Six In The Morning

Syrian troops shell Hama on cease-fire deadline day

　　

By msnbc.com news services
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Syrian tanks shelled the central city of Hama and parts of Homs came under mortar fire on Tuesday, opposition activists said, on the day President Bashar Assad had agreed to halt the use of heavy weapons and withdraw forces from urban areas. Tanks were still present in both cities, activists said. A collapse of the truce deal by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan could move Syria closer to an all-out civil war. A 13-month uprising has turned increasingly violent in response to a brutal regime crackdown. "Shelling woke me this morning at 8:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. ET) and I can now hear one shell every 10 minutes or so," said Waleed Fares, describing what he said was mortar fire striking neighborhoods in the center and east of Homs, the hub of a 13-month-old uprising.

Israeli air force unable to destroy Iran nuclear plants, says report


Thomas Harding April 10, 2012
LONDON: Israel would not be able to destroy Iran's nuclear program in a pre-emptive air strike with its air force, forcing its leadership to look for alternative means of attack, a defence report has said. Experts believe Israel's military options are restricted to high-risk choices, such as a long-range missile bombardment from Israel or a special forces raid on the ground. The military journal Jane's Defence Weekly cast doubt on Israel's ability to mount a successful operation, saying it would face ''substantial difficulties''.

Who are the Taliban and what do they want? 5 key points
While a broad array of insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan often get labeled as simply the 'Taliban,' in reality there are several groups fighting the Afghan government and Western force

Arthur Bright,
Afghan insurgents ● The original Taliban The most established group is the Taliban that led the Afghan government in the 1990s. Led by Mullah Omar and others who held top positions in the pre-invasion government, the Taliban has traditionally held the most sway in southern Afghanistan, where it has deep roots. US officials believe that senior leaders are based in Pakistan, possibly Quetta. ● Hekmatyar's Hizb-e-Islami A prominent ally under the Taliban umbrella is Hizb-e-Islami, a group formed by warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the 1970s to fight the Soviet-backed government and later the Soviet invasion. Throughout the 1980s, Hizb-e-Islami was an ally of Pakistan and the United States. After the US invasion in 2001, a faction of Hizb-e-Islami led by Mr. Hekmatyar joined the insurgency. It is strongest in the northern regions of the country, Afghanistan expert Antonio Giustozzi told the Monitor in 2009. With its long history, Hizb-e-Islami may have extensive contacts in the government and police.

Election threatens Greek stability
The Irish Times - Tuesday, April 10, 2012

KERIN HOPE
THE CREDIBILITY of Greece’s political class has sunk so low that both main parties of the centre-right and centre-left have faced problems finding suitable candidates to stand for election early next month. Politicians have been widely denounced as “thieves and traitors”, reflecting a populist view that their corrupt practices while in government were responsible for triggering Greece’s financial collapse. One veteran political organiser for New Democracy, the conservative frontrunner, said: “The pool of potential candidates [for both main parties] has shrunk, especially in the provinces . . . Both respected professionals and prominent local government officials have been turning down offers.”

Rumours of Mugabe's failing health gather pace as he misses cabinet meeting


Cape Town Tuesday 10 April 2012
Rumours that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is gravely ill are intensifying after he missed last week's cabinet meeting and the one due today was cancelled. President Mugabe, 88, is officially in Singapore dealing with arrangements around his daughter Bona's postgraduate studies. But opposition media, including The Zimbabwe Mail and The Standard, have questioned whether the president would realistically handle his daughter's university enrolment in person.

Malaysia acts to end indefinite detention without trial
Prime minister Najib Razak hails 'historic day' as government introduces law to prevent arrests on grounds of political belief

Associated Press in Kuala Lumpur guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 10 April 2012 07.45 BST
Malaysia's government has introduced legislation to prevent people from being arrested for their political beliefs or detained indefinitely without trial. The security offences bill presented to parliament's lower house takes a big step towards placating rights groups who have long accused authorities of using detention without trial to stifle dissent. The bill is meant to replace the 52-year-old Internal Security Act, which was enacted to give the government preventive powers against those accused of threatening national security following a communist insurgency.