2012
Seven Syrian embassies attacked by anti-Assad protesters Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:39 pm
From London to Australia, mobs attacked Syrian embassies to protest the reported killing of civilians in Homs by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran says will attack any country used to strike its soil Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:38 pm
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran will attack any country whose territory is used by “enemies” of the Islamic state to launch a military strike against its soil, the deputy head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards told the semi-official Fars news agency on Sunday.
Syria’s murderous regime is doomed, says defiant William Hague Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:28 pm
UK foreign secretary warns President Assad he risks all-out civil war if he remains in power, despite collapse of UN resolution
William Hague has described the Syrian regime as “doomed” and “murdering” and warned that the country is moving closer to an all-out civil war following the dramatic collapse of a major diplomatic effort to call for President Bashar al-Assad to stand down.
The foreign secretary said hopes now rested on the Arab League to increase pressure for political change in the light of this weekend’s setback. On Saturday, a UN security council resolution calling for the president to resign was vetoed by Russia and China, angering western diplomats.
Activists attacked Syrian embassies across the world as news of the vetoes spread.
“This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime. There is no way it can get its credibility back either internationally or with its own people,” Hague said on Sky.
“Because the regime is so intransigent, because it is conducting ten months unmitigated violence and repression – more than 6,000 killed with 12,000 or 14,000 in detention and subject to every kind of torture and abuse – it is driving some opponents to violent action themselves. That is tipping Syria closer to something that begins to look like a civil war,” he said.
In Syria, dozens were reported killed on Saturday in one of the bloodiest days since protests began last March. Rebel groups and opposition activists said the regime launched an assault on the city of Homs on Friday night using mortar and tanks to bombard civilian areas.
One opposition group said it had confirmed 62 deaths in Homs, while other organisations gave death tolls in excess of 200.
Hague, said that Russia and China’s veto had emboldened Assad’s position. “I think Russia and China do bear increased responsibility and that means in the Middle East and Arab world there will be a great deal of anger at the positions that Russia and China have taken.
“This underlines the need for a political transition and in our view for Assad to go, or in the plan of the Arab League to hand over to his deputy and form a unity government. That’s a sensible way forward,” he said.
He said, however, that he would continue to work alongside the Russian and Chinese governments, and planned to contact Russia’s foreign minister when he returns from a visit to Syria later this week.
“We will continue to work with Russia and China on this. We want them to change their position,” Hague said.
Asked about plans by Arab countries to expel Syrian diplomats, Hague said that Britain’s diplomatic options wre constantly being reviewed but any announcement would first be made to parliamentt.
“We haven’t taken any decisions to sever our diplomatic links at the moment but the Arab League is playing a very strong role … This is the main way forward now, for the Arab League to pursue their plan because they don’t need the UN to do that although it would have been good to have had a clear mandate from the United Nations.
“They should pursue their plan and intensify their own pressure on the Assad regime to stop the killing and allow a peaceful political transition.”
Hague said the UK had reduced its embassy operations in Syria to an absolute minimum and reiterated the government’s position of ruling out military intervention, stressing the differences with last year’s regime change in Libya.
“In Libya we had the authority of the UN to take all necessary measures. Given what has happened this weekend, we could not pass such a resolution.
Secondly, the consequences would be far more difficult to foresee in Syria than they were in the relatively straightforward Libya because of the knock on effects across the region. Thirdly it would have to be on a dramatically bigger scale in Syria in order to be effective,” he said.
The Sino-Russian veto was intended to promote a political settlement, China’s state news agency Xinhua said in an article today.
It “aimed at further seeking peaceful settlement of the chronic Syrian crisis and preventing possible drastic and risky solutions to it,” the piece said.
“With the veto, Russia and China believed more time and patience should be given to a political solution … which would prevent the Syrian people from more turbulence and fatalities.”
The opposition Syrian National Council condemned Moscow and Beijing for obstructing the passage of the draft resolution.
The veto drew an angry response from Washington’s UN envoy Susan Rice, who wrote on Twitter that she was disgusted and said Russia and China would have blood on their hands.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, criticised the UN resolution, saying it made too few demands of anti-government armed groups, and could prejudge the outcome of a dialogue among political forces in the country.
Russian news agencies reported that Lavrov and Russia’s foreign intelligence chief, Mikhail Fradkov, would meet Assad in Damascus on Tuesday.
Syria has been a key Russian ally since the Soviet era and Moscow has opposed any UN demands that could be interpreted as advocating military intervention or regime change.
Earlier on Saturday, Tunisia decided to expel Syria’s ambassador in response to the “bloody massacre” in Homs and said it no longer recognised the Assad regime. As news of the violence spread, a crowd of Syrians stormed their country’s embassy in Cairo and protests broke out outside missions in Britain, Germany and the US.
Clinton calls for friends of Syria to unite (AP) Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:27 pm
AP – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for “friends of democratic Syria” to unite and rally against President Bashar Assad’s regime.
Egyptian Forces Appear to End Siege of Ministry – New York Times Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:20 pm
 USA TODAY |
Egyptian Forces Appear to End Siege of Ministry
New York Times CAIRO — After the fiercest battles in three days of street fighting with protesters, Egypt's military-led government appeared by daybreak Sunday to have ended, at least for now, a siege of its interior ministry. Security forces erected two new walls of … Protesters clash with police in Cairo as anger mountsCNN Egypt: Police Fire Gas Over Cairo's Tahrir SquareABC News Cairo protesters demand early vote, clash with policeReuters AFP all 1,071 news articles » |
Egyptian Forces Appear to End Siege of Ministry Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:19 pm
Security forces erected two walls bisecting streets that had been central battlegrounds between security forces and protesters calling for the end of military rule.
Source: By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK :
Obama has small-check donor advantage over Romney Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:12 pm
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – It does not guarantee him re-election in November, but it is an advantage President Barack Obama is likely to carry into the fall: a broad base of supporters who have given him the symbolic vote of confidence with a donation of less than $200.
Travel disruption as snow blankets the UK Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:11 pm
Heavy snowfall causes transport chaos, with trains delayed, cars abandoned on roads and flights cancelled across Britain
• Have you taken any great snaps of snow or travel chaos? Send them to us at pictures@guardian.co.uk and we’ll feature the best
A thick blanket of snow, 16cm deep in places, has settled across parts of the UK, grounding planes, stranding motorists and leaving roads icy and treacherous.
Although the worst of the flurries will move eastwards, swaths of the UK have been placed on amber alert, with the Met Office warning of icy conditions across much of England, Scotland and Wales.
Church Fenton in North Yorkshire and Wattisham in Suffolk recorded 16cm of snow, while up to 15cm was forecast for parts of Cumbria, Lincolnshire, East Anglia, North Yorkshire, the Peak District and the Midlands.
Many motorway drivers were forced to spend the night in their cars as the snow brought traffic to a standstill. The Highways Agency has urged motorists to take extra care on the roads.
A third of today’s flights have been axed at Heathrow because of the snow and the possibility of freezing fog. A spokesman for the airport said: “We have about 850 of our usual 1,231 flights scheduled for today. That’s been agreed with the airlines, but we are asking people to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport.”
A full schedule of flights is planned for Gatwick, but passengers have been warned of possible disruptions because of the weather.
Stansted, Birmingham, Luton and Manchester airports were forced to suspend operations for a period last night as snow piled up on the runways, but normal service was expected to resume on Sunday.
Six flights were cancelled in Birmingham, where some passengers were forced to spend the night in a terminal. A spokesman said the airport would catch up on Sunday, providing temperatures did not drop much lower.
In Luton, flights were “fully operational” with some delays due to snow clearing.
A couple of departures were cancelled at Stansted, but a spokesman said there was “movement” on and off the runway, adding: “Flights are subject to delays of up to about one hour”.
A Gatwick spokesman said all scheduled flights had taken off and arrived safely, despite 8cm of snow. There were no cancellations.
On the roads, motorists faced what the RAC described as a “dangerous cocktail of driving conditions” and were urged to stay at home where possible. Some minor routes closed altogether.
Drivers on sections of the M25 in Hertfordshire were trapped in gridlock throughout the night. One motorist, Tom Jones, was stranded in his car for more than seven hours, telling the BBC: “We joined the back of a tailback, never realising we would be spending the night on the motorway.” He said the Highways Agency had to deal with much bad driving, and said he saw several cars stuck in ditches and many blocking the hard shoulder.
Thames Valley police said the snow had caused a tailback between junctions nine and four southbound on the M40 from about 9pm until the early hours of .
Police in Kent warned people not to travel unless “absolutely essential”, and urged people not to cause an obstruction if forced to abandon their vehicles.
A spokesman said the A20 and Jubilee Way were closed and advised people using the Port of Dover to check with their ferry operator before travelling.
A North Yorkshire police spokesman said there had been some 60 minor road collisions across the county since Saturday afternoon as a result of the weather.
The area’s fire and rescue service said a crew returning to their base at Robin Hood’s Bay had helped several motorists who became stuck in “severe” snow drifts.
The Highways Agency has issued an amber alert, advising people to take extra care while travelling because of “the increased risk of adverse driving conditions”.
Kevin Andrews, RAC patrol ambassador, said the wintry weather and sub-zero temperatures had left roads “extremely treacherous”. The motoring organisation said it had attended 70% more breakdowns than normal, while a spokesman for the AA said it dealt with about 1,500 callouts per hour on Saturday.
The total figure was predicted to reach 15,000 by the end of Saturday, almost double the usual number of 8,500.
Rail services have also been affected, with disruption set to continue throughout Sunday.
Southern Railway said trains were subject to delay and cancellation, with journey times extended by up to 30 minutes.
In the capital, all bus routes were operating morning after a few “curtailments” to the night bus services, Transport for London said.
Tube services were said to have started well but delays and suspensions soon set in on most lines.
The Met Office’s amber alert, which urges people to be prepared, applies to central, south-west and eastern Scotland, to Wales, and to vast areas of England. A yellow alert, which warns people to “be aware”, was in place for the Highlands and Northern Ireland.
The icy spell has seen daytime temperatures plummet four or five degrees lower than average for February – traditionally the coldest month of the year.
The Department for Transport has said it was better prepared than ever for severe winter weather. Salt stocks across Britain stand at more than 2.4m tonnes – a million more than last year.
Obama has small-check donor advantage over Romney (Reuters) Sunday, 5 February 2012, 1:11 pm
Reuters – It does not guarantee him re-election in November, but it is an advantage President Barack Obama is likely to carry into the fall: a broad base of supporters who have given him the symbolic vote of confidence with a donation of less than $200.
Three Tibetans ‘in fire protest’ Sunday, 5 February 2012, 12:54 pm
Three Tibetans set fire to themselves in south-west China in an anti-Beijing protest, reports say, meaning 19 people have now self-immolated in a year.
Egypt football protests continue into fourth day Sunday, 5 February 2012, 12:41 pm
Riot police fire teargas at stone-throwing protesters demanding the army hand over power outside the interior ministry in Cairo
Protesters demanding a swift presidential election and an early handover of power by the army threw stones at police guarding the Egyptian interior ministry on Sunday and were forced back with volleys of tear gas.
It was the fourth day of clashes outside the ministry, in which seven people have died. Protesters accuse the ministry of failing to prevent the deaths last week of 74 people after a football match in the Mediterranean city of Port Said. Five more people have died in Suez.
Some protesters believe that remnants of the Mubarak regime were behind the violence, which was sparked by a pitch invasion after a football match between Al Ahly and Al Masri on Wednesday. They see it as part of a plot to create chaos and try to reassert their influence.
Political figures and a civilian advisory body to the military have suggested bringing the date for the presidential vote forward to April or May, from the June date foreseen in the transition timetable of the army, which took power after former president Hosni Mubarak quit.
Police and protesters, some waving Al Ahly flags, threw stones at each other and police fired volleys of teargas to push the lines of mostly young protesters back from the ministry building.
The authorities put up new concrete barriers to block streets leading to the ministry. Some earlier barricades had been torn down.
“The demand is that the army step down politically and announce the start of nominations for the presidential election immediately,” said Waleed Saleh, 30, an activist with a facemask at the ready, speaking near the ministry.The military council, which took charge when Mubarak was toppled by a popular uprising on 11 February last year, has promised to hand over power by the end of June after an election.Calls for a quicker handover have been mounting, and the Muslim Brotherhood – which has the biggest bloc in parliament – added its voice on Saturday to those calling for a faster transition.
An army-appointed civilian council set up to advise the military is proposingthat nominations for the presidency be accepted from 23 February, nearly two months earlier than the 15 April date previously announced.
“If the army adopts that proposal, it will reduce the level of tension,” said Saleh, though he also voiced a view popular among activists that the army might still try to influence policy from behind the scenes even with a civilian president in place.
Saleh is among hardened activists who have kept a permanent presence in Tahrir Square since 25 January, the anniversary of the eruption of protests against Mubarak.
Other protesters also called for the army to quit now and demanded retribution after the football deaths and for those killed in protests. There has been intense speculation about the cause of Egypt’s worst ever football violence.
“Those people over there are the reason for the deaths in Port Said,” said 25-year-old Mahmoud Gaber, pointing to the police lines. Moments later, a police riot van advanced and fired tear gas on youths in the street, briefly pushing them back.
Many are angry that there has not been a deep clear-out in the police force, and that officers use the same heavy-handed tactics against protests as in Mubarak’s era. The interior minister has blamed the incident on provocations by rival fans.
Many ordinary Egyptians are increasingly worried by the continued turmoil, and some see the army as the only institution able to guard the nation against a descent into complete chaos.
Newly elected independent parliamentarian Yasser Qadri, a member of the assembly’s national security committee, said his committee was proposing drawing lines near state buildings.
“Those who cross the red line would be dealt with according to the law that gives security the right to protect state buildings from attacks,” he said.
But that could prove a provocation to protesters who have ignored big concrete barriers.
Among the hundreds injured in the four days of clashes was Ahmed Maher, a leader of the 6 April movement which helped galvanise the protests against Mubarak. He was in hospital on Sunday with a head injury but was stable, the group said.
Greek PM in crucial bailout talks Sunday, 5 February 2012, 12:38 pm
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos will meet party leaders in his coalition to discuss a proposed 130bn euros EU rescue plan.
Protests, anger mount in Cairo Sunday, 5 February 2012, 12:20 pm
Demonstrators clashed with police outside the interior ministry in Cairo on Sunday as anger mounts over a deadly stampede at a soccer match that killed dozens last week.
Joey Barton says ‘make me a martyr’ following John Terry tweets Sunday, 5 February 2012, 12:20 pm
• ‘I will gladly go to jail for a month,’ midfielder says on Twitter
• Attorney General’s office has examined tweets from Barton
Joey Barton has invited the authorities to “make him a martyr” after the Attorney General’s office said it was looking into his tweets over the impending John Terry trial.
“I will gladly go to jail for a month, in the name of free speech. I have no problem with what I said. Make me a martyr …” the Queens Park Rangers captain tweeted on Sunday.
The Attorney General’s office said it had been made aware of a series of robust observations made by Barton on the stripping of the England captaincy from the Chelsea defender following an allegation of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during a match at QPR last year. Terry, who denies the charge, will stand trial in July, just a matter of days after Euro 2012 finishes.
Barton, who was playing in the match at Loftus Road in October, has defended his comments on the grounds of free speech. However a spokesman for the Attorney General’s office said: “I can confirm the Tweets have been brought to our attention and have been viewed.”
Dominic Grieve QC is the current Attorney General. He is the government’s senior law officer and part of his remit is to make sure people facing criminal allegations receive a fair trial.
NPR News: 02-05-2012 7AM ET Sunday, 5 February 2012, 12:12 pm
NPR News: 02-05-2012 7AM ET
Snow cancels flights at London airport Sunday, 5 February 2012, 12:09 pm
Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest international airports, canceled about three out of 10 flights Sunday as several inches of snow fell on London overnight.
Gibb says he feels ‘fantastic’ Sunday, 5 February 2012, 11:59 am
Bee Gees star Robin Gibb says he is making a “spectacular” recovery from cancer and that he is feeling “fantastic”.
Greece on “knife edge” in last hours to agree bailout (Reuters) Sunday, 5 February 2012, 11:59 am
Reuters – Greece’s prime minister scrambled on Sunday to convince lenders and politicians to sign off on a 130 billion euro ($171 billion) rescue, after his finance minister said just hours remain before the euro zone abandons the country to its fate.
Seeking Humor on the Campaign Trail Sunday, 5 February 2012, 3:57 am
Few in the Republican field of presidential candidates would be carved into a Mount Rushmore of (intentionally) funny politicians.
Slow steps towards restoring Italy-Libya ties Saturday, 4 February 2012, 12:00 pm
Libya and Italy keen to repair ties damaged by Arab Spring
