Six In The Morning

Veto on Syria stokes Arab and Western fury

Russian and Chinese vetoes at UN dubbed as “betrayal of Syrian people” amid fresh calls for President Assad to step down

Last Modified: 05 Feb 2012 08:37

Western and Arab powers have reacted angrily to Russia and China’s veto of a Security Council resolution on the Syria crisis, but Moscow and Beijing insisted the text had needed more work.

Russia and China on Saturday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning the Syrian government’s deadly crackdown despite reports by Syrian activists that troops overnight had killed scores of civilians in the city of Homs.

Thirteen countries voted for the resolution proposed by European and Arab nations to give strong backing to the Arab League’s plan to end the violence in Syria that has claimed thousands of lives across the country since March 2011.

 Gandhi clan scours India’s largest state for votes among Muslims and outcast

 The Congress party of Nehru and Indira Gandhi is accused of sacrificing free speech to make a comeback in India’s most populous state

Jason Burke in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

The Observer, Sunday 5 February 2012

You can find the Islamic Centre of India in the Aishbagh neighbourhood of the north-eastern city of Lucknow, flanked by a Hindu temple and a wedding hall. Most evenings the call to prayer competes – or coexists – with the thumping bass of Bollywood dance tunes that accompany the nuptial celebrations of the city’s middle classes. Often it is the centre itself that is the source of music, although the couples that hire its lawns for their wedding parties choose classical melodies that Muslim musicians have played in the city for centuries.

  Patrick Cockburn: The death of the American dream in Afghanistan

A devastating leaked Nato report shows the extent of US failure, as the Taliban prepare for the occupying forces to leave

Sunday 05 February 2012

The United States’ announcement that it plans to end the combat role of its troops in Afghanistan earlier than expected, and before the end of next year, is a crucial milestone in the international forces’ retreat from the country. Coming after the French decision to go early, the US move looks like part of a panicky rush for the exit. More important, Afghans like to bet on winners, and the US action will convince many that these are increasingly likely to be the Taliban and Pakistan rather than the Afghan government. No wonder Nato officials looked so anxious as they pretended that the US action had not come as a nasty surprise.

Opposition unites against third term for Wade

Opposition candidates in Senegal’s upcoming election pledged a new round of protests aimed at stopping President Abdoulaye Wade from seeking a constitutionally questionable third term.  

DAKAR, SENEGAL – Feb 05 2012 07:51

Internationally acclaimed singer Youssou Ndour, whose own candidacy in the February 26 elections has been rejected by the Constitutional Council, called on the Senegalese people to take to the capital Dakar’s streets Sunday, the official launch of the three-week election campaign.

“I solemnly ask the population and young people to mobilise,” Ndour said. “Accept your responsibilities.”

  Healing rituals and bad spirits on a Philippine island

Siquijor is one of more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines – it has tropical sun, white sand and an azure sea, but it is also famous for witchcraft.

By Kate McGeown BBC News, Philippines  

How do you go about looking for a witch?

It is not a question I had ever thought to ask before, so I rang the Siquijor tourism department to see if they were able to help.

“We don’t have any witches,” was the first reply, which did not seem all that promising.

But after a bit more discussion, it seems that Siquijor’s witches – well, the good ones anyway – have recently undergone a rebranding exercise. They are now called traditional healers.

Brazil’s poor seem left behind in growth spurt, observers say

 The razing of the Pinheirinho slum that was home to 8,000 squatters highlights the plight of those who can’t afford to live in their own communities.

 By Vincent Bevins, Los Angeles Times

February 5, 201

Reporting from Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil-

Two children ran through the rubble, ducking under smoke pouring from a building that was still burning. Everywhere were signs that people had left in haste: toys, half-cooked meals, couches, ID cards, a fan photo of Justin Bieber.

The wasteland was the aftermath of a surprise raid by 1,800 police in riot gear, launched late last month on Pinheirinho where 8,000 squatters had been living illegally since 2004. After clashing with residents and sympathizers armed with clubs and iron bars, the officers bulldozed the community.