Europe
Barclays boss to appear before MPs
Bob Diamond, the former chief executive of Barclays who resigned yesterday after it was revealed that his bank had been involved in manipulating the interbank rate, will appear before the British Parliament’s Treasury Select Committee this afternoon to answer questions on the scandal. Mr Diamond said he “looked forward to fulfilling” his appointment.
Unrest in Ukraine after language vote
Riot police deploying batons and tear gas clashed with hundreds of protesters in central Kiev today, and the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament offered his resignation following the abrupt passage of legislation to raise the status of the Russian language in the former Soviet state. The bill was rushed through parliament late on Tuesday by the majority Party of Regions, prompting the protests, which were led by opposition members of parliament. Protesters mustered in front of a building where President Viktor Yanukovich was to make a statement to the press celebrating the successful co-hosting of Euro 2012, and urged him to veto the bill.
North America
Obama to sign student loan and construction bills on Friday
President Barack Obama will use a White House event on Friday with construction workers and college students to sign into law recently passed legislation on transportation investment and student loans, according to officials. The event will highlight his efforts to drive the federal government to support education and create jobs – Republicans have labelled it election-year posturing.
Latin America
Mexican election runner-up demands recount
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, leader ofMexico’s left-leaning Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and runner-up in Sunday’s presidential election, has said he will demand a total recount of the votes. “For the good of democracy and of the country, all the votes must be counted”, he said to reporters. Mr Lopez Obrador criticised allegedly biased media coverage and has accused Enrique Pena Nieto, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), of breaching electoral rules by spending more than the allotted budget. Mr Pena Nieto was given the victory by more than six points.
Colombian police general turns himself in over drugs offences
Retired Colombian police general Mauricio Santoyo has turned himself in to agents working for theUSA’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Colombia’s capital, Bogota, to answer charges of helping drug gangs and paramilitary groups smuggle cocaine into Mexico and the USA. He is alleged to have committed the crimes while serving as head of security forColombia’s then-president, Alvaro Uribe. Gen Santoyo said he was certain he would be able to rebut all charges made against him.
Asia and Russia
Pakistan to reopen supply routes to Afghanistan
Pakistan is to allow supply convoys to Nato-led forces in Afghanistan to resume following an apology from the United States over the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in November. It will save the US hundreds of millions of dollars as it prepares to withdraw forces from Afghanistan. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed the decision after a phone conversation with Hina Rabbani Khar, her Pakistani counterpart, during which she offered America’s “sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives.” The Pakistani Taliban have threatened to attack the convoys.
Middle East and Africa
Islamists plant mines around Mali town
According to residents, Islamist fighters in northern Mali have planted anti-personnel mines around the town of Gao, over which they took control last week. The action is thought to be a defence against a possible attack by Tuareg rebels, whom the Islamists initially fought alongside to take over northern Mali after an April coup, but with whom they have now fallen out. Residents have said “it’s like a prison. People are scared”, with locals fearing to wander outside main roads. Many of the residents are herders and cattle-breeders, whose access to their fields is now restricted.
Kenyan Muslim groups to defend churches
Mulsim leaders in Kenya have organised self-defence groups to defend the country’s churches following a deadly attack on Sunday; 15 people were killed in raids on churches in Garissa, a town near the Somalian border. The region has been tense since Kenyan troops entered Somalia in pursuit of al-Shabab Islamist militants.
Nato soldiers wounded by man in Afghan army uniform
An individual wearing an Afghan army uniform shot and wounded five Nato soldiers – believed to be American – in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday. The five are receiving medical treatment. It is the latest in a series of “green-on-blue” attacks, the term for attacks by Afghans in the police or army against allied international forces. More than 20 international personnel have been killed in such attacks in Afghanistan this year, with three British soldiers shot and killed by an Afghan policeman on Sunday in Helmand province.
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