Six In The Morning

Syrian activists: 64 bodies found near Homs in one of the worst mass killings



By Liz Sly, Tuesday, February 28, 7:59 AM
BEIRUT — The bodies of dozens of men were found dumped on wasteland on the outskirts of the stricken city of Homs on Monday in what appeared to be one of the worst instances of mass killing since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began last March. The Local Coordination Committees, an opposition group, said that the bodies of 64 men were taken to the National Hospital in Homs and that an unknown number of women and children who had been with them are missing. Activists said they thought that the men had been trying to flee the violence with their families when they were stopped and gunned down by security forces.

Red Cross rescue fails as Assad's tanks roll back into Homs
President hails victory in referendum on new constitution – but the onslaught continues

Justin Vela The Turkish-Syrian border Tuesday 28 February 2012
Syria's interior ministry announced yesterday that 89.4 per cent of voters had approved a new government-proposed constitution in a referendum held on Sunday that would limit the presidency of Bashar al-Assad and impose multi-party elections. But at the same time as the results were being announced, opposition activists reported a fresh onslaught against Homs. Despite the seemingly impressive result – there has been no independent verification – the government in Damascus conceded that 57.4 per cent of voters had bothered, or had been able, to cast their ballots. The result, if adopted, will allow President Assad to stay in power for another 16 years.

'Occupy London' protesters evicted


rishtimes.com - Last Updated: Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 08:06
Police said 20 people had so far been arrested in the “largely peaceful” operation. Bailiffs and police arrived at the site early this morning, five days after the Occupy London campaign was refused permission by the Court of Appeal to challenge orders evicting protesters. Confirming the eviction had begun, City of London Corporation said in a statement: “We regret that it has come to this but the High Court judgment speaks for itself and the Court of Appeal has confirmed that judgment.

Nuclear crisis set off fears over Tokyo


MARTIN FACKLER February 28, 2012 - 12:57PM
TOKYO: In the darkest moments of last year's nuclear accident, Japanese leaders did not know the actual extent of damage at the plant and secretly considered the possibility of evacuating Tokyo, even as they tried to play down the risks in public, an independent investigation into the accident has disclosed. The investigation by the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, a new private policy organisation, offered one of the most vivid accounts yet of how Japan teetered on the edge of an even larger nuclear crisis than the one that engulfed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Germany finds itself back in power in Europe
Germany is the unquestioned boss amid Europe's debt crisis and economic woes. But the turnaround has inspired discomfort among its neighbors and among Germans.

By Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Berlin— For nearly 70 years, Germany's grand national ambition has basically been not to have one. After losing two world wars and carrying out a horrific genocide, the country set to working its way back into the European fold, content to focus on rebuilding its shattered economy while dutifully leaving continental leadership to the likes of France. The plan has been a roaring success — so much so that, in one of history's great ironies, Germany today finds itself right back where it wasn't supposed to be: dominating Europe.

Wronged women of Liberia reluctant to revisit human rights abuses
Having already testified to a government commission, victims of sexual violence eschew new process based on traditional justice

Tamasin Ford guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 28 February 2012 07.00 GMT
The women sat on plastic chairs arranged in a circle, some breast feeding, others with small children at their feet. This is their centre in Ganta, the dusty, vibrant commercial capital of Nimba county in north-east Liberia. "Most of the women here were raped [during the war]," says Yarih Geebah, the speaker for Ganta Concerned Women. "But if you don't have money, nothing happens. [For] we, the poor people, we who don't know book … justice don't prevail."