Six In The Morning

On Sunday

In Occupied Tibetan Monastery, a Reason for Fiery Deaths

　

By EDWARD WONG
One young Tibetan monk walked down a street kicking Chinese military vehicles, then left a suicide note condemning an official ban on a religious ceremony. Another smiled often, and preferred to talk about Buddhism rather than politics. A third man, a former monk, liked herding animals with nomads. All had worn the crimson robes of Kirti Monastery, a venerable institution of learning ringed by mountains on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau. All set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule. Two died. At least 38 Tibetans have set fire to themselves since 2009, and 29 have died, according to the International Campaign for Tibet, an advocacy group in Washington.

Dare nine men defy the siren call of Christine Lagarde?
On the agenda this week: weakness in the west… but a new kind of strength in the east

Simon Goodley The Observer, Sunday 3 June 2012
All eyes on Threadneedle Street this week as the City waits (prays) for the Bank of England to fire up its magic money machine at the June gathering of the monetary policy committee. Apart from the economic repercussions of the MPC's deliberations, the two-day meeting gives it a shot at making history and becoming the first body to summon the fortitude to resist the charms of Christine Lagarde, beguiling head of the International Monetary Fund. By Thursday we should know if her siren calls for the UK to make further interest rate cuts and create more electronic money have been fended off by the nine-strong committee, although the odds on that are shortening.

Mubarak will die in jail, but that's no thanks to us
As the former Egyptian dictator is sentenced, our writer remembers the West's determination to overlook his regime's violence

Robert Fisk Cairo Sunday 03 June 2012
The dictator was sentenced to death yesterday. Twenty-five years is death, isn't it, if you're 84 years old? Hosni Mubarak will die in jail. And Habib al-Adli, his interior minister, 74 years old, maybe he will be killed in jail if he doesn't live out his life sentence. These were the thoughts of two old Egyptian friends of mine yesterday. And Mubarak was sentenced for the dead of the 2011 revolution. That's 850 dead – 34 people for each year of his term. Quite a thought. Of course, we were not asking about the death sentences at the military courts in the 1980s and 1990s – and we can't, can we, when the military is still in power in Egypt.

SAS free four hostages in daring Afghanistan raid


Sean Rayment and Ben Farmer in Kabul The dramatic details of how the SAS completed a "brilliant" rescue of a British aid worker and three other female hostages in Afghanistan can be revealed. Defence sources said the "surgical" operation showed the "precision, skill and courage" of British special forces after they stormed the cave where Helen Johnston, 28, was held, and killed her kidnappers. David Cameron spoke individually to the soldiers to thank them for an "extraordinarily brave" mission. He warned that anyone who took British citizens hostage faced "a swift and brutal end".June 3, 2012 - 10:00AM

Participants Commend Bank’s Role In Africa’s Development


Sunday, 03 June 2012 00:00 By Kamal Tayo Oropo
THE Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group closed on Friday in Arusha, Tanzania, on an optimistic note that Africa would be a winner in the uncertain emerging landscape if the continent continues to implement reforms and maintain fiscal prudence that have seen countries in the region posting impressive growth in spite of the global financial crisis. “A new era is opening up to Africa, on the condition that we can make the right decisions,” said the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Donald Kaberuka, at the official opening of the event attended by more than 2000 participants. Mr. Kaberuka reviewed events since the 2011 Annual Meetings in Lisbon, Portugal, against the backdrop of the world situation. Most African economies have an average growth of 5.9 per cent in 2011.

Did Kabul gunbattle change Afghans' view of their army?
As Nato troops prepare to withdraw, the Afghan army and police have taken the lead in battling some of the most challenging insurgent attacks in recent months. As their role increases, they have won praise not only from Nato allies, but also from the wider public.

By Asif Maroof and Johannes Dell BBC News
One of the most memorable images taken during the concerted insurgent attacks in Kabul on 15 April this year shows an Afghan police commando, wounded but walking. He is holding a Kalashnikov rifle, his khaki trousers blood-stained above the right knee. The picture has become the poster image for an apparent new wave of public support for the military which has found expression on the internet as well as in some parts of the media.