aid contractor is alive and in good health, being held by a Pakistani Al Qaeda affiliate that's likely to use him as a bargaining chip, according to militants, security officials, and analysts.

 Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in August from his home in Lahore, Pakistan, is in the custody of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants in North Waziristan, a ranking Pakistani militant told McClatchy. The militant said he'd seen Mr. Weinstein last month and at that point "his health was fine."

Australia's Gillard dragged away from Aboriginal protest

 By msnbc.com staff and news services

CANBERRA -- Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was dragged away by security guards Thursday after she was trapped in a restaurant by rowdy protesters demonstrating for indigenous rights following a ceremony to mark Australia's national day.
Some 200 supporters of Aboriginal rights surrounded a Canberra restaurant and banged on its windows while Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott were inside officiating at an award ceremony.
The protesters were marching at the nearby Aboriginal Tent Embassy to mark 40 years since its establishment and rushed the restaurant in response to comments by Abbott earlier in the day, The Australian newspaper reported.

Help Kill 24 Iraqi Civilians Don't Go To Jail

In 2005 a squad of U.S. Marines angry over the killing of another Marine entered the Iraqi city of Haditha and killed 24 innocent civilians mostly women and children shot at very close range. One has to wonder if the lives of those killed mean anything. Or, were they just seen as objects and not human because they were Iraqi?

The only US marine to face sentencing for the killing of two dozen unarmed Iraqis in one of the Iraq war's defining moments has been spared jail time after defending his squad's storming of the homes of Haditha as a necessary act "to keep the rest of my marines alive".
Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich's sentence ends a six-year prosecution for the 2005 attack. Eight Marines were initially charged; one was acquitted and six others had their cases dropped.
Wuterich, who admitted ordering his squad to "shoot first, ask questions later" after a roadside bomb killed a fellow Marine, ended his manslaughter trial by pleading guilty on Monday to a single count of negligent dereliction of duty.

The Haditha killings (also called the Haditha incident or the Haditha massacre) refers to the incident in which 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed by a group of United States Marines on November 19, 2005 in Haditha, a city in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar. At least 19 of those killed were civilians. It has been alleged that the killings were retribution for the attack on a convoy of Marines with an improvised explosive device that killed Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas.^[1]
An initial Marine Corps communique reported that 15 civilians were killed by the bomb's blast and eight insurgents were subsequently killed when the Marines returned fire against those attacking the convoy. However, other evidence uncovered by the media contradicted the Marines' account.^[2] A Time magazine reporter's questions prompted the United States military to open an investigation into the incident. The investigation claimed it found evidence that "supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot civilians, including unarmed men, women and children", according to an anonymous Pentagon official.^[3] On December 21, 2006, eight Marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines were charged in connection with the incident.^[4][5] As of June 2008, charges against seven of the eight Marines had been dropped.^[6]

Six In The Morning

Business booming for the dog smugglers of the Mekong



By Peter Shadbolt, CNN January 25, 2012
Chinese New Year is a dangerous time for pet dogs in Thailand. Traditionally the time of peak demand for dog meat in Vietnam, the dog smugglers of the Mekong work deep into the night shipping thousands of animals -- sometimes dozens to a cage -- across the river border with Laos to be trucked on to the dinner tables of the nouveau riche in Hanoi. "I'd say about 98% of them are domesticated -- a lot of them are stolen pets," says John Dalley of the Phuket-based Soi Dog Foundation. Soi is a Thai word meaning backstreet or alley. "They've been trained and respond to commands, some of them are even still wearing collars," he says.

Fishing rules must cover EU vessels in foreign waters, campaigners say
WWF says reform of fishing policy must ensure that European vessels exploit stocks in international waters sustainably

Press Association guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 January 2012 06.00 GMT
New rules are needed to make sure all European fishing vessels fishing outside of EU waters operate in a sustainable way, campaigners urged on Wednesday. The current reform of the common fisheries policy, which governs the EU fleet, must make sure that vessels exploiting fish stocks as far away as the Indian Ocean and the southern Atlantic conform to the same standards as in Europe's waters.

We've been here before – and it suits Israel that we never forget 'Nuclear Iran'
The Ayatollah ordered the entire nuclear project to be closed down because it was the work of the devil

Robert Fisk Wednesday 25 January 2012
Turning round a story is one of the most difficult tasks in journalism – and rarely more so than in the case of Iran. Iran, the dark revolutionary Islamist menace. Shia Iran, protector and manipulator of World Terror, of Syria and Lebanon and Hamas and Hezbollah. Ahmadinejad, the Mad Caliph. And, of course, Nuclear Iran, preparing to destroy Israel in a mushroom cloud of anti-Semitic hatred, ready to close the Strait of Hormuz – the moment the West's (or Israel's) forces attack.

Erdogan Slams 'Racist' France Over Genocide Bill
The French Senate has passed a bill making the denial of genocide -- including the massacre of Armenians in 1915 -- a crime. The Turkish reaction has been furious. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced what he called a "racist and discriminatory" attitude towards Turkey.

Spiegel
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed a controversial French bill, which makes denying that the 1915 massacre of Armenians was a genocide a crime, for its "racist and discriminatory" attitude towards Turkey. The Turkish prime minister also threatened to implement unspecified sanctions against France if the bill is signed into law, "step by step, with no retreat." Whilst Turkey recognizes the deaths of Armenians in 1915 during the break up of the Ottoman Empire, it refuses to accept they amounted to genocide -- contrary to the position of most historians. But with the French Senate having approved the bill on Monday, it now only needs the signature of President Nicolas Sarkozy to become law.

Chinese fire on Tibetan protest


Philip Wen, Beijing January 25, 2012
TENSIONS have escalated in the sensitive Tibetan region of south-west China after security forces opened fire on ethnic Tibetan protesters, killing at least one and injuring more than 30 others on the first day of the Chinese New Year. The shootings happened in Luhuo, in the western reaches of Sichuan Province, near the Tibetan border. The dead man has been identified as 49-year-old Norpa Yonten, according to Free Tibet, a London-based advocacy group.

Struggling Nigeria weakened by violence
The assault bore the hallmarks of long-term planning: Cars loaded down with heavy explosives and driven by those willing to die

JON GAMBRELL KANO, NIGERIA
The coordinated attack in Nigeria's second largest city by the radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has shown its metamorphosis from a group that sent out lone motorcycle-riding gunmen to one that deployed scores of killers who moved with military precision. Nigeria's ill-equipped police and military have been unable to confront this growing threat to peace in Africa's most populous nation. "Nigeria has never seen anything like this before," said Elizabeth Donnelly, a London-based think tank Chatham House analyst. "It's something so diffuse, so amorphous. It's very nimble and really hard to understand and pin down."

For Syrian Government It's A 'Conspiracy'

The world is 'Conspiring ' against Syria.  You read it here first every government except two are working to over throw the government of Syria.  It's the plot of the century of the millennium for all of known history.  As the evil conspirators lurk in the shadows Syria's government using all the military force at their disposal to crush the coup of conspiracy. By killing more than 5,000 of its own citizens.   For the record most conspiracies don't succeed because to many people know and they can't keep it a secret.

Syria attacks Arab League over 'conspiracy'

 Foreign minister says league is implementing a foreign conspiracy, as Gulf states withdraw from observer mission.

Syria has accused the Arab League of implementing a foreign conspiracy against the country, after a new initiative by the organisation called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down to end the bloodshed there.
Gulf Arab states said earlier they had decided to withdraw their observers from the Arab League mission to Syria, saying that the much-criticised initiative had failed to stop the bloodshed.
The new plan envisioned the "peaceful departure of the Syrian regime" and resembled the arrangement in Yemen, where Gulf states convinced Ali Abdullah Saleh, the outgoing president, to delegate power and leave the country, Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, said.
Walid al-Muallem, Syria's foreign minister, told a news conference on Tuesday that the latest Arab proposal was a violation of his country's sovereignty, and attacked the league for its efforts to take its plan to the UN.
Muallem said the league was "implementing the conspiracy they have agreed to abroad against Syria."
"At this point in the conspiracy ... it's a provocation to bring the matter into international circles," he said.

     

Six In The Morning

A Maritime Disaster that Was Waiting to Happen'

The Costa Concordia disaster, which has claimed at least 13 lives, has shocked the world. But maritime experts say such a catastrophe was just a matter of time.

SPIEGEL Staff
On the Tuscan island of Giglio, the night sky is clear and the stars are out. Three men are sitting among the cacti and lemon trees near the cliffs behind the harbor. When the weather is nice, couples come here at sunset to make out. It's Thursday night of last week. Seven days have now passed since the Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy. The moon is shining as the men stare at the wreckage of the capsized cruise ship, not far from the harbor entrance. Two of the men are local Italians from the island, who have spent the last few days in a desperate struggle, and who have saved many lives in the process. They are comforting the third man, an Indian from Mumbai, who is still hoping for a miracle.

Turkish fury likely over French bill on Armenian genocide


RUADHÁN Mac CORMAIC in Paris
FRANCE IS bracing itself for a major diplomatic stand-off with Turkey after senators in Paris approved a draft law to make it illegal to deny that the mass killing of Armenians during the first World War was genocide. The National Assembly, France’s lower house, voted overwhelmingly in December for the genocide-denial bill, prompting Ankara to freeze political and economic ties and temporarily recall its ambassador. Hundreds of Turks and Armenians protested outside the senate building during yesterday’s debate on the bill, which would mean anyone denying the deaths amounted to genocide could face a one-year jail term and a fine of €45,000.

Egypt's winds of change remain to be seen
They stood in a moment of silent unity, honouring the revolutionary martyrs who helped make this historic dream a reality.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - Jan 24 2012 07:42
And then the cracks began to appear. The first ultra-conservative Salafist MP to go off script was Mamdouh Ismail, who added "... if not in contradiction with God's doctrine" to his oath of office and others quickly followed suit. Liberals hit back by tacking on their own spontaneous post scripts, promising to serve the nation "in accordance with the demands of the revolution".

Foodistan: India-Pakistan chefs fight for taste buds
It's being billed as an "epic battle" between India and Pakistan.

By Geeta Pandey BBC News, Delhi
Many sported bright yellow "No to military trials" armbands, an emblem of fierce opposition to the ruling generals and refused to join a bout of collective applause for the army council that still maintains an iron grip on the country's levers of power. But instead of being fought on the battleground, it's being fought in the kitchen. The armies comprise eight professional chefs from each country, fighting to conquer the taste buds of judges. This is Foodistan - a new show that begins on Indian television channel NDTV Good Times on Monday night. The programme-makers say it's a cook-off between "highly talented chefs from Asia's two most culturally rich countries".

Sheikhs fall in love with renminbi
Middle East

By M K Bhadrakumar
China and Qatar have been taking virtually opposite positions apropos events in Libya and Syria. Yet, they do not seem to be deterred by this little difference and are bonding in a big way in economic cooperation to mutual benefit. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who visited Doha last week, disclosed at a press conference on Friday: a) China proposes to invest in the manufacturing of ''downstream oil products, which are most urgently needed by Qatar''; b) China and Qatar signed an agreement to jointly build a refinery in Taizhou, Zheijiang, in China; c) Chinese companies propose to participate in infrastructure projects in Qatar; and d) China and Qatar are discussing a "long-term, stable and comprehensive cooperative partnership" in natural gas.

Sumatran elephant upgraded to critically endangered status
Species has lost half its population and 69% of its habitat through deforestation in the past 25 years

Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 January 2012 06.00 GMT
The Sumatran elephant has been placed on the list of critically endangered species after losing half of its population in a single generation, prompting calls from conservation groups for emergency measures to halt the destruction of its habitat. Deforestation is seen as the primary reason for the collapse in numbers in Indonesia, which until recently was seen alongside India and Sri Lanka as one of the last great refuges for elephants in Asia. The animal is now at risk of becoming extinct within decades.

Cell 36: Palestinian Children Locked In Solitary Comfinement In Israel

Harriet Sherwood, Mat Heywood and Mustafa Khalili guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 January 2012

Cell 36 in Al Jalame prison, northern Israel, is one of a handful of cells where Palestinian children are locked in solitary confinement for days or even weeks. Mohammad Shabrawi from Tulkarm, in the West Bank, was arrested last January, aged 16, and Ezz ad-Deen Ali Qadi from Ramallah, who was 17 when arrested, talk about their experiences

Six In The Morning

Syria rejects Arab League peace plan, brands it a 'conspiracy'

Foreign ministers had called on President Bashar Assad to hand over to a deputy, set up a new unity government

msnbc.com news services
Syria rejected on Monday a request by Arab League foreign ministers that President Bashar Assad hand over power to a deputy and set up a new unity government, saying the plan was part of a "conspiracy against Syria." "Syria rejects the decisions of the Arab League ministerial council ... and considers them a violation of its national sovereignty and a flagrant interference in its internal affairs," state news agency SANA quoted an official source as saying. Arab foreign ministers called on Assad on Sunday to hand over to a deputy and set up a new unity government, as a prelude to early parliamentary and presidential elections.

The real North Korea by Kim's forsaken son
When Kim Jong-il's presumed heir was shunned, his life changed forever. David McNeill sifts exclusive extracts from a new book that explains why he believes his half-brother's fledgling reign is doomed

Monday 23 January 2012
Every family has its black sheep but few families are as shrouded in myth as the reclusive Kim regime of North Korea. Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the recently deceased dictator Kim Jong-il, famously left the family fold and apparently spends much of his time in the Chinese gambling resort of Macau. Until this month, he was known mainly for a bizarre clandestine attempt to visit Tokyo Disneyland in 2001. He used a fake passport and Chinese alias that translates as "fat bear" – a stunt that reportedly embarrassed his father and ended any chance he had of becoming leader.

Britain, US and France send warships through Strait of Hormuz
Britain, America and France delivered a pointed signal to Iran, sending six warships led by a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier through the highly sensitive waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

By David Blair, Chief Foreign Correspondent 6:00AM GMT 23 Jan 2012
This deployment defied explicit Iranian threats to close the waterway. It coincided with an escalation in the West's confrontation with Iran over the country's nuclear ambitions. European Union foreign ministers are today expected to announce an embargo on Iranian oil exports, amounting to the most significant package of sanctions yet agreed. They are also likely to impose a partial freeze on assets held by the Iranian Central Bank in the EU.

Treblinka: Revealing the hidden graves of the Holocaust
Any doubts about the existence of mass graves at the Treblinka death camp in Poland are being laid to rest by the first survey of the site using tools that see below the ground, writes forensic archaeologist Caroline Sturdy Colls.

The BBC 23 January 2012
When the Nazis left Treblinka in 1943 they thought they had destroyed it. They had knocked down the buildings and levelled the earth. They had built a farmhouse and installed a Ukrainian "farmer". They had planted trees, and - contemporary reports suggest - lupins. But if they thought they had removed all evidence of their crime, they hadn't. For a forensic archaeologist, there is a vast amount to study.

Egypt's new parliament to hold first session
Islamist-dominated lower house will meet on Monday days after completing first election since fall of Hosni Mubarak.

Last Modified: 23 Jan 2012 08:04
Just days after finishing a historic election that put Islamists in the legislative driving seat, Egypt's lower house of parliament on Monday will sit for the first time since former president Hosni Mubarak was deposed nearly one year ago. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party, which took roughly 43 per cent of the People's Assembly, has vowed to guide Egypt through the transition from military to civilian rule while upholding personal liberties. The Brotherhood has also promised not to ally with the ultra-conservative Nour Party, which largely represents Egypt's fundamentalist Salafi community and came in second, winning around 21 per cent of available seats. The rise of the Islamists marks a sea change from the Mubarak era, when parliament was a compliant body dominated by a supermajority of his National Democratic Party (NDP).

Salman Rushdie slams Rajasthan government
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot says threat was real

Sunny Sebastian
The eminent author Salman Rushdie has said he is “outraged and very angry” over information that Rajasthan authorities fabricated a threat to his life in order to keep him away from the Jaipur Literature Festival. “I have investigated [the issue],” he wrote on his Twitter feed in response to a story published by The Hindu on Sunday, “and believe I was indeed lied to.”

Six In The Morning

On Sunday

Gingrich wins South Carolina primary

Former US house speaker raises the possibility of a lengthy campaign by beating the Republicans' favourite, Romney.

Last Modified: 22 Jan 2012 07:30
Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, took roughly 40 per cent of the vote. His victory means that three different candidates have won the first three contests in the state-by-state Republican primary, reflecting a party electorate that has yet to make up its mind. Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, won the Iowa caucuses on January 3, and Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, won the New Hampshire primary on January 10. Speaking at a late-night victory rally in Greenville on Saturday, Gingrich complimented his rivals before laying into Obama, whom he called a "radical" who would transform the United States into a European-style socialist state.

Beijing releases pollution data after public pressure
But figures on dangerous smog particles rated as PM2.5 conflict with higher measurements by others, observers say

Associated Press guardian.co.uk, Sunday 22 January 2012 04.44 GMT
Environmental authorities in Beijing, China's notoriously smoggy capital, have started releasing more detailed pollution data in response to public pressure. But one expert said measurements from the first day were low compared with data US officials have been collecting for years. The initial measurements were low on a day where blue sky was visible. After a week of smog the skies over the city were being cleared by a north wind.

Thousands of women could be at risk from 'silent Thalidomide'
A drug intended to prevent miscarriage is blamed for causing cancer in the daughters – and possibly even granddaughters – of women who took it decades ago.

By Sarah Morrison and Jaymi McCann Sunday 22 January 2012
Tens of thousands of British families are to be asked if they are victims of a drug given to pregnant women which can cause fatal illness in the second, and possibly even third, generations. Some women given the drug in this country have already obtained compensation in America. Diethylstilboestrol (DES), a drug given to women for 30 years up to 1973, has been found to cause a rare form of vaginal and cervical cancer in some of the daughters of the women who took it, as well as fertility problems. Compensation of an estimated $1.5bn has been paid out in the US. There is even a suspicion that DES – known as the "silent Thalidomide" – can affect the grandchildren of those who took it.

Writers' protest runs foul of Indian law


Jason Burke January 22, 2012
JAIPUR: Organisers of India's biggest literary festival have said they fear for the future of the event after several high-profile writers read excerpts from Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses in support of the author. The novel is banned in India. Rushdie was scheduled to appear at the festival in Jaipur in north-west India but said on Friday he was pulling out after a warning that hitmen had been sent to ''eliminate'' him by a Mumbai crime boss.

For activists, Egypt revolution still on a year later
Activists behind the uprising which ousted Hosni Mubarak are up in arms over grandiose plans by Egypt's military rulers to celebrate the first anniversary of the revolution, insisting it is still a work in progress.

Sapa-AFP | 22 January, 2012 11:45
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has fireworks displays and other celebrations lined up for January 25 to mark one year since the launch of the revolt that forced president Mubarak to step down after three decades in power. But activists say the journey to democratic rule is far from over and have called for nationwide street protests on Wednesday to keep pushing for change.

A Point of View: The tyranny of unwelcome noise
Honking horns. Household appliances that beep. Other people's music. Should we turn down the volume, or get better at concentrating in a noisy world, asks historian Lisa Jardine.

The BBC
I had an MRI scan this week, which set me thinking about unwelcome noise. There was plenty of opportunity to do so, as anyone who has had such a scan will know. Lying prone in a claustrophobic opaque tunnel, with instructions not to move a muscle, everything is driven out of one's mind by the insistent, repetitive, loud banging and cyclical shrill throbbing sounds produced by the machine's electromagnetic coil. "The scanner is noisy," the instructions the NHS sends you with your appointment notification warn.

Republicans Newt Gingrich and Their Love Of Morals and Ethicss

With the South Carolina Presidential Primary now complete and Newt Gingrich the declared winner one has to   question the supposed moral and ethical superiority of America's  Republican party and its voters.   Here's a political party which consistently promotes these issues yet fails to abide by them.

Newt Gingrich is the former Speaker of the House of Representatives his term in office didn't end with the Democratic party regaining control of the lower chamber after an election. Mr. Gingrich's speaker-ship was felled by his unethical behavior.

Ethics violations and penalty

Eighty-four ethics charges were filed against Gingrich during his term as speaker. After extensive investigation and negotiation by the House Ethics Committee, Gingrich was penalized $300,000 by a 395–28 House vote. It was the first time in history a speaker was disciplined for ethical wrongdoing.^[65]
In January 1997, Gingrich said "I did not manage the effort intensely enough to thoroughly direct or review information being submitted to the committee on my behalf. In my name and over my signature, inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable statements were given to the committee, but I did not intend to mislead the committee."^[66] Most of the charges were dropped, in one case because there was no evidence that Gingrich was still violating, as of the time of the investigation, the rule that he was found to have violated in the past.^[67] The one charge not dropped was a charge of claiming tax-exempt status for a college course run for political purposes. In addition, the House Ethics Committee concluded that inaccurate information supplied to investigators represented "intentional or ... reckless" disregard of House rules.^[68]
Special Counsel James M. Cole concluded that Gingrich violated federal tax law and had lied to the ethics panel in an effort to force the committee to dismiss the complaint against him. The full committee panel did not agree whether tax law had been violated and left that issue up to the IRS.^[68] In 1999, the IRS cleared the organizations connected with the "Renewing American Civilization" courses under investigation for possible tax violations.<sup>[69]

He was so disliked by the members of his party that they brought the ethics charges against him following the rebuke by the House there was an attempt to remove him from office  which failed allowing him to remain Speaker until his resignation following the 1998 mid-term elections.  Further Mr. Gingrich believed that then President Bill Clinton should be impeached and removed office after having lied about an affair he j
had with a White House intern yet at that same time he was having an affair with his current wife who was one of his staff members.  People like Newt Gingrich love to ex-pause their love for morality and ethics even though they lack them themselves.</sup>  
   

Murder In Tehran

On January 11, the fourth Iranian nuclear scientist in two years was blown up by a magnetic bomb attached to his car door. And while the media did not reveal Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan's assassin, they did reveal their own agendas and double standards. Iranian media instantly pointed the finger at Israel. As ever, the Israelis neither confirmed nor denied. Over in the US and the UK, mainstream media outlets used his death as yet another beat in the drum roll for war against the Islamic Republic. In this week's News Divide, we look at what the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist says about the news media and their own agendas. Quick hits from Listening Post Newsbytes: Thousands of websites go offline to protest against proposed anti-piracy legislation; the Indian government backs a court order that could have implications for leading Internet companies; the trial of a prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist comes to an end but the sentence is little comfort for supporters; and Pakistan's poor record on investigating murder cases involving journalists just got worse.

Six In The Morning

Must-see Chinese TV becoming a snooze

New censorship rules are driving viewers away from the hours-long New Year's Gala, long a staple of the Chinese holiday.

By Barbara Demick and John Lee, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Beijing— It is the television show that everybody watches and everybody loves to hate. On Sunday night, the eve of the Chinese New Year, a billion people could tune in for a ritual that is as deeply ingrained in the holiday tradition as watching the Rose Parade is for Americans. The show is CCTV's annual New Year's Gala, a five-hour pastiche of dancing, singing, comedy, magic tricks, propaganda and kitsch. CCTV claims that more than 90% of the Chinese population watches the show (more on that claim later), making it by far the most popular in China and one of the most watched television programs in the world.

Amazon setting up first 'fulfilment centre' in India
Giant warehouse in Mumbai signals that company is serious about expansion into Indian market

Reuters guardian.co.uk, Saturday 21 January 2012 00.29 GMT
Amazon is setting up its first "fulfilment centre" in India as the world's largest internet retailer tries to break into the world's second most populous nation. Fulfilment centres are giant warehouses that help Amazon and other online retailers store products, ship them and handle returns quickly. The fulfilment centre is based in Mumbai, the biggest city in the country, according to job listings on Amazon's Indian careers website.

EU's toughest sanctions yet put Iran on final warning over nuclear programme
Embargoes on oil and banking will hit ailing EU countries dependent on trade with Tehran

Saturday 21 January 2012
The toughest sanctions yet imposed on Iran will be unveiled by the European Union on Monday amid warnings it could be the last chance to resolve the nuclear stand-off before military strikes are considered. The punitive measures will include embargoes on oil, the country's central bank and financial institutions, with the aim of driving the Tehran regime to the negotiating table as it faces its revenue lifeblood being choked off.

Arctic Canada caught on 1919 silent film
One of the world's early documentaries featured unique footage of the lives of Arctic fur trappers in 1919.

By Chris Nikkel Documentary maker
In July 1919, the RMS Nascopie departed Montreal. It carried supplies bound for Arctic fur trade posts. But the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) ice-breaker had extra cargo on its annual trip. A film crew is on board. The ship headed north. As they travelled, a cameraman filmed the Nascopie crashing through ice floes. When the ship anchored, he went overboard, trudging across the ice with a tripod cradled in his arms. A second camera rolled from the deck, recording it all.

Hungarian PM backs down in dispute with European Union
The Irish Times - Saturday, January 21, 2012

DANIEL McLAUGHLIN
HUNGARIAN PRIME minister Viktor Orban has backed down from a possible court battle with the European Union and pledged to alter laws that have jeopardised Budapest’s bid to secure vital financial aid. His climbdown yesterday came as neighbouring Romania braced for an eighth night of protests against the government and its austerity measures, and Croats prepared to vote whether to join the EU at a time of economic uncertainty and political tension between members.

Curfew in Nigeria's Kano after deadly blasts
Immigration office and police stations come under attack in the largest city in country's mainly Muslim north.

Last Modified: 21 Jan 2012 05:55
The Nigerian city of Kano is under curfew after multiple explosions and gunfire in the area targeted an immigration office and several police stations. A witness told Al Jazeera that he had seen at least seven dead bodies, including five immigration officers and two civilians, following Friday's blasts. Authorities have not confirmed reports of casualties. An AFP news agency journalist heard what sounded to be about 20 explosions coming from two neighbourhoods in the city, the largest in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north. Smoke could also been seen coming from the areas. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Associated Press news agency reported. Ahmad Idris, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Abuja, said reports suggested at least eight police stations were targeted in addition to the zonal police headquarters.

Censorship In The World's Largest Democracy

Online restrictions in India continue to tighten, with even Facebook and Google facing the prospect of being blocked.

 Jillian York is director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco.

San Francisco, California - In the world's largest democracy, something is brewing that could have grave implications for freedom of expression. On January 12, in response to a private lawsuit, a Delhi High Court judge, Justice Suresh Kait, told lawyers for the Indian offices of Facebook and Google that, unless they develop the capability to regulate "offensive and objectionable" material on their sites, the Indian government would block their websites, "like China [does]".
The complaint, filed by Vinay Rai, a magazine editor, was filed under laws banning the sale of obscene books and objects, as well as one pertaining to criminal conspiracy. It demands that the companies - as well as companies providing similar services, such as Yahoo - screen content before it appears on their sites.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Rai explained that the evidence he submitted to the court included content offensive to Hindus, Muslims and Christians. "My intention is to ensure that the sentiments of any religion or community are not hurt," he told the Journal.


"Unlike books and paintings, online expression cannot easily be hidden from view."

India Toxic Trade

Is India investing in a future health crisis by importing asbestos from Canada?



More than 50 countries have banned asbestos products but India cannot get enough. It imports the mineral from Canada, risking a future health crisis.

Asbestos products have a deadly reputation.

Inhaling asbestos fibres can lead to a slow and painful death.

But in India, asbestos illness is under-diagnosed and mostly unrecognised.

And with the proliferation of factories making asbestos products, India is on the cusp of a devastating health crisis.

Workers have little safety equipment and if they contract a respiratory disease or cancer, few are paid compensation.

However, India cannot get enough of the product and it is a first-world nation that is supplying it. 

Canada will not use asbestos itself but it is selling it by the shipload to India.

Six In The Morning

Afghanistan’s Soldiers Step Up Killings of Allied Forces



By MATTHEW ROSENBERG Published: January 20, 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan — American and other coalition forces here are being killed in increasing numbers by the very Afghan soldiers they fight alongside and train, in attacks motivated by deep-seated animosity between the supposedly allied forces, according to American and Afghan officers and a classified coalition report obtained by The New York Times. A decade into the war in Afghanistan, the report makes clear that these killings have become the most visible symptom of a far deeper ailment plaguing the war effort: the contempt each side holds for the other, never mind the Taliban.

Cuban dissident dies in jail after hunger strike
Death of Wilmar Villar Mendoza, jailed in November for crimes against the state, blamed on mistreatment by Cuban government

Reuters in Havana guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 January 2012
A 31-year-old jailed dissident, Wilmar Villar Mendoza, died on Thursday in eastern Cuba from the effects of a 56-day hunger strike and what fellow opposition activists believe was mistreatment by the Cuban government, according to a human rights activist. Villar launched his hunger strike shortly after he was arrested in November, put on trial and sentenced to four years in prison for crimes including disobedience, resistance and crimes against the state, said Elizardo Sanchez of the Cuban Commission of Human Rights.

Dreams turn to reality for surrealist film director
The Czech film director, Jan Svankmajer discusses a troubled childhood and the inspiration for his new film.

Emily Jupp Friday 20 January 2012
Dreams are "undoubtedly one of the most substantial sources of inspiration," says the Czech film director, producer and animator, Jan Svankmajer, discussing his new film, Surviving Life.The plot follows a man who meets and falls in love with a woman in his dreams. The dreams compel him to try to uncover their meaning and in his obsession with his dream world he begins to spend more time away from his real life. The story evolved from Svankmajer's own dream, "after waking up I concluded that it was like the beginning of a film, bearing a mystery, and so I wrote the rest of it.

Costa Concordia disaster: Crew urged 'return to cabins'
A video has emerged showing the crew of the Costa Concordia reassuring passengers nothing was wrong, after the cruise ship had begun taking in water.

The BBC 20 January 2012
In the amateur footage, a crew member says "everything is under control" and asks passengers to go to their cabins. It is thought the delay in deciding to abandon the ship may have cost lives. At least 11 people died. Rescue workers have suspended their search once again after the ship shifted in choppy waters on Friday. The boat's movements have twice before hampered the work of rescuers, with the search suspended almost all day on Wednesday. The ship may have only moved by a metre or as little as a few centimetres, but officials fear it could suddenly slip into much deeper water, says the BBC's Alan Johnston at the scene.

Women Take Power in Brazilian Government
Brazil's new president, Dilma Rousseff, has quickly stepped out of the shadow of her charismatic predecessor Lula. After one year in office, she is more popular than any former president was at this stage.

By Jens Glüsing in Brasília
The epicenter of Brazilian power can be found on the fourth floor of the Palacio do Planalto in Brasília, the nation's capital. Liveried waiters elegantly carry trays of coffee through the hallways of the presidential palace, high-ranking officials wait in anterooms and air-conditioning units hum in the offices. Planning Minister Miriam Belchior rushes past on her way to visit Chief of Staff Gleisi Hoffmann, with whom she will discuss a multi-billion-real investment program to combat poverty. On the way she is greeted by Ideli Salvatti, the woman who manages the government's relations with Congress. Two floors down, Press Secretary Helena Chagas is talking on the phone. In the front office, several women are reviewing the day's newspapers.

Nigeria's Christmas massacre 'mastermind' escapes
The man thought to have masterminded an attack on a Nigerian church that killed 37 people on Christmas Day has escaped from police custody, still wearing handcuffs, less than a day after his arrest.

MONICA MARK LAGOS, NIGERIA
Kabir Sokoto, an influential businessperson and alleged gunrunner, was a huge catch for authorities investigating the church bombing just outside the capital, Abuja. A radical Islamist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack. Sokoto was detained after unexpectedly turning up at the Abuja home of the governor of Borno, a state in the north plagued by Boko Haram attacks. The following day, Sokoto fled while being escorted by five armed police officers to search his nearby flat.

Julian Assange: The Rolling Stone Interview

An excerpt: Read the entire interview here

And they're going after Manning, who is facing a life sentence, to get him to say that you're a spy?
To be another chess piece on the board in the attack on us. The U.S. government is trying to redefine what have been long-accepted journalistic methods. If the Pentagon is to have its way, it will be the end of national-security journalism in the United States.
How so?
They're trying to interpret the Espionage Act to say that any two-way communication with a source is a collaboration with a source, and is therefore a conspiracy to commit espionage where classified information is involved. The Pentagon, in fact, issued a public demand to us that we not only destroy everything we had ever published or were ever going to publish in relation to the U.S. government, but that we also stop "soliciting" information from U.S. government employees. The Espionage Act itself does not mention solicitation, but they're trying to create a new legal precedent that includes a journalist simply asking a source to communicate information. A few years ago, for example, the CIA destroyed its waterboarding interrogation videos. In the Manning hearing, prosecutors described how we had a most-wanted list, which included those interrogation videos if they still existed.

 Bill Keller, the former editor of the Times, wrote a widely read and lengthy piece that attacked you personally. In it, he says four or five times that "WikiLeaks is a source, they are not a partner."
Keller was trying to save his own skin from the espionage investigation in two ways. First, on a legal technicality, by claiming that there was no collaboration, only a passive relationship between journalist and source. And second, by distancing themselves from us by attacking me personally, using all the standard tabloid character-assassination attacks. Many journalists at the Times have approached me to say how embarrassed they were at the lowering of the tone by doing that. Keller also came out and said how pleased the White House was with them that they had not run WikiLeaks material the White House had asked them not to. It is one thing to do that, and it's another thing to proudly proclaim it. Why did Keller feel the need to tell the world how pleased the White House was with him? For the same reason he felt the need to describe how dirty my socks were. It is not to convey the facts – rather, it is to convey a political alignment. You heard this explicitly: Keller said, "Julian Assange may or may not be a journalist, but he's not my kind of journalist." My immediate reaction is, "Thank God I'm not Bill Keller's type of journalist."

 The publishing mindset at WikiLeaks, it's fair to say, is radically different than that of the mainstream press. Where a newspaper that received 500,000 documents might release 20, you released all of them.
Cablegate is 3,000 volumes of material. It is the greatest intellectual treasure to have entered into the public record in modern times. The Times released just over 100 cables. There are over 251,000 cables in Cablegate. So our approach is quite different to that of the Times. The Times in its security arrangements was only concerned with preventing The Washington Post from finding out what it was doing. But it told the U.S. government every single cable that it wanted to publish.