Six In The Morning

Abu Hamza among five terror suspects extradited to US
Five terror suspects, including the radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, are on their way to face charges in the US after extradition from the UK.

The BBC 6 October 2012
One of two aircraft carrying the suspects arrived in the state of Connecticut in the early hours of Saturday. The other is bound for New York state. Abu Hamza is thought to be on the second plane. The men were deported after UK High Court judges dismissed a final appeal. They said the five men, Abu Hamza, Babar Ahmad, Syed Talha Ahsan, Adel Abdul Bary and Khaled al-Fawwaz, did not show "new and compelling" reasons to stay in the UK. Abu Hamza faces 11 charges in the US relating to hostage taking, conspiracy to establish a militant training camp and calling for holy war in Afghanistan. Once he lands he is set to appear in front of a judge within 24 hours in an open hearing.

Syria agrees to buffer zone along Turkish border, say reports
Turkish media says deal struck in wake of this week's deadly border shelling incident which killed five Turkish civilians

Martin Chulov in Beirut The Guardian, Saturday 6 October 2012
Syria has agreed to keep its forces six miles (10km) from the Turkish border in the wake of this week's deadly shelling incident, Turkish media have reported. Such a move would amount to a buffer zone, fulfilling a longstanding request by Syrian opposition groups that would allow rebels to operate freely and civilians to seek refuge. Syria has not confirmed the claim and Ankara has made no official announcement. However, several Turkish media outlets, citing well-placed sources, claimed that a deal had been struck.

We're going to run out of money next month, warns Greek leader


NATHALIE SAVARICAS ATHENS SATURDAY 06 OCTOBER 2012
Greece's Prime Minister warned yesterday that his country's coffers would run dry by November unless international lenders disbursed a vital €31.5bn loan instalment soon. Invoking a comparison with the Weimar Republic in Germany before the Second World War, Antonis Samaras also warned of "chaos" in Greece if his coalition government failed and democracy collapsed. "The government is giving a fight on all sides for the credibility and salvation of this country so the people's sacrifices don't go to waste," Mr Samaras told reporters.

The Story Behind another Deadly Year on Everest
This year was the deadliest on Mount Everest since 12 climbers died on the mountain in 1996. But storms and avalanches were not the culprit. Instead, congestion in the Death Zone combined with inexperience resulted in a half-dozen deaths in just one May weekend.

By Lukas Eberle
He takes off his oxygen mask and takes a couple of careful breaths. His throat quickly begins to constrict. The air is so thin that Aydin Irmak, 46, feels as if he were suffocating. He quickly puts the mask back on. Then he looks around. Is this the place, he wonders? Irmak is walking across a slightly sloping area of ice, under a deep blue sky. He sees a small glass case with a Buddha statue inside. Yes, this is the place. Irmak is standing on the summit of Mount Everest. The date is May 19, 2012, the temperature is minus 37 degrees Celsius (minus 34.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and the wind is icy. The highest point on earth, at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), is a godforsaken place. Irmak is the last of 176 climbers to have reached the summit on this day. The others are already making their descent. When he encountered a group on his way up, one climber shouted to him: "Turn around!" But he kept on walking.

Amplats fires 12 000 workers ahead of talks
A new round of talks between the platinum industry and unions got off to a rocky start, as Amplats announced it had fired 12 000 striking workers.

05 OCT 2012 17:48 - MOLAOLE MONTSHO, JOCELYN NEWMARCH
A new round of talks between the platinum industry and unions got off to a rocky start on Friday, as Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) announced it had fired 12 000 striking workers. "Disciplinary hearings for striking Rustenburg mine employees have been completed and affected employees will be informed of the outcome of the hearings today," it said in a statement. Employees would have three working days to appeal. "Approximately 12 000 striking employees chose not to make representations, nor attend the hearings, and have therefore been dismissed in their absence," Amplats said.

A new road, farmer co-op revitalizes rural El Salvador
A new farmers cooperative in El Salvador allows small farmers to get their food to market and boost their earnings.

By Lauren Villagran, Correspondent / October 5, 2012
‪Outside this small town in the rural north of El Salvador, a sleek, new ribbon of black asphalt known as the Northern Highway connects local farmers to the headquarters of El Salvador Produce, a farmers cooperative. Here, an air-conditioned office space and spotless warehouse, which is outfitted with stainless steel sorting tables and cold storage, stand out in a region otherwise overwhelmed by poverty. El Salvador Produce – created in 2010 and funded by the United States-backed Millennium Challenge Corporation, which also paid for the Northern Highway – offers local farmers a commercial “cooperative of cooperatives” of the size and sway that enables them to directly supply the country’s major supermarket chains and boost their earnings.