Six In The Morning

Libya says US consulate attack 'pre-planned'

　President Magarief, in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, says he believes al-Qaeda is responsible.

Yasmine Ryan Last Modified: 15 Sep 2012 07:42
The attack on the US consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans and ten Libyans was the work of "experienced masterminds" that had been planned well in advance, the Libyan president says. "I think this was al-Qaeda," President Mohamed al-Magarief told Al Jazeera on Friday, in his first interview with foreign media since the violence three days earlier. "If you take into account the weapons used like RPGs and other heavy weapons, it proves that it was pre-planned," he said. "It's a dirty act of revenge that has nothing to do with religion." His comments to Al Jazeera marked the first time his government has openly attributed acts of violence to religious extremists. Libya's deputy interior minister had blamed the attack on Gaddafi loyalists on Wednesday.

The forgotten massacre
Thirty years after 1,700 Palestinians were killed at the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps, Robert Fisk revisits the killing fields

ROBERT FISK SATURDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2012
The memories remain, of course. The man who lost his family in an earlier massacre, only to watch the young men of Chatila lined up after the new killings and marched off to death. But – like the muck piled on the garbage tip amid the concrete hovels – the stench of injustice still pervades the camps where 1,700 Palestinians were butchered 30 years ago next week. No-one was tried and sentenced for a slaughter, which even an Israeli writer at the time compared to the killing of Yugoslavs by Nazi sympathisers in the Second World War. Sabra and Chatila are a memorial to criminals who evaded responsibility, who got away with it.

Is Greece a security risk for NATO?
Greece staying in the eurozone is not just an economic question, some experts say. It is also a geopolitical concern. They argue that a Greek exit could have negative effects for NATO. But is that really the case?


The endless discussions about the future of Greece took an unexpected turn in Germany recently, and it had nothing to do with if, or when, the country would leave the eurozone. Instead, politicians focused on the potential security risk to the European Union, if Greece were to abandon the currency. They presented a nightmare scenario in which economic instability leads to political volatility and regional unrest. Coupled with the growing influx of Syrian refugees, a possible attack by Israel on Iran, or increasing conflicts in Afghanistan, the belief is that the danger would hardly stop at the Greek EU border.

Escape route was barred by factory owners who wanted to save stock
September 15, 2012

Declan Walsh
THE towering metal door at the back of the burnt-out garment factory could have been an escape for many of the low-paid textile workers caught in the fire. Instead, it stands as a testament to greed and corruption. Instead of letting the workers escape, several survivors said, plant managers forced them to stay to save the company's stock: piles of stonewashed jeans, destined for Europe. ''They prevented people from leaving, so they could save the clothes,'' said Shahzad, a stone-faced man in sweat-drenched clothes, standing in the blacked corridors of the factory.

Angolan opposition alleges fraud
Three of Angola's eight opposition parties are formally contesting the August 31 election results.

LOUISE REDVERS
The parties are alleging that the numbers presented by the national electoral commission do not match theirs. Civil society groups are backing their position and say they have also collated evidence of irregularities, which they allege played a part in the resounding 71.84% victory of the ruling MPLA. Although the MPLA's victory is not disputed, there are claims that tens of thousands of voters in opposition stronghold areas were prevented from casting their ballots because of confusion over voter lists.

Guatemala volcano eruption cools as Independence Day celebrations heat up
Thousands were evacuated in Guatemala yesterday when the Volcano of Fire had its strongest eruption in more than 30 years.

By Kara Andrade, Contributor
Guatemalans received a scare on the eve of their Independence Day celebrations. The Volcano of Fire, Fuego, had its strongest eruption since 1974 on Thursday leading to the evacuation of around 6,500 people, according to CONRED, the Guatemalan disaster agency. Close to 900 people are in shelters after the eruption created massive plumes of smoke and ash that could be seen from Guatemala City and neighboring UNESCO heritage city La Antigua, both less than 46 miles away. "On a scale of 1 to 5, with five being the worst, I would say this was a 3.5," says David De León Villeda, spokesperson for CONRED.