India pandering to emotions on fishermen’s killing: Italy
February 21, 2012, Malayala Manorama
Rome: Indian authorities are pandering to emotions over the arrest of two Italian Marines for last week's killing of two Indian fishermen, Italy's Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi has said. Indian authorities are pandering to emotions and local politics, Italian news agency AKI quoted the minister as saying Monday.
A security detail of Italian Marines Feb 15 fired at a fishing boat off the coast of Kerala, killing two Indian fisherman. The Italians said they mistook the victims to be pirates.
Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone are accused of carrying out the shooting and were taken ashore Sunday and detained by Indian authorities.
"At the moment, there are considerable differences of a judicial nature," Terzi told reporters here.
Terzi said local politics was adding to the difficulty of resolving the diplomatic differences. READ.....
Rise in crime intensifies unease in once-safe Egypt
By Jeffrey Fleishman and Amro Hassan, Los Angeles Times, February 20, 2012
The headlines reflect a previously unknown cruelty: a woman gunned down in a rich Cairo neighborhood, a rash of carjackings, a deadly soccer riot, a stream of smuggled arms that have given muscle to criminal gangs once easily outgunned by police.
The revolution that inspired this country one year ago has set loose a menacing air that Egyptians find unfamiliar. Bristling beneath the political battle for power against the ruling generals is an insecurity over crime and a bitterness that has darkened Egypt's congenial nature.
Soldiers guard streets but few people feel safe. Police have largely returned to duty after months of work slowdowns, but their presence is sporadic; they appear and disappear at whim. Many Egyptians wonder whether security forces are complacent about or complicit in the mayhem around them, a sense of unease felt by fruit vendors and bankers alike. READ.....
We are better off staying together, David Cameron tells Scots
By TOM PETERKIN, 16 February 2012, The Scotsman
DAVID Cameron will today make a passionate plea to save the United Kingdom when he travels to Scotland to warn that “our shared home is under threat” from the SNP.
The Prime Minister will make what his office says is a positive case for the Union, describing what he sees as the common heritage, close ties and economic benefits that have held the UK together for 300 years and made it into one of the world’s most successful countries.
On his first visit north of the Border since Alex Salmond unveiled his independence referendum plans, Mr Cameron will underline his personal commitment to maintaining the United Kingdom, saying it is a matter for “head, heart and soul”. READ....
Afghan, Pakistani leaders meet to discuss Taliban peace talks
February 16, 2012, Los Angeles Times
Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with Pakistani leaders here Thursday in a bid to secure their help in facilitating peace talks with Pakistan-based Afghan Taliban leaders.
Karzai's visit comes as momentum for talks aimed at ending the now 10-year-old war in Afghanistan is slowly picking up steam. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Karzai said the U.S. and Afghan governments have begun secret talks with the Afghan Taliban insurgency. In recent months, U.S. officials have been meeting with Taliban envoys to discuss the establishment of a Taliban office in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, declined comment on the report. Previously, the Taliban leadership has dismissed Karzai as a "puppet" and publicly indicated willingness only for talks with the Americans and the West. READ....
Guatemalan leader says he'd consider decriminalizing drugs
February 13, 2012, Los Angeles Times
Guatemala's new president, Otto Perez Molina, has turned heads by suggesting he'd consider decriminalizing drugs as an answer to the violence besieging his Central American nation.
Perez Molina on Monday said he planned to raise the issue for debate after earlier proposing legal consumption and transportation of drugs across Central America. He said he wanted consensus among regional leaders first.
The Guatemalan leader met with President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador, who was quoted as saying he also favored legalizing drugs.
"We're bringing the issue up for debate. Today's meeting is intended to strengthen our methods of fighting organized crime. But if drug consumption isn't reduced, the problem will continue," Perez Molina said, according to the Associated Press. READ....
David Cameron: more powers for Scotland if referendum rejected
February 16,2012, The Telegraph
The Tory leader made the offer in a speech in Edinburgh, where he set out his defence of more than 300 years of political union between Scotland and England.
"This doesn't have to be the end of the road," he said.
"When the referendum on independence is over, I am open to looking at how the devolved settlement can be improved further.
"And, yes, that does mean considering what further powers could be devolved.
"But that must be a question for after the referendum, when Scotland has made its choice about the fundamental question of independence or for the United Kingdom.
Although he acknowledged that Scotland - and England - could make their ways as independent states, he said he was "convinced" the UK's best days lay ahead.
Mr Cameron said: "I come here today with one simple message: I hope and wish that Scotland will vote to remain part of the United Kingdom."
Describing the UK as more than "some sort of deal", he added: "It's a precious thing. It's about our history, our values, our shared identity and our joint place in the world." READ....