Six In The Morning Sunday February 2

Thailand elections: Politics of crisis

By Peter Shadbolt, for CNN
February 2, 2014 -- Updated 0531 GMT
A state of emergency, streets paralyzed with protesters, the fatal shooting of a leading pro-government activist and an election campaign teetering on chaos may not sound like the script from a rising Southeast Asian economic powerhouse.
But for Thailand -- which manages to combine economic success and political mayhem in equal measure -- this weekend's elections are just another page in an eight-year struggle between supporters and opponents of Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thailand: hundreds of polling stations closed, but voting begins peacefully
Relatively little violence in early stages of anxiously-awaited election day as PM's supporters insist on right to vote
Associated Press in Bangkok
theguardian.com, Sunday 2 February 2014 07.23 GMT
Protesters trying to derail Thailand's national elections forced the closure of hundreds of polling stations in a highly contentious vote that has become the latest flashpoint in the country's deepening political crisis.

Around the country, the vast majority of voting stations were open and polling proceeded relatively peacefully, but the risk of violence remained high a day after gun battles in Bangkok left seven people wounded.

The national focus was riveted to the capital, where 488 of the capital's 6,600 polling stations were shut and several skirmishes broke out between protesters intent on disrupting the vote and frustrated would-be voters

Lebanon simmers by Syria's side: Terror attacks drag Lebanese communities into neighbour's civil war

FERNANDE VAN TETS Sunday 02 February 2014
The arched façade of the shopping centre is still blackened with soot and piles of debris, and building material marks the spot where a suicide bomber detonated his belt, and his car, two weeks ago.

The explosion killed five people; among the 40 more wounded was Ali Shaheen, a pharmacist, who was making coffee at the time of the blast. "Everything collapsed around us," he recalls. The attack has made residents of Hermel, a "100 per cent Shia" town where Hezbollah reigns supreme, resigned and fearful of a new threat that seems impossible to stop. "When it comes to suicide bombers, neither Hezbollah nor the Lebanese army can prevent such an act," said Shaheen, a father of three.

Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party vows to contest May elections
Greece's Golden Dawn party has vowed to partake in local and European elections next May despite the looming threat of a government crackdown. Thousands of the party's supporters rallied in Athens for the announcement.

Ilias Kassidiaris, a lawmaker and spokesman for the party, told around 3,000 of Golden Dawn's supporters (pictured) in the center of the Greek capital on Saturday night that he would find a way to contest the upcoming vote.
"We will participate in the elections, one way or another," said Kassidiaris, who has been the most prominent member of the party since its leader was arrested.
He told the crowd that if the Golden Dawn party is banned, the National Dawn party has been founded as a backup of sorts.
"Patriots will have a party to vote for in the next election if [authorities] go ahead with the coup to ban Golden Dawn," Kassidiaris said.

African Union unites against ICC trials
The African Union has closed ranks in demanding that the ICC drop criminal proceedings against sitting presidents.
02 FEB 2014 07:05 SAPA-AP
The African Union urged its members to "speak with one voice" to prevent criminal proceedings at the International Criminal court against sitting presidents, according to a statement on Saturday.

The 54-nation organisation said it was disappointed that a request to the UN Security Council to defer the trials of Kenya's leaders "has not yielded the positive result expected". The African Union also has sought the deferral of criminal proceedings against Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who has been charged with genocide in Darfur.

Only Botswana has opposed the stand taken by the African Union, made in a statement received on Saturday after a summit in Ethiopia attended by 34 leaders.

Decriminalizing marijuana: Could Mexico City be next to light up?
Mexico City is considering the decriminalization of possession of marijuana, and other jurisdictions may follow suit in a nation wracked by drug-related violence.
By Karl Baker, Correspondent
MEXICO CITY
Mexico’s capital is often thought of as a secular bubble inside a Catholic nation. In 2007, city authorities legalized abortion; in 2010, gay marriage was allowed; and next month the city’s lawmakers are poised to rethink its policy on marijuana possession.

But as the city inches toward decriminalizing pot, the impact of such a move has major implications that go beyond its nine million residents. Other states, including Morelos, Veracruz, and Oaxaca, could follow Mexico City's lead, presenting a challenge to President Enrique Peña Nieto who has argued against the legalization of marijuana as his country continues its war against drug traffickers.