Africa
Morsi gives army arrest powers before vote
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect state institutions in the run-up to a controversial referendum on a new constitution. The army has been given powers of arrest. President Morsi has tried to calm public anger by annulling a decree giving him huge powers, but has rejected calls to scrap the referendum on the constitution, which is scheduled for 15 December. Opposition leaders have called for protests tomorrow, and have said they do not aim to topple the president but want a better constitution, according to former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa. Islamist groups have said they will hold counter-demonstrations, raising fears of further bloody clashes on the streets of Cairo. In another apparent concession, President Morsi suspended a big tax increase on the sale of a variety of goods including soft drinks, cigarettes and beer.
Al-Shabab militants forced from Jowhar, Somalia
Somali and African Union forces have captured the port town of Jowhar from the Islamist militant group, al-Shabab. The town was taken without resistance as the militants appeared to have fled, said a military spokesman and residents in the town. Jowhar was the biggest town under the control of al-Shabab, which is thought to have links with al-Qaeda. It has been driven from most urban areas over the past two years, but still controls many rural areas of Somalia.
Asia
Eight die in Pakistani militant attack
At least eight people were killed after militants stormed a police station near Bannu, a town bordering Pakistan’s tribal areas, according to police. Details are unclear, but some reports suggest militants attacked the station with grenades and firearms, sparking a gun battle. Three policemen and two attackers were killed, as were three civilians who were at an adjacent mosque, say police. The Pakistani Taliban have said they carried out the attack in revenge for the death of a relative of their former chief Baitullah Mehsud.
Middle East
Six die in violent clashes in Lebanese city of Tripoli
Six people have been killed and at least 40 injured in Tripoli, Lebanon, as opponents and supporters of Syria’s president clashed yesterday. Fighting between residents of the Alawite district of Jabal Muhsin and the Sunni Muslim Bab al-Tabbana area has been ongoing since Tuesday and has seen a total of 19 people dead as the conflict in neighbouring Syria aggravates sectarian tensions. The latest violence began after some 14 Sunni men from the area, who had apparently joined the armed rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, were killed by Syrian troops in a Syrian border town. Syrian state television broadcast footage of their bullet-ridden bodies, prompting their families to stage a demonstration demanding their repatriation. Tripoli is Lebanon’s second-largest city, with a population of 200,000. It has a small Alawite community living amid a Sunni majority. President Assad is an Alawite – a Shia sect – as are key members of his government and security forces.
Europe
Italian stocks fall as Monti plans to resign
Italian stocks have fallen sharply in response to the news that Prime Minister Mario Monti plans to resign, and his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi is to run for office again. The main Italian stock index fell by 3.1%, as other indexes throughout Europe also fell, with bank shares among the worst hit. Mr Monti became the leader of a technocrat government last year after investors’ concerns grew over Italy’s economic health. He replaced Mr Berlusconi after the Italian 10-year bond yield reached a record of 7.48% in November 2011. Since then, Italy’s yields have dropped and the focus has shifted to Spain, which has taken a bailout for its banks, and back to Greece. Italy’s 10-year bond yield jumped today by 0.3 points to 4.8%.
North America
Obama asks for $60bn for Sandy repairs
US President Barack Obama has requested more than $60bn from Congress for response, recovery and repairs in the wake of “Superstorm” Sandy. The scale of the request was welcomed by the governors of the two worst-hit states, New York and New Jersey. Nonetheless it falls short of the $80bn estimate of the total damage done to those states and to Connecticut. The White House said the storm was on track to be the second or third most costly in US history, with only Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 causing more damage. Sandy has been blamed for more than 120 deaths, and many thousands of people are still unable to live in their flood-damaged homes.
Latin America
Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez heads to Cuba for more surgery
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is returning to Cuba for more cancer surgery, after speaking openly for the first time about a possible successor. President Chavez named Vice-President Nicolas Maduro as his choice to replace him should anything happen. President Chavez won his fourth election in October and is due to begin a new six-year term in office on 10 January.
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