UN report damns failings during Sri Lankan civil war climax
Weak response by United Nations contributed to 30,000 civilian deaths during final government onslaught against Tamil Tigers
An internal United Nations report has strongly criticised its own officials for failing to protect civilians during the last days of the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka, saying it could have done much more to save lives.
More than 30,000 civilians died during fighting between militant Tamil separatists from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the country's armed forces in battles that culminated in the total defeat of the LTTE in May 2009.
The Sri Lankan military has been held responsible for most of those deaths by many observers and is accused of indiscriminately shelling areas where a small number of fighters were mixed with huge crowds of refugees. Authorities deny the charge.
irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 06:35
Strikes across southern Europe
Spanish and Portuguese workers will stage the first coordinated general strike across the Iberian Peninsula today, halting transport, grounding flights and closing schools to protest against spending cuts and tax hikes.
Unions in Greece and Italy also planned work stoppages and demonstrations on a "European Day of Action and Solidarity" against austerity policies, which labour leaders blame for prolonging and worsening the continent's economic crisis.
The international coordination shows "we are looking at a historic moment in the European Union movement," said Fernando Toxo, head of Spain's biggest union, Comisiones Obreras.
Spain, where one in four workers is unemployed, is now teetering on the brink of calling for a European bailout, with prime minister Mariano Rajoy trying to put off a rescue that could require even more EU-mandated budget cuts.
SYRIA
'The West would have to consider unilateral steps'
Syrian journalist Wael Sawah believes a political solution to the conflict there is still possible. However that would require all sides involved to agree on new steps. If not the country will slide into civil war.
DW: The Syrian opposition has set aside its differences and formed a broad coalition. What do you make of the move?
Wael Sawah: It's a step in the right direction in an attempt to find a solution to the crisis. However if the move is not backed up by Western and Arab support it will remain just a gesture. It will also mean nothing if the new coalition fails to gain control of the various groups operating within Syria.
The new interim leader, Maath al-Khatib, is a shrewd man and has the respect of the various ethnic and religious movements, so he's the best-qualified person for the job. He's also got Riad Seif's backing, a very prominent anti-Assad activist.
UN seeks Mali dialogue as AU endorses military action
By AFP
Posted Wednesday, November 14 2012 at 01:39
Posted Wednesday, November 14 2012 at 01:39
OUAGADOUGOU,
A UN envoy on Tuesday met Islamist rebels occupying northern Mali as the African Union endorsed military intervention to retake control of the desert north.
The UN's representative in West Africa Said Djinnit met representatives of Islamist rebels Ansar Dine at a private residence in Ouagadougou, marking their first official contact.
The meeting came after Djinnit held talks with Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, the regional chief mediator in the crisis.
Djinnit stressed that "all options and avenues of dialogue should be exploited to try to fix the problem in a peaceful manner."
Mohamed Ag Aharib, an Ansar Dine representative said his group "assured (Djinnit) that we are ready to dialogue."
He underlined that his movement, one of the Islamist groups occupying the north, was waiting from a sign from Malian authorities that they were also seeking peace.
A 'paper rain' of political ads doesn't discourage one young Brazilian
The author's host 'sister,' Luciana, hasn't given in to cynicism about the electoral system in Brazil. 'He won! He won!' she shouts as she learns her candidate is elected.
A small boy, no older than six years of age, stood in the middle of an intersection. The streets were covered in entirety by small, colorful pieces of paper. Taking no note of cars passing by, the boy gathered up two handfuls and tossed a rainbow up in the air. The paper fell at his sides, as he looked overhead, laughing at the shower he had created. "Chuva de papel," my host sister said in Portuguese, taking note of the child. Paper rain.
These ubiquitous papers, 2x3-inch slips used as political propaganda in order to proliferate the name, photo, and campaign number of candidates, are calledsantinhos. These santinhos – which end up puddling in the streets, "evaporating," and falling once more as chuva de papel – are handed out generally tactlessly by individuals who are promised R$40, roughly $20, by a candidate for a day's work.
Iran locked in internal debate over whether to talk to U.S.
Iran appears to be locked in a fierce internal debate over whether to hold bilateral nuclear talks with the United States, with key political leaders calling for dialogue with Washington and hard-liners pressing ahead with expansion of the country’s nuclear facilities.
The Obama administration, girding itself for what could be the first major foreign policy test of its second term, has dangled an offer of bilateral talks in hopes of breaking through the nuclear impasse with Iran and easing the threat of a new Middle East war.
But despite positive comments in recent days from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other senior leaders, Iran has shown no hint that it plans to accept the offer, U.S. and European diplomats say.
Instead, intelligence analysts are detecting signs of continued progress at Iran’s uranium-
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