Syria accused of new ‘massacre,’ UN team evacuated
May 17, 2012
AFP – Syrian forces were accused of summarily executing 15 civilians, as members of a UN team of observers were evacuated from a shelled town the day after a bomb blast hit their convoy. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, however, accused the West of ignoring violence by “terrorists” and said he would demand an explanation from Annan when he visits Damascus later this month. “After regime forces raided the neighbourhood of Shammas (in the central city of Homs), 15 civilians were found summarily executed,” Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP, in what he branded a massacre. The overnight killings came a day the Observatory accused troops of another massacre in…
Modified motorcycles take on larger amounts of fuel in N. Maluku
May 16, 2012
Residents in North Maluku are modifying their motorcycles to increase the fuel tank capacities following the ban on bulk fuel purchases using jerry cans. In an observation by kompas.com at a…
China TV blames Dalai Lama for Tibet immolations
May 16, 2012
ISOLDA MORILLO Associated Press= BEIJING (AP) — China has released a documentary accusing the Dalai Lama of orchestrating a wave of self-immolations by Tibetans, in its most elaborate attempt so far to shape international opinion about the protests against Chinese rule. The documentary shown globally by state broadcaster China Central Television features police surveillance footage of the fiery protests. Mostly lone Tibetans are seen ablaze on small town roads before being blasted by security forces with fire extinguishers or covered with blankets. Tibetans interviewed describe contacting monks living in exile and sending them photographs of would-be protesters — evidence, the documentary…
Afghan shrines last resort for Afghan mentally ill
May 16, 2012
JALALABAD, Afghanistan – The young man sits nearly naked in a small concrete room, a thick, heavy chain fastened around his ankle and bolted to the wall. Flies swarm around a wound on his wrist where shackles have rubbed the skin raw. His own waste has pooled in the corner, turning the dirt floor into a pungent mud. This is no jail, however, and 23-year-old Jalaludin has committed no crime. The Mia Ali Baba shrine in eastern Afghanistan is a holy place, and those who care for it say that spending 40 days here will, God willing, free Jalaludin from his personal prison: mental illness. For 300 years, the shrine keepers here have been taking in the mentally ill. They say they are upholding the…
Charles Taylor accuses prosecutors of paying witnesses
May 16, 2012
Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president convicted of crimes against humanity, accused United Nations prosecutors of paying witnesses to testify against him and threatening them if they refused. Charles Taylor will be sentenced on May 30. He is expected to appeal both his conviction and the sentence Photo: EPA/EVERT-JAN DANIELS By Mike Pflanz, West Africa Correspondent 6:05PM BST 16 May 2012 Taylor made the claims at a sentencing hearing at The Hague in his last opportunity to address the court that last month convicted him on 11 counts including murder, rape and using children as soldiers, before he is sentenced. “Witnesses were paid, coerced and in many cases threatened with…
Shot soldier Aaron Deans hopes to return to Afghanistan
May 16, 2012
A soldier who was shot in the back in a Taliban ambush is hoping to return to the front line in Afghanistan. L/Cpl Aaron Deans, 21, of Washington, was driving an armoured vehicle when it came under fire near Lashkar Gah in Helmand…
European leaders scramble to contain Greek debt crisis
May 16, 2012
By Chris Isidore @CNNMoneyInvest May 16, 2012: 12:16 PM ET0:00 / 04:49Merkel: We want Greece to stay in euro NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Leaders across Europe rushed to try to reassure nervous investors Wednesday that they were working to prevent Greece from an unprecedented exit from the eurozone and the damage that might cause for other troubled European economies. Greeks rushed to withdraw €800 million from Greek banks late Tuesday, fearful that they would soon be left with only less valuable currency if Greece were to return to the drachma. "There is, of course, no panic, but there is fear that could develop into panic," Greek President Karolos Papoulias said. German Prime…
Merkel says she wants Greece in euro, would consider growth measures
May 16, 2012
German Chancellor Angela Merkel insists she wants Greece to stay in the euro and has left open the option of agreeing more measures designed to boost growth. “I want Greece to stay in the euro. I think that would be good for Greece and for all of us,» Merkel said in an interview…
New Greek election as talks fail
May 16, 2012
DEBT-stricken Greece must hold fresh elections after last-ditch talks to form a government collapsed. The new election is likely to prolonging a tortuous crisis which could see Athens exit the troubled eurozone. The new polls, expected on June 17, follow an inconclusive election on May 6 when a majority of Greeks voted against the austerity measures which Athens agreed to in return for a massive EU-IMF bailout late last year. "We are going again towards elections, in a few days, under very bad conditions," said socialist Pasok party leader Evangelos Venizelos, regretting the fact that there was no accord. "The Greek people must now make the right decisions for the good of the…
Palestinians march in annual mourning ritual
May 16, 2012
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of Palestinians are marching in the West Bank to mark the anniversary of their uprooting during the war over Israel’s creation. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their villages in 1948 in what Palestinians mourn as the “nakba,” or catastrophe. Today, refugees and their descendants number several million people scattered across the globe. Thousands marched Tuesday in the town of Ramallah, carrying Palestinian flags and posters. Some read: “Return is our right and our destiny.” Dozens of youngsters threw stones at Israeli troops near Ramallah, and soldiers fired tear gas to push them back. This year’s commemorations come at a…
