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Somalia, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Algeria, Eritrea: Is Africa the next Afghanistan? Eritrean troops besiege ministry after mutiny


The Extinction Protocol
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:15 UTC
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Eritrean army tanks besieged the information ministry in central Asmara on Monday after some 200 mutineers seized the building to call for political reform, diplomatic and diaspora sources said Monday. No shots had been fired and the rest of the city appeared calm, the diplomats added, although very few details were immediately available.

"The ministry of information is under siege," a diplomat said.

Amanuel Ghirmai, an Eritrean journalist in Paris for independent Radio Erena, said that around a 100 army mutineers stormed the hill-top ministry -- which towers over the capital of the Red Sea state -- early on Monday morning. They reportedly ordered news readers at the government-run television and radio station -- the only source of media for the authoritarian state -- to read a statement that they will implement the country's constitution.

The statement also reportedly ordered the release of prisoners of conscience.

"We do not know who is leading the situation... everybody has been put into the same room (in the ministry)," Amanuel said, adding that he had spoken to sources in Asmara. Britain's foreign office updated its travel advice Monday to say it had received reports of "unusual military movements in and around Asmara", without giving further details.
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Handcuffs

Lawyer of former Ukraine PM Yulia Tymoshenko 'faces criminal charges'


Guardian
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:11 UTC
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© Photograph: Sergei Chuzavkov/AP
Serhiy Vlasenko, lawyer of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Serhiy Vlasenko told reporters that he had been accused of car theft, robbery and failing to obey a court ruling.

The senior lawyer acting for jailed former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko says he is under criminal investigation and fears imminent arrest.

Serhiy Vlasenko told reporters on Monday that he had been accused of car theft, robbery and failing to obey a court ruling stemming from his divorce several years ago.

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Attention

Moscow begins evacuation of Russians from Syria


Guardian
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:09 UTC
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© Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
Damaged buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The Russian government has said it is sending two planes to Lebanon to evacuate Russians from Syria, the first such effort since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.

The emergency situations ministry said two of its planes would fly to Beirut on Tuesday to bring home more than 100 Russians.

The announcement appears to reflect Moscow's increasing doubts about Assad's ability to cling to power and growing concerns about the safety of its citizens. Russia's foreign ministry has said it has contingency plans in place to evacuate thousands of Russians from Syria.
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USA

Hide the homeless: Washington, DC shelters to stay open during inauguration

Heather Manes
Opposing Views
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:05 UTC
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Downtown Washington, D.C. will be the center of attention on Monday for President Obama's second inauguration. The nation's capital has been preparing for the arrival of nearly 800,000 out-of-towners. One side-note to the city's preparations includes a mandate that will require the city's homeless shelters to stay open during the day on Sunday and Monday.

Homeless shelters normally open in the afternoons or early evenings to give people a place to sleep, but remain closed during the mornings and early afternoons. Currently, the only time homeless shelters are required to stay open is if the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid hypothermia. Now, for the inauguration, many of the city's homeless population will be indoors.
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Bad Guys

'Used as human shields': Survivors of Algeria hostage crisis recall brutality and terror


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:16 UTC
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© Reuters / Stringer
Rescue workers carry the coffin of one of the hostages killed during a hostage crisis in a gas plant at the hospital in In Amenas January 21, 2013
In the wake of Algeria's In Amenas crisis, the hostage death toll rose to almost 60. The survivors have revealed tales of shocking brutality - captives were used as human shields, forced to wear explosive jackets and witness to horrific executions.

On Monday, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal announced that 37 foreigners of eight nationalities were among those killed.

The four-day ordeal at the In Amenas gas plant in the Sahara Desert ended Saturday - several US, British, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Romanian and Algerian workers were reported dead or missing. Many of the survivors have spoken with the press, recounting horrific tales of the abuse and murder of hostages.

Philippine survivor Joseph Balmaceda witnessed foreign hostages being used as human shields to protect the militants. He described one Japanese hostage being draped with explosives, while he and others had their hands tied with cables.
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Target

French troops retake central Malian strongholds in push for 'total reconquest'


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:13 UTC
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© AFP Photo / Issouf Sanogo
French and Malian soldiers arrive in the city of Diabaly on January 21, 2013
French troops retake the central Malian towns of Diabaly and Douentza after Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian declares that France's ultimate goal is the "total reconquest" of Mali.

Early Monday morning, French and Malian troops entered the frontline towns of Diabaly and Douentza to little or no resistance. Residents said that rebels occupying the towns had abandoned them on the eve of France's advance. In Douentza the advance was preceded by air strikes.

The recent push came amid news that militants were beginning to abandon their positions to regroup in the northern mountainous region of Kidal, 1,500 kilometers from the French and African forces' arrival point in Bamako.

A French commander, identified only as 'Colonel Frederic,' warned that the conflict in Mali may continue for some time. Diabily had recently been subjected to French air strikes as it was a base for the majority of Malian rebels south of the towns of Mopti and Sevare. The "situation in the vicinity of Diabaly was confused for the moment," Colonel Frederic said, adding that more information was needed to estimate the length of time it would take to resolve the conflict.
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Eye 2

CIA's free reign on targeted killing: Pakistan exempted from agency's drone 'playbook'


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:06 UTC
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© AFP Photo / US Air Force
A new CIA manual that limits the agency's ability to use drones and creates strict guidelines for targeted killings is being finalized. Pakistan was exempted from these restrictions in a compromise between the CIA, State Department and the Pentagon.

The Washington Post has revealed that John Brennan, the counter-terrorism adviser nominated by President Obama to be the next head of the CIA, has agreed to temporarily exempt the spy agency from the new manual's guidelines, which attempt to codify the use of drones to kill Al-Qaeda members, other terrorist organizations and even US citizens.

The manual sets out stricter standards and rigid rules for the use of US drones. Some of the guidelines include requirements for White House approval of drone strikes and the involvement of multiple agencies, such as the State Department, in adding new names to kill lists.

However, none of these stringent rules apply to US drone attacks in Pakistan, which started under President George W. Bush.
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Vader

Beijing slams U.S. over island dispute comments


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:01 UTC
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© Photo: AFP
A handout picture taken by the Japan Coast Guard on Saturday shows a Chinese Marine Surveillance ship cruising inside waters around the disputed islands known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China, in the East China Sea
Beijing has spoken out against Washington's warning to China not to challenge Japan's control of disputed islands in the East China Sea - a brewing argument between the two Asian countries that has intensified in recent months.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its displeasure a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton assured Tokyo of American support for its territorial rights and warned China against any unilateral action in the dispute.

On Friday, Clinton in a press conference meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister did not mention China directly but said she wanted the dispute to be resolved peacefully.

"Although the United States does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands, we acknowledge they are under the administration of Japan," Clinton said, adding "we oppose any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration, and we urge all parties to take steps to prevent incidents and manage disagreements through peaceful means."
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Star of David

Israeli teachers paid for military recruitment


RT.com
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:58 UTC
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© AFP Photo / Jack Guez
Israeli army recruits
Israel is encouraging and financing a new form of patriotism by offering bonuses to high school teachers who succeed in motivating students to do their army service. The move has sparked a wave of criticism of the Ministry of Education.

The initiative by the Ministry of Education that circulated in schools last year outlined the new policy of granting end of year bonuses to full-time teachers in Israel's schools based on "achievements in learning", "social achievements", and "achievements in values".

The top 40 per cent of schools with a "high rate of enlistment for military, national or civil service" will receive funds to award their teachers with bonuses, according to the circular obtained by the Christian Science Monitor.

Those ranked among top ten percent will receive funds to grant bonuses in the amount of $2,160, while an equivalent of $1,620 will be paid for the next 10 per cent.
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Dollars

Investigation ordered after Spanish politicians got 'salaries' from private companies


Raw Story
Mon, 21 Jan 2013 11:55 UTC
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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy attends a national executive meeting of the Popular Party (PP) in Madrid on January 21, 2013.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy ordered Monday an internal investigation into the finances of his centre-right Popular Party which was shaken by allegations of under-the-table payments to party officials.

"To dispel any doubts he has ordered a deep and exhaustive internal investigation regarding the party's finances and the way that Popular Party staff are remunerated," party secretary general Maria Dolores de Cospedal told a news conference following a meeting of party officials.

The results of the internal investigation will be submitted to an external audit, she added.

The centre-right newspaper El Mundo reported Friday that senior members of the party, which Rajoy has led since 2004, had received undeclared salaries, mainly from private companies, over a 20-year period.
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