Six In The Morning

US defines opening move in new talks with Iran

Diplomats: Allies will seek dismantling of new nuclear facility deep in mountain  　　

By DAVID E. SANGER and STEVEN ERLANGER  

The Obama administration and its European allies plan to open new negotiations with Iran by demanding the immediate closing and ultimate dismantling of a recently completed nuclear facility deep under a mountain, according to American and European diplomats.

They are also calling for a halt in the production of uranium fuel that is considered just a few steps from bomb grade, and the shipment of existing stockpiles of that fuel out of the country, the diplomats said.

  John Derbyshire fired for article urging children to avoid African Americans

US conservative magazine National Review says it has parted ways with columnist over ‘nasty and indefensible’ article

Chris McGreal in Washington

guardian.co.uk, Sunday 8 April 2012 06.21 BST  

A leading US conservative magazine, the National Review, has fired a prominent contributor over an online column advising his children to protect themselves by avoiding African Americans, to closely scrutinise black politicians and to accept that white people are more intelligent.

John Derbyshire wrote the offending article, The Talk: Nonblack Version, as a response to widespread debate over “the talk” that many African American parents give their teenage sons about racism in America following the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

Rebels: ‘Assad would kill a million people’  

 Syrian President accused of accelerating violence as international ceasefire deadline looms

Zeina Karam , Andrea Glioti , Elizabeth Kennedy

Sunday 08 April 2012

Syrian government shelling and offensives against rebel-held towns killed at least 74 civilians across the country yesterday, activists said, as the United States posted online satellite images of troop deployments that cast further doubt on whether the regime intends to comply with an internationally sponsored peace plan.

President Bashar al-Assad has accepted a ceasefire deadline brokered by the international envoy Kofi Annan, which calls for the Syrian leader’s forces to pull out of towns and cities by Tuesday, and for both government and rebels to lay down their arms by 6am local time on Thursday.

 Former spymaster stirs up Egypt presidential race

 

Ernesto Londono

April 8, 2012

EGYPT’S powerful spy chief under the deposed president Hosni Mubarak has roiled the country’s presidential race by announcing his candidacy and presenting himself as the best choice for restoring security and prosperity.

Omar Suleiman’s announcement was widely seen as a game changer in the landmark election scheduled for next month. The prospect of his return to power would have been laughable a year ago, when he vanished from public view after sombrely announcing the country’s long-time autocratic ruler was stepping down.

New Malawi president sworn in, rejects ‘revenge’ on rivals

 

By AFP

Joyce Banda was on Saturday sworn in as Malawi’s first woman president and told her supporters there was “no room for revenge” after the divisive Bingu wa Mutharika died in office.

Thunderous applause and joyous singing broke out as Banda completed her presidential oath. She then called for a moment of silence for the man she hailed as a father to the nation.

But she did not shy away from the divisions provoked by Mutharika, who had expelled her from the ruling party.

“I want all of us to move into the future with hope and with that spirit of one-ness and unity,” she said.

In Sweden, a debate over whether gender equality has gone too far

As gender-neutral policies are promoted more broadly in Sweden’s schools – including the use of a neutral pronoun to refer to boys and girls – some Swedes are pushing back.

By Nathalie Rothschild, Correspondent    

Sweden has a longstanding reputation as an egalitarian country with a narrow gender gap. But a national debate about gender equality – particularly as it plays out in schools – has revealed substantial dissatisfaction, with some Swedes feeling it has gone too far.

Rousing controversy now is the issue of gender pedagogy, a concept that emerged in the early 2000s and typically involves challenging gender stereotypes in learning material and in avoiding treating male and female pupils in a stereotypical manner. Proponents believe such a perspective should infuse day-to-day work at schools rather than be taught as a separate subject. But what has sharpened the debate in Sweden has been the argument that schools should also be gender neutral, giving children the opportunity to define themselves as neither male nor female if they wish.