Arab League told to pull its monitors out of Syria
Anger mounts as killings continue under the noses of inspectors sent to impose peace plan
An advisory body to the Arab League yesterday demanded that the organisation withdraw its monitors from Syria, saying they are being used by the regime as a "cover" for continuing its abuses.
The Arab Parliament said the 100-strong group of observers, in the country to ensure President Bashar al-Assad sticks to an agreed peace plan and stops the bloodshed, should leave "immediately". The Kuwaiti head of the 88-member parliament, Ali Salem al-Deqbasi, said: "The killing of children and the violation of human-rights law is happening in the presence of Arab League monitors, raising the fury of Arab people.
Delusions of the Euro Zone
The Lies that Europe's Politicians Tell Themselves
A Commentary by Armin Mahler
How much does time cost? That depends what you need it for. The time that Europe's leaders want to buy to tackle the euro crisis is a precious commodity. And its price keeps going up and up.
From the sodden seaside of Britain to the quietly glittering jewel of Burma
Graham Reilly
January 2, 2012
I'VE HAD some really rotten holidays. They mostly involved driving from Glasgow to some psychosis-inducing seaside town in Lancashire at the height of the British summer. It would rain every other day and, in between, the heavy grey-worsted clouds would hang around like an axe murderer having a fag on a dank street corner.
Every year my parents would stuff their three sons into a 1963 Ford Anglia and head down to Blackpool, Morecambe or Whitley Bay. It was like a war zone in the Anglia, with my carsick brothers and I vomiting up packets of salt and vinegar chips and an assortment of Cadbury's chocolate bars.
Nigeria on edge as terror-triggered lockdown continues
ADEROGBA OBISESAN LAGOS, NIGERIA - Jan 02 2012 09:00
Residents in the northeastern city of Maiduguri reported an increase in patrols and checkpoints, with soldiers in pickup trucks and armed with rifles stopping vehicles and forcing drivers to exit while also questioning them.
In the central city of Jos, security agents took over local government headquarters and two helicopters hovered overhead, while intensified patrols occurred on the ground.
"Everywhere is deserted," one Maiduguri resident said. "People have refused to leave their homes because they are afraid of what soldiers might do to them now that there is a state of emergency in the city."
In the central city of Jos, security agents took over local government headquarters and two helicopters hovered overhead, while intensified patrols occurred on the ground.
"Everywhere is deserted," one Maiduguri resident said. "People have refused to leave their homes because they are afraid of what soldiers might do to them now that there is a state of emergency in the city."
Indian diplomat attacked in court by Chinese traders
An Indian diplomat was injured and hospitalised following an assault by a large group of Chinese traders in a court, as he tried to secure the release of two Indians who were held hostage by locals, demanding payment of their dues in the eastern business hub of Yiwu.
S. Balachandran, a diplomat at the Indian Consulate in Shanghai was rushed to hospital when he fainted after being "manhandled" by the crowd that tried to snatch two kidnapped Indians who clung to him.
The incident happened when he was leaving the court after prolonged negotiations on the night of December 31.
Saving Amazonia: Winning the war on deforestation
2 January 2012
The Environment Agency special ops team gathered in a sultry town right on the southern edge of the Amazon. A group of officers, men and women, were relaxing in the shade of a majestic mango tree outside their offices. They were smoking and chatting.
These aren't bureaucrats with crumpled suits and clipboards. In Brazil, environment agents wear military fatigues, with heavy black pistols slung casually on their thighs.
These officers are, as I was to discover, soldiers on the front line in what Brazil regards as a war - a war to protect the Amazon rainforest.
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