BBC News

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For another slant on the news, another country's perspective. Sometimes I feel that we Americans are too provencial and could use another slant on the world's problems.

[Flying Horse]

Farc leader Alfonso Cano 'killed'.

The top commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) the left-wing guerrilla group, Alfonso Cano, had been killed in Colombia, officials say. Are the Farc rebels retreating or resurgent?

It was market day in Toribio, a small rural town in southwest Colombia and some 3,000 people were busy in the main part of town when the sound of gunshots followed by a huge explosion turned the day of carnage. Rebels from Colombia's biggest guerrilla group, Farc had detonated a bus laden with gas canisters. The blast killed four people and injured 103. Almost 500 houses were badly damaged - practically the entire town.
Toribio, located in the mountains of Cauca province, some 189 miles from Bogota, had seen plenty of Farc attacks before. "But this is the worst that ever happened to us," Mayor Carlos Banguero told the BBC. That same day, 9 July, the rebels also targeted three other neighbouring towns. "The attacks... brought back images that Colombians thought were in the past," an article in Colombian newspaper El Tiempo said.
The Farc has been hit hard in recent years by Colombian government forces. But the latest attacks have raised questions as to whether the rebels are back on the offensive. Some say that the security policies of Pres. Juan Manuel Santos have prodded Farc into action. This is categorically denied by Pres. Santos, who insists that this was an "act of desperation." "They're doing their best to distract the security forces because we're taking away their sanctuaries and lairs," he said. A report published on 17 July by the Bogota-based think-tank Corporacion Nuevo Arco Iris said that the increasing number of Farc attacks was not the result of a supposed weakness of Mr Santos's military strategy. Rather, it stemmed from a strategy the rebels began three years ago. "The Farc came to realise that they needed to wage a different kind of war," said Leon Valencia, the director of Nuevo Arco Iris. "And Cauca is their laboratory," he told the BBC. The rebels are using much smaller units and increasingly relying on car bombs, ambushes and hit-and-run attacks. "It's a strategy that allows them to exist, to say: 'Here we are, you can't forget about us,'" Mr Valencia said. "I believe they will try to regain some strength to force a negotiation," he explained.

Greece PM Papandreou wins confidence vote.

Greece's PM George Papandreou has won a crucial confidence vote after promising to hold power-sharing talks. Mr Papandreou said the bail-out deal currently on offer by the EU had to be accepted. He added that immediate elections would be "catastrophic" for the deal, so proposed a new coalition to take charge until it had been agreed.
"I have been in contact with the president and I will visit him tomorrow (Saturday) to inform him of my intentions and that I am moving forward with all the parties for a broader coalition government, and to agree on common goals, a timeframe and people, to agree on its composition and even the head of this coalition," he said. I therefore ask for a vote of confidence in order to ensure the security of this nation." The figures in the Greek parliament revealed Mr Papandreou's vulnerability. His governing Socialist party (Pasok) held a tiny majority - 152 out of 300 seats. In the end 153 MPs voted for the government. The vote was timed to take place when the markets in Europe and the US are closed, such is the sensitivity of the issue

China pit disastr: dozens more miners pulled out alive.

Emergency teams in central China have rescued the majority of a group of miners who had been trapped underground following a cave-in. Chinese media say more than 40 men were pulled out alive on Saturday. Seven had been rescued on Friday at the mine in the city of Samenxia in Henan province. Several others are said to be missing. Eight miners died, state media said. The mine collapsed on Thursday after a low-level earthquake.
Mining accidents kill hundreds each year in China. This rescue will be cause for celebration in China, but the country's mines remain the deadliest in the world, the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says. The mining industry is notorious for its lax safety standards.
Earlier this week a gas explosion at a mine in neighbouring Hunan province killed 29 people.

US Gen. Peter Fuller fired as Afghan training chief.

A senior US commander has been dismissed after he made disparaging comments about Afghanistan's leaders. Maj Gen Peter Fuller, deputy commander of NATO's Afghan training mission, said in an interview with Politico the country's leadership was "isolated from reality".
It is not clear whether Gen Fuller will be reassigned or will retire. The head of US forces in Afghanistan says Gen Fuller's comments do not represent the US-Afghan relationship. Gen John Allen described the two countries as "solid", adding: "The Afghan people are an honourable people, and comments such as these will not keep us from accomplishing our most critical and shared mission - bringing about a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan." Pentagon spokesman George Little said Defence Secretary Leon Panetta was aware of the remarks but said that Gen Fuller had been speaking for himself and not the Department of Defense.
Gen Fuller said that he tried to make Afghan generals understand that the US was involved in Afghanistan despite economic uncertainty at home. "You think that America has roads paved in gold, everybody lives in Hollywood," he said. "They don't understand the sacrifices that America is making to provide for their security." Politico have reported that the general appeared to be irritated when referring to a recent comment made by Mr Karzai - that Afghanistan would side with Pakistan if the country ever went to war with the US.
The general also likened the Nato training mission in Afghanistan to teaching a man to fish. "You can teach a man how to fish, or you can give them a fish. We're giving them fish while they're learning and they want more fish!

Mullen mauling shows patience wearing thin with Pakistan.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is close to retirement. Perhaps that's why he's not mincing his words. Or perhaps a new determination is growing in the US government to force Pakistan into changing its ways.
Before a Senate hearing on Thursday, Admiral Mullen stated definitively that Pakistani intelligence was supporting militant extremists in Afghanistan as they launch attacks on US forces there. "The Haqqani network, for one, acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency," said Adm Mullen.
Rarely if ever have we heard such a senior figure make the accusation so publicly, with such specific information attached to it. "With ISI support, Haqqani operatives planned and conducted that truck bomb attack, as well as the assault on our embassy."
No caveats there: his language suggests that the US has conclusive proof of Pakistani support for those Haqqani operatives, not just intelligence that might suggest involvement.

(Jalaluddin Haqqani, leader of the network)
"They may believe that by using these proxies they are hedging their bets, or redressing what they feel is an imbalance of regional power," he said. "Only a decision to break with this policy can pave the road to a positive future for Pakistan." Here, the Admiral is calling on the Pakistanis to reconsider their entire approach to regional security - a very tall order and not something that would happen in a year or two, even if the Pakistanis assented. The relationship between Washington and Islamabad appears to be hitting new lows. Pakistan complained loudly and publicly of the American raid on Abbottabad which killed Osama Bin Laden. In July, the US announced it would withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan.
And now, the Americans are very publicly accusing Pakistan of stunning duplicity.
It is accepted wisdom in Washington that there can be no end to conflict in Afghanistan, and no true stability in South Asia, until Pakistan enjoys a measure of stability and security. But the Admiral's testimony indicates Washington's intense frustration at Pakistan and the lethal tactics of its shadowy intelligence services. Where all this may lead - what options the Americans may be considering - is unclear. But the Americans are now laying the ground for change.

[Flying Horse]

London 2012: Olympic and Paralympic posters unveiled.

A series of 12 Olympic and Paralympic posters, designed by leading UK artists including Tracey Emin and Chris Ofili, has been unveiled in London. The images will be displayed in a free exhibition at Tate Britain next year, held as part of the London 2012 cultural festival. Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota said organisers were "delighted" the artist had produced "such compelling images".

The artists were encouraged to celebrate the Games coming to London and to look at the values of the Olympics and Paralympics.
The posters have such titles as Big Ben 2012, by Morris, Swimming, by Hodgkin, and Superhuman Nude, by Banner. The 12-week, UK-wide arts celebration marks the culmination of the four-year Cultural Olympiad and will run concurrently with the Olympic and Paralympic Games. New events announced include a mass bell-ringing to mark the start of the Olympics on 27 July. There will also be art installations at Stonehenge, Hadrian's Wall and other heritage sites. They join previously announced events including the World Shakespeare Festival that will see the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe join forces for the first time.

The first thing to notice about the posters is how abstract they are, and how they could be for the Olympics at any time. At the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 it was clear they were referring to Spain's flag, and for Sydney's games, an athlete in the shape of boomerangs was a clear nod to Australia. But with this collection, you wouldn't know where the games are being held. Maybe that in itself is a statement.

[Flying Horse]

Syria crisis: Erdogan steps up Turkey pressure on Assad.

Turkey increases pressure on Syria over the crackdown on protests, with PM Erdogan warning Damascus against shedding "the blood of the oppressed". Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the future could not be built on "the blood of the oppressed", and condemned attacks on Turkish missions in Syria. Meanwhile, Turkey's energy minister announced that joint oil exploration projects with Syria had been halted.

Yellow Sun-Drop diamond goes for $10.9 million at Sotheby's.

An extremely rare yellow diamond known as the Sun-Drop has sold at auction in Geneva for just over $10.9 million (£6.8m). Sotheby's auctioneer David Bennett said the sum - paid by a telephone bidder who preferred to stay anonymous - set a world record for a yellow diamond.
The 110.3 carat pear-shaped diamond is said to be one of the largest diamonds ever to appear at auction. Discovered in South Africa last year, it was sold by New York-based Cora International.
The diamond was certified by gemologists as "fancy vivid yellow", the rarist and most desirable colour for a yellow diamond, Sotheby's had said. The colour is the result of traces of nitrogen trapped within carbon molecules and hardened over the course of millions of years.

'Himalayan viagra': Six men get life for Nepal murders,

(Yarsagumba - a fungus which has grown into the mummified body of a caterpillar))
A court in Nepal has found six men guilty of murdering seven rivals in a fight over a rare caterpillar fungus highly prized as an aphrodisiac. The men from the northern district of Manang were all given life sentences. 13 other villagers got two years in jail for their part in the murders. Another 21 defendants were acquitted.
Foraging for the fungus is a major source of income for poor Himalayan communities. A kilo can fetch tens of thousands of dollars in China.
Men from the village of Nar high up in mountains close to the Tibetan border were charged with brutally taking the law into their own hands. Evidence showed that the six were directly involved in the murder while the rest had provided indirect help," local court official Shambhu Baral told AFP news agency. The court heard how in June 2009 the Nar villagers formed a posse and murdered seven outsiders from low-lying Gorkha district who had come to harvest "yarsagumba". Yarsagumba is the term used in Nepal to describe the mummified body of the Himalayan bat moth caterpillar that has been invaded by the fungus Cordyceps sinensis.
Sentences were passed on Monday, but the Manang area is so remote it took until Tuesday for the news to emerge. Our correspondent says although the caterpillar fungus has brought wealth to the region, it has also brought jealousy and crime and many locals regard it as a curse.

Herman Cain interview stumble 'due to lack of sleep,'

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain's campaign says he had not slept enough when he stumbled on an interview question about Libya. Mr Cain appeared confused as he discussed Pres. Obama's policy on Libya in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The clip has been compared with Texas Governor Rick Perry's memory lapse last week in a televised debate. Mr Cain dismissed the stumble, saying: "I paused so I could gather my thoughts." His spokesman, J.D. Gordon, explained that Mr Cain had only had four hours of sleep because of his busy campaign schedule. Mr. Cain's interview has gone viral, as did Governor Perry's inability in a live TV debate last week to recall all three federal agencies he would eliminate.

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Pepper-spray affair shows campus police walk fine line,

Campus police can have many of the same responsibilities and rights of a municipal department - but they serve a more insular community. Friday, Officer John Pike, kitted in full riot gear, made international headlines when he shot a bright-orange stream of pepper spray at protesting students at the University of California, Davis at close range.
American universities - many of which are larger than the towns they call home - have increasingly turned to their own police forces to keep campuses safe. While some campus security forces consist of hired students or hourly security guards, others consist of trained officers, sworn to uphold the same laws as other police officers in the state. In many cases, these campus officers have the power to make arrests and conduct investigations. Some even carry guns.
"Gradually American universities, starting with the bigger, more progressive ones, have gone to not just dealing with the local police but instituting their own police on campus with full police powers," says Bruce Benson, police chief emeritus and associate professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University. The main difference between these fully operational police forces and ones found in nearby towns and cities lies not in operational powers, but the communities they serve.
"They have generally the same kind of duties, the same kind of responsibilities, but there's a greater focus on community policing as opposed to 'lock 'em up and book 'em'," says Robin Hattersly-Gray, executive editor of Campus Safety Magazine. "They're dealing with 17 to 25 year olds. They're not emotionally mature, the brain hasn't fully developed," she says. "To that end, campus police forces do more preventative education and programme development around drinking, drug use, hazing and sexual assault. "When a police force is tied to a campus, they're expected to be more proactive and more involved in the community," she says.
What is in part so confusing about the UC Davis incident is that campus police are often specifically trained to handle situations like the Occupy protests and other crowd control issues. In a campus, you could easily have a 100,000 people at a football game each weekend, or 20-30,000 come to a basketball game.
Campus protests are also nothing new, and most don't end up with widely circulated videos of pepper spray. "This is not what happens with proper training and policies," says Scott Jaschik, editor of Inside Higher Ed.
When it comes to the use of force, there is less room for discussion.

"Every agency should have a written directive on the use of force, and that should govern the circumstances and provide guidance to agencies and individual officers," says Christopher Blake, associate director and campus preparedness project director for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.

UC Davis had several documents regarding the use of force. "It is the policy of this department that officers will use only that amount of force that reasonably appears necessary, given the facts and circumstances perceived by the officer at the time of the event, to effectively bring an incident under control," reads one of their guidelines. Whether Mr Pike acted reasonably has yet to be determined. He, one other officer and the campus police chief are suspended pending an investigation into the pepper-spray incident.

Leveson inquiry: Steve Coogan says reporters rifled his bins.

Lord Justice Leveson is hearing from alleged victims of media intrusion at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
Comedian Steve Coogan has told an inquiry into media ethics that reporters have been through his rubbish bins, looking for "lurid" details of his private life. He told the inquiry that he understood aspects of his personal and professional work did not meet the approval of some tabloid editors.
But he added: "I do not believe that gives them the right to hack my voicemail, intrude into my privacy or the privacy of people who know me, or print damaging lies." Mr Coogan described how he got a court order forcing the police to disclose the notebook of Glenn Mulcaire - the private investigator employed by the News of the World (NoW) who was jailed for phone hacking in 2007. The comedian said he was shown a redacted copy which included details of the account number and password for his mobile phone account as well as the amount he paid for a hotel bill.
Earlier, the inquiry heard from other witnesses who gave accounts of media practices they had encountered. They included:

Earlier, the inquiry heard from other witnesses who gave accounts of media practices they had encountered.

They included:

• Former Blackburn Rovers captain Garry Flitcroft, who said he believed media coverage of his extra-marital affairs contributed to his father's suicide.
  
• Margaret Watson, from Glasgow, whose son killed himself after reading derogatory articles about his dead sister.
  
• Mary-Ellen Field, a business adviser to supermodel Elle Macpherson, who says she was fired for leaking secrets which were actually obtained by journalists hacking into the Australian star's phone.
  

[Flying Horse]

Nov. 26th
NATO raid prompts Pakistan review.

Pakistan has ordered a review of all co-operation with the US and Nato after the alliance struck a Pakistani army checkpoint, killing at least 24 people. A committee chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also decided to cut supply lines to Nato in Afghanistan.

Syria unrest: Arab League drafts economic sanctions.

Members of the Arab League have drafted a list of economic sanctions to impose on Syria, after a meeting in Cairo. The proposals include the halting of dealings with the Syrian central bank, the suspension of commercial flights and a travel ban on senior officials. Arab ministers are to vote on the proposals on Sunday - the latest move to punish Syria for its continuing brutal crackdown on protesters. The draft document - drawn up by the Arab League's Social and Economic Committee on Saturday and seen by correspondents - requires the support of two thirds of foreign ministers. It also includes the freezing of all Syrian assets in Arab countries.
Syria's foreign minister has accused the League of meddling in its affairs. In a letter to the 22-member organisation, Walid al-Muallem said it was seeking to "internationalise" the conflict. Damascus depends on its Arab neighbours for half of its exports and a quarter of its imports, so the sanctions are expected to have some impact. But our correspondent says Syria can still count on two neighbours - Iraq and Lebanon - not to enforce them fully. Neither country has endorsed the move.

Drugmaker Merck challenges Facebook after 'losing' page.

The German drugmaker Merck KGaA has begun legal action against Facebook after discovering what its lawyer described as the "the apparent takeover of its Facebook page". The webpage is being used by the German firm's US rival Merck & Co. Merck KGaA said that the social network "is an important marketing device [and] the page is of great value", adding that since its competitor was benefiting from the move "time is of the essence."
A Facebook spokeswoman said: "We are looking into it."
Merck KGaA said it had entered into an agreement with Facebook for the exclusive rights to www.facebook.com/merck in March 2010. The German firm said a number of its employees had been subsequently assigned administrative rights to the page. When it had checked the site on 11 October this year, it had discovered it had lost control of the page, and that content on the site now belonged to Merck & Co.
The two drugmakers both stem from the same firm set up by a pharmacy owner in the German city of Darmstadt in 1668. The business was split in two after World War I as part of the reparations package imposed on Germany.
Merck KGaA's lawyer, Robert Horowitz said he had sent a letter and a series of emails to various Facebook staff asking to discuss what had happened to the webpage. However, he said the respondents "either did not understand the problem... [or were] intentionally giving unresponsive answers". Mr Horowitz said that when he had requested a telephone conversation, one of Facebook's staff "incredibly replied that 'no-one is available for a call at this time'".
Merck KGaA has since filed a petition with the- Supreme Court of the State of New York. "We took legal action versus Facebook to ask for information why a website we thought we owned isn't ours anymore," Dr Gangolf Schrimpf, a spokesman for Merck KGaA, told the BBC. "We are just trying to learn what happened."
However, the court filing notes that: "Merck is considering causes of action for breach of conduct, tortious interference with contract, tortious interference with prospective business advantage, and/or conversion."

Republican debate sorts grown ups from kids.

Herman Cain did better than Mitt Romney in the latest Republican presidential candidates' debate. The Herminator merely got some one else's name wrong, calling CNN's moderator Wolf Blitzer, "Blitz". Mitt Romney in a jokey aside confirmed his first name is "Mitt". Only it's not. It's Willard. Mitt is his middle name.
However, there was something of a sorting of the grown ups from the kids - a serious test of ability. Nearly all of the candidates showed a tendency to eagerly disgorge a flood of facts to demonstrate their prowess. But Perry and Cain seemed like schoolboys who had desperately mugged up on their homework and had memorized a couple of facts, but clearly hadn't been paying attention in class all year.
By contrast Michele Bachmann had her best performance for a while. She was fluid and clearly did know what she was talking about. Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman was masterful and joined the dots, for all the good it will do him. Romney was measured and informed but not the hands down winner he has been in just about every other encounter. Indeed he was a bit windy. Newt Gingrich was solid, but almost retiring, offering little that was memorable or powerful. But he confirmed again that his most attractive feature is that he thinks outside the box and has big thoughts about technology.
Ron Paul was passionate, and was the only one clever enough not to feel the need to show off. He was clear and consistent in his difference from the other candidates. He's a libertarian rather than a conservative, and really does believe in less government, not just less redistribution. His foreign policy could be summed up in one of his phrases: "Why don't we mind our own business?"
There were no real gaffes, although Cain's plan to impose sanctions against Syria's oil industry would be less than effective as it has more or less ground to a halt because of existing sanctions. This debate probably won't change many minds, but Newt didn't seem to build on his surge in the polls, and for once Willard didn't win.