Six In The Morning

There’s The Door Don’t Let Hit You On The Way Out  

Protesters in Tahrir Square are right to be sceptical despite the apparent shake-up in Egypt’s ruling party

Robert Fisk: Mubarak is going. He is on the cusp of final departure

The old man is going. The resignation last night of the leadership of the ruling Egyptian National Democratic Party – including Hosni Mubarak’s son Gamal – will not appease those who want to claw the President down. But they will get their blood. The whole vast edifice of power which the NDP represented in Egypt is now a mere shell, a propaganda poster with nothing behind it.

The sight of Mubarak’s delusory new Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq telling Egyptians yesterday that things were “returning to normal” was enough to prove to the protesters in Tahrir Square – 12 days into their mass demand for the exile of the man who has ruled the country for 30 years – that the regime was made of cardboard.

Archer Daniels Midland The GM Food Gods Needs More Money

UK to back imports of animal feed with traces of GM crops in move to benefit US exporters

GM crops to be allowed into Britain under controversial EU plans

Genetically modified crops will be allowed to enter the UK food chain without the need for regulatory clearance for the first time under controversial plans expected to be approved this week.

The Observer understands that the UK intends to back EU plans permitting the importing of animal feed containing traces of unauthorised GM crops in a move that has alarmed environmental groups.

Importing animal feed containing GM feed must at present be authorised by European regulators.

When Religion Usurps The Legal System

Banned, but village religious courts still cost lives

CHAMTA, Bangladesh: It was a trip outside to use the bathroom that led to a 14-year-old girl being whipped to death in this tiny village about 60 kilometres south of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Hena Akhter had walked just a few metres from her bedroom when she was met by her cousin and neighbour, Mahbub, who gagged her with a cloth before beating her.

The assault left her on the brink of consciousness, unable to walk or talk. But instead of punishing Hena’s attacker, elders called a shalish – a village meeting – where she was accused of having an illicit relationship with a married man.

When Idiots Wont Leave  



Sanctions bite in Côte d’Ivoire

Banks and businesses are closed, petrol threatens to run dry and pay cheques are not arriving as the outside world tries to oust Gbagbo in favour of his rival Alassane Ouattara, deemed to have won November elections.

The situation threatens unrest which may or may not bring a backlash against Gbagbo, who continues to hold the reins of power in Abidjan while Ouattara, whose support base is mainly in the north, remains holed up in a seafront hotel under UN protection.

The Decider Is Afraid And Staying Home  

 

Bush trip to Switzerland axed over torture protest fears  

The United Israel Appeal scrapped a plan to showcase President George W. Bush at a Feb. 12 gala in Geneva amid reports that human rights groups were poised to protest and file a torture complaint.

The charity, also known as Keren Hayesod, notified the former president on Friday morning “that the event has been called off,” a Bush spokesman, David Sherzer, said Saturday.

“We regret that the speech has been canceled,” Sherzer said. “President Bush was looking forward to speaking about freedom and offering reflections from his time in office.”

What Happens When Hate Is Fomenting By The Media  



Trial of immigration activist accused in killings spotlights tense climate along border

After Arizona rancher Robert Krentz was killed on his land last year by a man police believe was an illegal immigrant, television networks and more than 300 newspapers wrote about his death as an example of the dangers on the border.

Two months after Krentz was killed, 9-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father, Raul, were shot to death in their home, 150 miles from Krentz’s ranch. Their attackers were allegedly affiliated with an militia group opposed to illegal immigration that was conducting raids to steal money.