Africa
Judges refuse to oversee Morsi referendum
Judges in Egypt have refused to oversee a vote on the country’s new draft constitution, due to be held in two weeks. The Judges’ Club’s decision follows a confrontation between Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court and Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi. The court said it was suspending its work after its members were prevented from ruling on the legitimacy of the body that drew up the constitution. Opposition groups have called for protests against the referendum, which is to be held tomorrow. They said Mr Morsi had broken a promise not to call a referendum without gaining a wide national consensus. These developments heighten tensions in a building row between President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood on one side, and their mainly secular political opponents and the judiciary on the other.
Asia
Karachi cleric killing sparks backlash in Pakistan
Gunmen have shot dead a senior cleric of a prominent Islamic seminary in the Pakistani city of Karachi, in what police say could be a sectarian attack. Maulana Mohammed Ismail was killed on his way to the Sunni Jamia Ahsanul Uloom seminary. His death sparked angry protests as people took to the streets, setting vehicles on fire and pelting security forces with stones. Sectarian violence is on the rise in the long-troubled city; recent weeks have seen several Shia Muslims killed in drive-by shootings blamed on Sunni militant groups.
North Korea ‘installs long-range rocket at launch site’
North Korea has begun installing a rocket at its Sohae launch pad ahead of a planned launch this month, according to South Korean news. The North’s state media say the launch is an attempt to put an observation satellite into space between 10 and 22 December, while the US and its allies say it is a cover for long-range missile technology. The move comes despite China, North Korea’s main ally, expressing concern in a statement yesterday. North Korean scientists are expected to take several days to assemble the three-stage rocket.
Middle East
UN internet regulation talks begin in Dubai
A UN agency is trying to calm fears that the internet could be damaged by a conference it is hosting. Government regulators from 193 countries are in Dubai today to revise a wide-ranging communications treaty. Google has warned the event threatened the “open internet”, while the EU said the current system worked, adding: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But the agency said action was needed to ensure investment in infrastructure to help more people access the net. “The brutal truth is that the internet remains largely [the] rich world’s privilege,” said Dr Hamadoun Tore, secretary-general of the UN’s International Telecommunications Union, ahead of the meeting. “ITU wants to change that.”
Europe
UK and France summon Israeli ambassadors over settlement building
The British and French governments have both summoned Israeli ambassadors in protest at Israel’s decision to approve the construction of 3,000 new homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The plans include developments in the area designated E1, which has especially annoyed Western governments as successive US administrations had been assured by Israel that it would not build there. A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said the move would cast doubt on Israel’s commitment to the peace process: “the Foreign Secretary [William Hague] has consistently made it very clear that settlement building… threatens the two-state solution and makes progress through negotiations harder to achieve.” The United Nations warned the homes would be “an almost fatal blow” to peace hopes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu brushed off the criticism, saying: “we will carry on building in Jerusalem and in all the places that are on the map of Israel’s strategic interests”. The move follows the UN General Assembly’s vote last week to grant permanent non-member observer status to Palestine.
Greece begins buying back bonds
Greece has launched a programme to buy back some of its debt, which is a condition of it receiving the next tranche of its bailout loans. The government will offer to buy back €10bn ($8bn) of its bonds from private investors for between 32% and 40% of their face value. They will be paid in six-month bonds from the European Union’s EFSF rescue fund. The operation will reduce the face value of Greece’s debt. Greece has been waiting since June for the next tranche of its bailout, which will be worth €44bn. Under the arrangement finally agreed last week, of which today’s move is a condition, the loans will be issued on 13 December. In an interview published yesterday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted that she might allow a write-off of some of Greece’s debts to other countries. She has been very resistant to the idea in the past, but many analysts now believe it is the biggest missing element in the effort to stabilise the country.
Starbucks ‘planning tax changes’
Starbucks, one of several multinational companies recently criticised for its tax avoidance arrangements, has said it will change the way it operates so that it will pay more corporation tax in the UK. Despite having almost a third of the UK coffee shop market, Starbucks has paid corporation tax there only once in the past 15 years. In a report published today, Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge said HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) needed to be “more aggressive and assertive in confronting corporate tax avoidance”. If Starbucks decides to go ahead with the change, it will be announced on Wednesday, ahead of Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement and therefore a boost for the government. The Treasury has announced it will provide HMRC with £77m of new money to help it track down individual and corporate tax avoidance, and that it expected to recoup £22bn a year as a result of these measures.
Latin America
Colombian forces kill 20 Farc in bombings as peace talks continue
At least 20 Farc rebels have been killed in Colombia after the military launched bombing strikes on one of their camps, the army says. The raid on Saturday is said to be the biggest military operation against Farc since peace talks began in October. The strike comes as President Juan Manuel Santos said the rebels had less than a year to abandon their weapons. In November, the Farc announced a ceasefire set to last until 20 January. Mr Santos, however, has rejected calls for a government-led truce until a final agreement has been reached.
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