Six In The Morning

'Massacre' in Homs leaves 45 women, children dead, Syrian activists say



By the CNN Wire Staff March 12, 2012
At least 45 women and children were killed in the Syrian city of Homs late Sunday, opposition activists said, hours after the U.N. special envoy to Syria met with the country's president in an effort to reach a diplomatic solution to end the violence. The killings occurred in the Homs neighborhood of Karm al Zaytoun, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist network. Hadi Abdallah, a spokesman for the Syrian Revolution General Council, told CNN there were 47 victims -- all stabbed to death and burned after "Syrian forces and thugs" stormed their homes.

Afghans vow vengeance for soldier's killing spree
Nine children among 16 dead after US serviceman attacks villagers

Kabul Monday 12 March 2012
Distraught and furious Afghans vowed vengeance yesterday after a US soldier apparently walked from a Nato base into the homes of civilians, turning his weapon on the families inside and killing 16 people, nine of them children. The Afghan Ministry of Interior has urged people to show restraint until investigators have completed their inquiry, but concerns are mounting that the incident will re-ignite violent protests that swept Afghanistan last month after US servicemen burnt copies of the Koran at Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul.

Shot, stoned, beaten to death: Iraqi militias unleash hate war on gay 'emo' teens


March 12, 2012 - 1:55PM
Iraqi teenagers widely perceived to be gay are being brutally killed in Baghdad with Shi'ite militias distributing lists of targets warning of further assaults, officials and human rights groups say. At least 15 teenagers, described as "emos" for their tight-fitting black clothes and alternative hairstyles, have been stoned, beaten to death or shot dead in the past month, medics say. Reports have also said some of them had their heads smashed with concrete blocks. Advertisement: Story continues below Human rights groups say the death toll is far higher amid accusations of a cover-up by security forces.

Challengers join forces to bring down Senegal's Wade
Senegal's opposition joined forces at a mass rally on Sunday, to block 85-year-old President Abdoulaye Wade from landing a third term in office and back challenger Macky Sall.

DAKAR, SENEGAL
The 12 presidential candidates who fell out of the running in a first round of voting on February 26 have formed a coalition they hope will usher ex-prime minister Sall into power. Wade is facing a stiff battle to retain power at the March 25 poll after a strong opposition showing crushed his hopes of overall victory in the first round and forced him into a runoff. Sunday's rally took place at Obelisk Square, the site from where a month of violent protests against Wade's candidacy began in the run-up to the election, leaving six dead and over 150 injured.

China's death row TV hit: Interviews Before Execution
Each week in Henan Province in central China, millions of people tune in to watch an extraordinary talk show called Interviews Before Execution, in which reporter Ding Yu interviews murderers condemned to death.

By James Jones This World
Every Monday morning, Ding Yu and her team scour the court reports to find cases to cover on their programme. They have to move quickly, as prisoners can be executed seven days after they are sentenced. To Western eyes the show may seem exploitative, but Ding disagrees. "Some viewers may consider it cruel to ask a criminal to do an interview when they are about to be executed. "On the contrary, they want to be heard," she says.

Army rule: Egyptian military doctor acquitted for 'virginity tests'
The decision by a military court today disappointed rights groups who saw the case as a chance to curtail the Egyptian military's culture of impunity.

By Kristen Chick, Correspondent
A military courttoday acquitted an Egyptian Army doctor accused of performing forced “virginity tests” on at least seven female protesters last year, closing a rare opportunity to hold the military accountable for abuses it has committed over the last year. Samira Ibrahim, who was arrested when the Army violently dispersed a peaceful protest a year ago, said the military forced seven of the detained women, including her, to undergo an invasive “virginity test” while they were at a military prison. Rights groups say the procedure, which included forced penetration, amounts to sexual assault. Other women present and forced to undergo the procedure verified her account