Six In The Morning

Voices from inside Homs

Syrians trapped in the besieged city feeling the wrath of Assad's brutal regime reveal the full horror of his determination to destroy his enemies

Tuesday 07 February 2012
"There are rockets raining down on many neighbourhoods and bodies buried under rubble. It's absolutely impossible to go out – Homs is surrounded and besieged. Snipers on the rooftops are shooting anyone who goes out on the street." - Amir "The army that is supposed to protect us is killing us. You cannot walk in the streets, you cannot go out. At the same time if you stay they will bomb and demolish your house. You cannot walk in the streets, you cannot go out." - Ali Osman

Disaster relief must be more local and national, Oxfam says
NGO's report says western donors must build up local and national groups to cope with expected rise in global disasters

Mark Tran guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 7 February 2012 07.00 GMT
Western donors and relief groups must build up the capacity of local and national organisations to respond to disasters, or the international humanitarian response system will fail to cope with an expected rise in emergencies, Oxfam warned. In its report, Crises in a New World Order, Oxfam said international NGOs and the UN provide only part of the answer to crises from Haiti to the Horn of Africa, and future humanitarian action will increasingly rely on new donors and NGOs from around the world and on the governments and civil society of crisis-hit countries.

Greek leader seeks to rally support for bailout plan
irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Tuesday, February 7, 2012,

ARTHUR BEESLEY, in Brussels, RUADHÁN Mac CORMAIC in Paris and DAMIAN Mac CON ULADH in Athens
Greek leaders are facing a moment of truth as technocrat premier Lucas Papademos attempts to secure his coalition’s support for a harsh new austerity plan under the country’s second bailout. A new round of talks in Athens today comes amid mounting international pressure on Greece to accept the terms proposed by the EU-European Central Bank-International Monetary Fund “troika” or face a crippling debt default within weeks. “There can be no agreement unless the troika’s proposals are adopted. The proposals are on the table. Time is of the essence,” German chancellor Angela Merkel said in Paris after meeting French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Chevron rig burns off Nigeria as damage hits shore
The burning inferno of what used to be a Chevron Corp. natural gas rig still stains the night's sky orange more than two weeks after the rig caught fire, and no one can say when it will end as swarms of dead fish surface.

Sapa-AP
The environmental damage is hitting a region whose poor still rely on the delta's muddy waters for survival. A nearby clinic remains overrun with patients who are showing up with skin irritations and gastrointestinal problems. "The community here has no other source of water apart from the river water, which on its own isn't even safe enough to drink, but the pollution has made the water even worse," said Dr. Oladipo Folorunso, the only doctor in the town of Ikebiri.

Maldives president resigns amid protests: Military


AP | Feb 7, 2012, 01.23PM IST
MALE: Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed resigned on Tuesday following weeks of public protests over his controversial order to arrest a senior judge, the military said. Brig. Ahmed Shiyam told reporters that Nasheed has agreed to step down and hand over the presidency to his Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan. There was no immediate comment from Nasheed.

Iran detains alleged BBC Persian journalists - reports
Reports from Iran say several people have been detained for alleged links to the BBC's Persian Service, which is banned in the country.

7 February 2012
The Mehr news agency says they were involved in newsgathering, recruiting and training for Iranian journalists and had arranged trips abroad for them. A BBC statement said no BBC Persian journalists were working inside Iran. It said the reported arrests should be of deep concern to all those who believed in free and independent media. On Friday, the BBC accused the Iranian authorities of intimidating those working for its Persian service.