Six In The Morning

Al-Qaida turns to kidnappings as donations drop

‘That kind of money could go a long way to sustaining a terrorist organization,’ says expert

By STEPHEN BRAUN

Pressured by increased scrutiny of terrorist money sources and strikes aimed at its financiers, al-Qaida’s core organization in Pakistan has turned to kidnapping for ransom to offset dwindling cash reserves, according to U.S. officials, some of whom cited information in files retrieved from Osama bin Laden’s compound.

Bin Laden’s interest in kidnapping as a cash-raiser bolsters accounts that the financial squeeze has staggered al-Qaida, forcing it to search for alternative funding sources. Officials would not detail al-Qaida’s role in specific crimes, but the group’s affiliates have targeted diplomats, tourists and merchants.

Bangladesh feels economic backlash from Middle East crisis

Expatriate workers forced to leave Libya are returning with debts and causing massive reduction in country’s income

Syed Zain Al-Mahmood in Dhaka

The Guardian, Monday 20 June 2011  

Tens of thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers are returning home from strife-torn Middle Eastern countries, threatening social and economic turmoil in their homeland which relies heavily on expatriates for a large part of its national income.

More than 36,000 people have returned from Libya alone in recent weeks. An estimated 70,000-80,000 Bangladeshis were working there before the current crisis.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), more than 36,500 Bangladeshis have been repatriated from Libya since the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi began.

Bahraini leadership faces new claims that torture took place in hospital

Human rights group says suspected protesters – and doctors and nurses who treated them – have been systematically abused

By Alistair Dawber Monday, 20 June 2011

The government of Bahrain faces fresh allegations that it systematically tortured people it suspected of taking part in demonstrations against its autocratic rulers earlier this year, and of deliberately undermining the country’s health system as 20 doctors go back on trial today for their supposed role in the protests.

One of the world’s most respected humanitarian organisations, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), alleges that security forces loyal to the tiny Gulf state’s authoritarian leader, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, regularly beat hospital patients who had injuries that could have been sustained during the rallies that started in February.

Euro Group Postpones Decision on Greek Aid

Ramping Up Pressure on Athens

 By Carsten Volkery in Luxembourg

It’s a reliable rule of thumb with European Union summits that the bigger the problem, the longer the meeting. In this case, the discussion lasted seven hours. It was not until early Monday morning that the finance ministers of the euro-zone countries emerged one by one from the conference center in Luxembourg City’s deadly quiet Kirchberg plateau, home to various EU institutions.

The euro group — as the euro-zone finance ministers are collectively known — had been discussing how to deal with Greece’s debt crisis. But the result they announced came as a surprise: The decision about whether to grant Greece new loans has been postponed.

Mugabe vows to defy rules on ‘blood diamonds’



Ben Doherty, New Delhi

June 20, 2011  

ZIMBABWEAN president Robert Mugabe has promised to sell diamonds from his country’s controversial Marange mine ”sanctions or no sanctions”, and the country that would be his biggest customer, India, is being urged by the industry there to buy Zimbabwe stones outside the international framework.

The Kimberley Process – the international protocol designed to stem trade of conflict diamonds – is in turmoil.

2G scam: SC rejects Kanimozhi’s bail plea



Dhananjay Mahapatra, TNN | Jun 20, 2011

NEW DELHI: A special Supreme Court bench on Monday rejected bail pleas of DMK MP Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar in the 2G spectrum scam case.

However, the SC gave liberty to Kanimozhi to move to trial court afresh for bail after framing of charges in the case.

The apex court said she could invoke section 437 of criminal procedure code which provides for grant of bail to women in cognizable offences. This means Kanimozhi and other accused, including A Raja and corporate biggies, must wait in jail for framing of charges before they can move fresh bail pleas.