Six In The Morning

Taliban kill 12 hotel guests, take 50 hostage in Kabul attack

　

By Cheryll Simpson, NBC News in Kabul and Reuters
Guests swam for their lives after Taliban gunmen attacked a lakeside hotel in Afghanistan, killing at least nine people and taking 50 others hostage in a siege lasting several hours, according to reports. At least five militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns attacked the exclusive Spozhmai hotel in the Qargha Lake recreation area around midnight local time on Thursday (3:30 p.m. ET) bursting into a private party and shooting dead hotel workers. Many terrified guests jumped into the lake in darkness to escape the carnage, according to Afghan officials and local residents.

Nationalisation: Uruguay's solution to its drug problem
Law allowing state to sell cannabis could be adopted across Latin America in defiance of US

Friday 22 June 2012
Uruguay – in a bid to curb a narcotics-fuelled violent crimewave across the country – has unveiled plans to nationalise its cannabis market and become the first government in the world to sell the soft drug to consumers. The measure is aimed at both reducing the rising power of drug gangs and the growing number of users of crack and freebase cocaine in what has traditionally been one of Latin America's most peaceful nations.

IMF chief warns euro's survival at stake unless action taken
irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Friday, June 22, 2012, 09:12

ARTHUR BEESLEY in Luxembourg
The International Monetary Fund has warned that the viability of the euro is under threat and called on governments and the European Central Bank to take radical new action to assert control over the debacle. In an abrupt intervention late last night after six hours of talks with euro zone finance ministers, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said the emergency was at a critical stage and urged immediate steps to stabilise the situation. The development came as the rating agency Moody’s downgraded the credit standing of 15 of the world’s biggest banks, among them Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.

Arrest order for Pakistan's new prime minister
Pakistan's anti-drugs squad has ordered the arrest of the country's proposed new Prime Minister.

Ben Doherty, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa June 22, 2012
PAKISTAN'S anti-drugs squad has ordered the arrest of the country's proposed new Prime Minister, on the day he has lodged his application for the government's top job. In another twist in Pakistan's chaotic governance, President Asif Ali Zardari yesterday nominated Makhdoom Shahabuddin to replace outgoing PM Yusuf Raza Gilani who was dismissed by the Supreme Court for contempt.

Uganda cracks down on 'homosexual' NGOs l
Uganda has announced a ban on 38 non-governmental organisations it accuses of undermining the national culture by promoting homosexuality.

21 Jun 2012 17:23 - David Smith
Simon Lokodo, the country’s ethics and integrity minister, claimed the organisations were receiving support from abroad for Uganda’s homosexuals and “recruiting” young children into homosexuality. “I have established that 38 NGOs, if not more, exist not for humanitarian reasons but to destroy the traditions and culture of this country by promoting homosexuality,” he said on Wednesday. “We found that, on the pretext of humanitarian concerns, these organisations are being used to promote negative cultures.

Can statistics cut the cost of US healthcare?
As the US Supreme Court prepares to issue its long-awaited ruling on President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms, hospitals across the country are finding their own ways to tackle the rising costs of healthcare.

By Paul Adams BBC News, Salt Lake City
The debate over what people have come to call "Obamacare" has been polarising and highly ideological. That's hardly surprising, since healthcare accounts for a little under one-fifth of the US economy. But far from Washington, in the mountain state of Utah, a quiet revolution has been taking place in ways to reduce costs while simultaneously improving quality.