Six In The Morning

Nato cuts Afghan joint patrols over 'insider' attacks
Nato says it is to restrict operations with Afghan troops following a string of deadly attacks on its personnel by rogue Afghan security forces.

The BBC 18 September 2012
Only large operations will now be conducted jointly, with joint patrols evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This is a major step back for Nato's strategy, says the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul. It comes as a suicide bomber targeted a bus carrying foreigners in the capital, killing 12 people on Tuesday morning. The attack happened on a major road leading to the international airport and reports suggest those on board worked at the airport. Afghan insurgent group Hezb-e-Islami has claimed responsibility for the blast, which it says was in response to a recent anti-Islam video. Afghanistan has seen days of protests over the video, some violent. The joint command of Isaf international forces also cited "events outside of and inside Afghanistan" related to the film as part of the reason for its restrictions on joint operations.

Foreigners flood into Syria to join battle to overthrow Assad
UN investigators say number of human rights abuses committed by either side has risen dramatically

RICHARD HALL BEIRUT TUESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2012
Rebels in Syria are becoming increasingly radicalised as more and more foreign fighters join the battle to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime, United Nations human rights investigators have warned. The UN team, expressing concern at the "increasing and alarming presence" of Islamist militants in Syria, said the numbers of human rights abuses committed by both sides had risen dramatically in recent weeks.

Turkey's hackers - Robin Hoods or thugs?
Local hacking groups have popped up all over the world in the wake of the rise of WikiLeaks and Anonymous. Turkey's hacker scene has caught the government's attention.

DW.DE
A narrow stairway leads to a small room, crowded with dozens of wooden cubicles, quiet and well-lit - it's not hard to find an Internet café in Istanbul. Just turn off the main thoroughfare and down any of the smaller side streets and look up. Red neon signs flash "Internet" or "Chat" - the "A" cleverly turned into an @. The cafés have increasingly become a focus in Turkey's Internet war as the Turkish government grapples with mounting attacks from hacker groups. Now, government agents go to Internet cafés like this one to recruit Internet-savvy kids.

Muslim Protests Show Limits of Free Speech
The anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" has sparked protests across the Muslim world. Several people have already died in the wave of violence. The conflict raises questions about how far the West is prepared to go in defending freedom of expression.

By SPIEGEL Staff
The casting call appeared on a Hollywood audition website called mooncasting.com. A director calling himself Alan Roberts wrote that he was looking for actors to perform in a "historical desert drama." The shoot in Los Angeles would last 18 days. The supposed "indie film" was listed under the working title "Desert Warrior." The director needed "various Middle Eastern types, bearded," along with a large number of women, particularly an 18-year-old actress who "must look younger, petite, innocent." And, of course, he was looking for someone to play the lead role: "George," as the Middle Eastern warrior in the film was to be called, was a "leader, romantic, charismatic."

Portuguese escape austerity and find a new El Dorado in Angola
Booming, oil-rich Angola has become a refuge for Portugal's jobless, while Luanda's elite take advantage of EU troubles to buy up property in Lisbon.

DAVID SMITH
Pungent cigar smoke drifts across the veranda at one of Luanda's upmarket beachside restaurants. It is Saturday afternoon and four Portuguese men are lounging with drinks, savouring the good life and rubbing shoulders with a nascent local elite. "The Angolans have money and we need it," muses José Luis Sousa (47) who moved here four years ago and co-owns a printing company. "They are buying things in Portugal and around the world. In Portugal people don't like this situation, but they have money and we don't." The men are among tens of thousands of Portuguese who have emigrated to Angola in recent years. Capital, meanwhile, is flowing in the opposite direction, as Angolan millionaires snap up chunks of Portugal's ailing economy. After five centuries of colonialism, and an era when thousands of Angolans fled to Portugal, the roles are in reverse. "Maybe some day Portugal will be a colony of Angola," Sousa quips.

FARC names 'political' team for peace talks
The team slated to represent the FARC in peace talks with the Colombian government is largely made up of political – not military – leaders. Their past experience with negotiations could be a sign of commitment.

By Geoffrey Ramsey
The FARC's reported negotiating team for peace talks with the Colombian government consists of political rather than military leaders of the group, most with experience of negotiations, which may be a sign of the guerrillas' commitment to the process. The leadership of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has reportedly settled on the composition of the five-man team that will represent the rebels in an upcoming round of peace talks to be held in Oslo, Norway. El Tiempo, which cites a source in the guerrilla group, reports that the team will be led by Luciano Marin, alias “Ivan Marquez” and will consist of the following: the FARC's international representative Rodrigo Granda; Jesus Emilio Carvajalino, alias “Andres Paris;” and Luis Alberto Alban Urbano, alias “Marco Leon Calarca.”