Syria crisis: More signs US involvement in civil war may be greater than first anticipated as Obama looks to boost rebels
Increased support will include sending expert Army personnel
As the Obama administration struggles to convince lawmakers of the case for intervention in Syria, there were signs today that American involvement in the civil war there, if it happens, might be greater in scale than was first anticipated.
US officials are said to be studying a plan to increase support for rebels fighting to remove the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. The new plan would see the military send its own trainers to bolster the capabilities of the rebels, something they have resisted in the past.
The CIA has been training groups of rebels in Jordan. But the involvement of the military could see the number of rebels being trained spiral from dozens to hundreds or even thousands, according to the Associated Press.
DEVELOPMENT POLICY
When volunteers become hostages in Syria
Would you know what to do if hostage-takers overran your bus? The German government does, and it's trying to train volunteers before they go to Syria. One rule: always travel with a local.
In role-plays and multiple-day seminars, Florian Sander learns how to behave under extreme duress during foreign deployments. Sander travels regularly to Pakistan on behalf of Misereor, an organization that provides help in developing countries. Abroad, he meets with local organizations that work in conjunction with his own.
Preparing for abductions, however, is something you can't prepare for, he tells DW. Still, it's sensible to play out a scenario and "already be confronted with the situation. By doing that, you at least have certain sequences running through your head before you have to deal with them," he said.
Mutiny and mass murder on China's fishing fleet
September 7, 2013
Vicious rivalries pose greater danger than the sea, writes Calum MacLeod in Shidao, China.
Four Chinese fishermen caught on a boat gone mad with mutiny dropped a home-made raft in the Pacific 1600 kilometres from Japan. To their horror, the currents swept them back alongside the hull of the Lurongyu 2682 and the waiting mutineers.
All four jumped into the sea rather than accept a horrible fate. Three disappeared, never to be seen again, but Song Guochun was pulled back aboard.
On deck, the ringleaders told two men who had yet to kill anyone to tie Song up, weight him down and ditch him. They did so, ensuring every man left on board had blood on his hands in a murderous spree in which 22 of 33 sailors died
Morocco's African immigrants fear rising racism tide
“Is it a crime now, being an immigrant?” asks Eric Williams, a Cameroonian living in Rabat, where the murder of a Senegalese man has stoked fears among Morocco’s sub-Saharan community.
On August 12, Ismaila Faye, 31, was stabbed to death near the capital’s central bus station during an argument with a Moroccan over seating, according to the preliminary investigation.
Local media highlighted the racist nature of the attack, sparking concerns of a rise in hostile behaviour towards black Africans, many of whom pass through Morocco illegally in their quest to reach Europe and a new life.
A week after the murder, hundreds of mostly Senegalese immigrants gathered outside the morgue in Rabat to pay homage to the victim and protest against racism.
Moroccans have also been active on social media to denounce violence against the African community.
Guess who's (not) coming to state dinner: Brazil could cancel over NSA
President Rousseff is indicating she plans to snub the only state visit the Obama White House has scheduled this year.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff suspended preliminary steps for her October state visit to Washington, signaling allegations of US spying on her personal communications could reverse what would have been a crescendo of positive US-Brazil relations.
President Rousseff called off her advance logistics team that would have laid the ground for the only state visit the Obama administration has scheduled this year. It’s an honor reserved for Washington’s closest partners – including a black-tie dinner and military reception – and the invitation last May was viewed as an upgrade for Brazil in terms of bilateral relations.
But the US-Brazil relationship, already tense after leaks in July of alleged US eavesdropping on millions of phone calls and emails sent by citizens across Brazil, was further strained this week. After the widely viewed Sunday night TV program Fantástico alleged that the US also spied on the personal communications of President Rousseff and her aides, her administration hardened its tone, sending strong signals that the October visit could be cancelled.
Zubin Mehta in Kashmir: Concert hits controversial note
Renowned conductor Zubin Mehta's planned concert in Indian-administered Kashmir has run into controversy with separatists and human rights activists opposing it. The BBC's Geeta Pandey reports from Srinagar.
The venue of Zubin Mehta's Saturday concert is the spectacular 15th Century Shalimar Gardens, which has the Himalayan mountains as its backdrop.
The garden has not looked so glorious in recent years - huge yellow marigolds, chrysanthemums, dahlias and other flowers line the pathways on which the guests will walk to hear the maestro perform Beethoven, Haydn and Tchaikovsky.
Mr Mehta has described the concert - named Ehsaas-e-Kashmir or Feelings for Kashmir - as "a dream come true".
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