Syria unrest: Arab League discusses observer mission

Foreign ministers from the Arab League are meeting in Cairo to assess the progress of their mission in Syria and to discuss whether to ask for UN help.

Psycho Stapleton: Extraordinary name given to court by man accused of shooting dead Indian student

'I'm Psycho... Psycho Stapleton: Extraordinary name given to court by man accused of shooting dead Indian student

* Kiaran Stapleton, 20, from Salford, is charged with murder
* Anuj Bidve was shot dead at point-blank range on Boxing Day



The man accused of gunning down Indian student Anuj Bidve on Boxing Day gave his name as 'Psycho Stapleton' when he appeared in court today charged with murder.

Kiaran Stapleton, 20, from Ordsall, Salford, was remanded in custody for 24 hours at City of Manchester Magistrates' Court.

A scrum of TV cameramen and photographers crowded the prison van carrying Stapleton as it arrived at court, while inside the courtroom was packed with reporters.

.

Anuj Bidve, 23, was shot at close range in the Ordsall district of Salford, Greater Manchester on Boxing Day

Myanmar cuts prison terms but no political amnesty

Laos’s Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong (left) and Myanmar President Thein Sein pose before a gala dinner to mark the Fourth GMS Summit at Myanmar International Convention Centre (MICC) in Naypyitaw on December 19, 2011.



Myanmar President Thein Sein has commuted death sentences to life in prison and cut the terms to be served by other prisoners in a gesture to mark Independence Day, state media said today, but it appeared no political prisoners would be freed.

The nominally civilian government that took office in Myanmar last March has begun to implement gradual political and economic reforms. In October, it released around 230 political prisoners jailed by the former junta.

Several hundred are still thought to be behind bars and some observers had suggested there could be an amnesty early in the New Year.

Independence Day falls on January 4, marking the day when the country, formerly known as Burma, gained independence from British colonial rule in 1948.

Syrian rebels capture troops in north

Demonstrators against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad gather in Derbasia near Hassaka on December 13, 2011. Security forces shot dead 17 people in Syria on Tuesday and rebels killed seven police in an ambush.


Armed Syrian rebels captured dozens of members of the security forces by seizing two military checkpoints in the northern province of Idlib today, the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It said the army deserters also clashed with security forces at a third checkpoint, killing and wounding an unspecified number of troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Rami Abdelrahman, director of the British-based Observatory, said Monday's operation took place in the Jabal al-Zawiyah region of Idlib. It was not immediately clear how many people had been killed or captured by the rebels, he said.

Iran threatens to stop Gulf oil if sanctions widened

Iran’s Navy Commander Habibulah Sayari holds a news conference in Tehran, December 22, 2011, on its war games.


Iran threatened yesterday to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if foreign sanctions were imposed on its crude exports over its nuclear ambitions, a move that could trigger military conflict with economies dependent on Gulf oil.

Western tensions with Iran have increased since a November 8 report by the UN nuclear watchdog saying Tehran appears to have worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be pursuing research to that end. Iran strongly denies this and says it is developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Globe and Mail Challenges Emerge as Arab League Observers Begin Work in a Syrian City

A team of observers from the Arab League traveled to the embattled Syrian city of Homs on Tuesday in a visit that quieted days of fierce violence but also provided hints of the potential challenges of a group trying to monitor a ...

Putin ejects Kremlin ‘puppet master’ after protests

Vladislav Surkov (right) in this February 6, 2007, file photo with then President Vladimir Putin.


The architect of Vladimir Putin’s tightly controlled political system became one of its most senior victims yesterday when he was shunted out of the Kremlin in the wake of the biggest opposition protests of Putin’s 12-year rule.

The sacrifice of Vladislav Surkov, branded the Kremlin’s “puppet master” by enemies and friends alike, is also a rare admission of failure for Russia’s “alpha dog” leader: Surkov’s system was Putin’s system.

U.N.'s Ban condemns excessive force in Cairo clashes

A protester shouts during clashes with riot police near cabinet offices near Tahrir Square in Cairo December 18, 2011

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned excessive use of force by Egypt's security forces as hundreds of demonstrators demanding an end to military rule clashed with police in Cairo for a fourth day.


Police and soldiers using batons drove stone-throwing protesters out of Cairo's Tahrir Square, hub of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February, early Monday, a Reuters witness said.

Protesters fled down sidestreets, away from sensitive areas where parliament, the cabinet offices and Interior Ministry are located. Security forces have previously cleared the square briefly only to pull back when protesters return in force.

At least 10 people have died in the past three days of clashes as protesters demand that the generals who took charge after Mubarak's overthrow quit power. The violence broke out just after the second stage of elections that Egyptians hope will bring stability and civilian rule.

"Down with Tantawi," protesters chanted late Sunday, referring to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi who heads the army council and was Mubarak's defense minister.

Youths had earlier hurled rocks and petrol bombs at lines of security forces. Riot police appeared to have moved to the front line instead of soldiers.

Amnesty says Saudi beheading for sorcery ‘shocking’

An Israeli child signs an Amnesty International banner calling for the improvement of human rights in China during an event in Tel Aviv in this file photo from June 2008. Amnesty described as ‘deeply shocking’ Saudi Arabia’s beheading of a woman convicted on charges of ‘sorcery and witchcraft’ on December 12, 2011


Rights group Amnesty International has described as “deeply shocking” Saudi Arabia’s beheading of a woman convicted on charges of “sorcery and witchcraft”, saying it underlined the urgent need to end executions in the kingdom.

Saudi national Amina bint Abdul Halim bin Salem Nasser was executed yesterday in the northern province of al-Jawf after being tried and convicted for practising sorcery, the interior ministry said, without giving details of the charges.

Russian police crack down on anti-Putin protests

Policemen detain an activist during a rally to protest against the results of the parliamentary elections and the policies conducted by Russian authorities in Moscow December 6, 2011.


Hundreds of people took to the streets of Moscow for a second successive day yesterday to demand an end to Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule, defying a crackdown by tens of thousands of police reinforced by crack Interior Ministry troops.

Police said they had detained about 250 people in central Moscow when they tried to stage an unapproved rally and held about 200 more in St Petersburg, where opposition forces have also been emboldened by the prime minister’s worst election setback since he took power in 1999.

After permitting the biggest opposition rally in Moscow for years on Monday evening, the police were out in large numbers. The Interior ministry said about 2,000 special troops were supporting almost 50,000 police, and some moved through the city centre in armoured vehicles in a show of force.

US says opposition must build ‘free, tolerant’ Syria

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with a small group of expatriate Syrian opposition members at a hotel in Geneva December 6, 2011


The United States has called for a new regime of tolerance and freedom in Syria as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad battled fighters infiltrating the country to join the growing rebel army trying to overthrow him.

Speaking after meeting members of the opposition Syrian National Council in Geneva, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Syrians must not only remove Assad but also advance towards the rule of law.

“A democratic transition includes more than removing the Assad regime,” Clinton said. “It means setting Syria on the path of the rule of law and protecting the universal rights of all citizens, regardless of sect or ethnicity or gender.”

What began nearly nine months ago as a peaceful protest against Assad, inspired by the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt, is creeping closer to civil war as armed opposition groups organize and move into some city districts.

Al-Assad Says He Didn't Order Crackdown on Syria Protesters

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied ordering the military to crack down on civilians and said that most of the people who have been killed in protests and fighting since March were ...

Philippine court orders Arroyo move to public hospital

Philippine Supreme Court justices (top) read documents to investigate former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on vote-fixing charges during the 2007 midterm elections, in Manila on November 29, 2011.


A Philippine court today ordered former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to be transferred to a public hospital after one of her doctors said she was well enough to move from the private hospital where she has been since her arrest last month.

Arroyo, president from 2001-2010 and a now a member of Congress, has been under heavy guard at the private Manila hospital since her arrest last month on charges of rigging results in elections in 2007.

Arroyo, 64, denies all charges against her and says she needs to travel overseas for treatment, but the government fears she wants to avoid investigation and prosecution.

Putin hits West's 'meddling'

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the West of meddling in his nation's forthcoming elections. Speaking as he was endorsed by 614 votes to 0 as United


Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the West of meddling in his nation's forthcoming elections.

Speaking as he was endorsed by 614 votes to 0 as United Russia's candidate for the March presidential election, Mr Putin said other countries were paying non-government organisations in Russia ''to eventually influence the course of the election campaign in our country''.

Russia sending warships to its base in Syria

Russia is sending a flotilla of warships to its naval base in Syria in a show of force which suggests Moscow is willing to defend its interests in the strife-torn country as international pressure mounts on President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Arab League sanctions and French calls for the establishment of humanitarian zones in Syria have increased international pressure on Assad to end bloodshed that the United Nations says has killed 3,500 people during nine months of protests against his rule.

Russia, which has a naval maintenance base in Syria and whose weapons trade with Damascus is worth millions of dollars annually, joined China last month to veto a Western-backed UN Security Council resolution condemning Assad’s government.

Izvestia newspaper reported today, citing retired Russian Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, that Russia plans to send its flagship aircraft carrier the “Admiral Kuznetsov” along with a patrol ship, an anti-submarine craft and other vessels.

Libya will descend into conflict in weeks, predicts captured Saif as 'hero' tribesman claims he forsook a million euros to betray Colonel Gaddafi's son

* Former playboy, 39, speaks out as country unveils new government
* Military commander whose troops captured Saif is rewarded with role as nation's new defence minister
* Libya can try ousted leader's son at home, but International Criminal Court insists its judges must be involved


Colonel Gaddafi’s captured son Saif predicted Libya would slide back into conflict within weeks.

The 39-year-old former playboy spoke out as the country unveiled its new government last night.

The key job of defence minister went to an obscure army commander from Zintan – the remote mountain town where Saif was captured on Saturday.

Leaders in the area had refused to hand over their trophy prisoner for trial unless they received a top post in the new cabinet.

None of the cabinet positions announced last night went to prominent Islamists, which will come as a relief to David Cameron and his Western allies who helped oust Colonel Gaddafi.

But the defence appointment of Osama Jueili from Zintan, a town with 16,000 inhabitants, was a major surprise.

His appointment means Islamist Abdul Hakim Belhaj, the former Guantanamo Bay inmate who plans to sue MI6 over torture claims, has been cut out of the secularist government.

Mr Jueili denied he won the job as a reward for catching Saif. He said: ‘It is an insult to suggest a deal was done.’

Saif remains at a secret location in custody in a private house in the town. In a ranting video message, he said that ‘in a couple of months or maximum one year’ regions that banded together to oust his family would turn on one another.

He is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but the ICC conceded he would be tried in Libya. It means he will almost certainly face the death penalty if convicted.

Secret location: Saif Gaddafi, seated, shown in a released video with his Libyan captors. The son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi has been reportedly arguing with fighters loyal to the National Transitional Council.Injuries: The footage shows the bandages still on the thumb and two fingers of Saif's right hand - injuries that Saif claims were sustained during an allied attack.In pain: The footage shows Saif grimacing while sitting in his chair. It is unclear whether he is reactive from his injuries or his general predicament

UN Envoy: Yemen Leader to Sign Power-Transfer Deal

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh plans to sign a deal Wednesday in the Saudi capital that could mean the end of his 33-year rule, the UN envoy to Yemen said.

Yemeni president in Saudi to sign power transfer deal

President Saleh during a visit to a Republican Guards brigade loyal to him, near Sanaa, November 19, 2011.


Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in Saudi Arabia today to sign a Gulf power transfer initiative made by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the country’s state TV said.

“The president of the republic arrives safely to the airport of Riyadh to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following an invitation from the Saudi leadership, to attend the signing of the Gulf initiative,” a ticker running on the bottom of Yemen TV said.

33 dead and thousands more injured as 'heavy handed' military regime cracks down on protests in Cairo

* Thousands converge on Tahrir Square after overnight clashes
* Cabinet submits its resignation to the ruling military council
* Doctors seeing '80 casualties and hour' in makeshift hospital stations
* Soldiers and police burn tents and hit crowd with truncheons
* Social networks again linking protesters to outside world


The death toll in the battle for Cairo’s Tahrir Square rose to 33 yesterday as fighting between protesters and the police escalated sharply.

Police fired tear-gas and plastic bullets as demonstrators calling for Egypt’s army rulers to quit hurled stones and rocks from behind makeshift barricades.

Many of those who died succumbed to bullet wounds, but although protesters have brandished bullet casings, police deny using live ammunition. It was the third consecutive day of street battles which have left more than 1,700 people injured and threaten to spiral out of control.

Extensive damage: Smashed windows, burning buildings and streets strewn with debris are a common sight in the streets surrounding Tahrir Square as violence continues

Flashpoint: A riot policeman, armed with a rubber-bullet-firing shotgun, confronts rock-throwing demonstrators on the streets of Cairo yesterday

Before the dawn: Tahrir Square, centre of the Egyptian revolution and now the focus of renewed demonstrations. At least 22 protesters have been killed and more than 1,700 injured

Daylight: Riot police have largely secured the square today, but confrontation between protesters and police is continuing in surrounding streets

Egyptians Protest Despite Military Concessions

Egyptians Protest Despite Military Concessions VOA News Egyptian security forces and protesters have clashed for a fifth day in Cairo, despite concessions from the ruling military that were designed to ease the unrest.