The statement read out by the military came hours after soldiers overran the headquarters of ZBC. A man in military fatigues said: "We wish to assure the nation that his excellency the president... and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed."

The statement added: "We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... that are causing social and economic suffering in the country. As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy."

It is not clear who is leading the military action.

Wild. Is the idea here to, uh, forcibly remove corruption from the Mugabe regime? Or is this a coup in which the old leader is kept as a figurehead? Something else entirely?

The older army leadership dating back to the independence war, and probably answering to sacked vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, want to eliminate the younger 'G40' clique surrounding Mugabe's wife Grace. (They call themselves 'G40' or 'Generation 40' because they believe they will come into power around the 40th anniversary of independence in 2020, by which time Bob will be out of it altogether or too feeble to do much.)

It's basically a dispute between two rival groups of kleptocrats, one of which has tanks. Bit like Egypt a while back.

Also, Mnangagwa and his followers are Karanga, the majority of the Shona, and they're a bit fed up with being bossed by Mugabe's Zezuru minority, and they think it's their turn. (What the Matabele think probably doesn't figure in the equation.)

What's the deal with Saudi Arabia and Lebanon?

KSA seem like a bunch of dicks. They ****ed about with Qatar as well and basically ruined them.

if i were to be detained indefinitely i'd absolutely want it to take place in a ritz carlton

Re Lebanon, its likely more proxy war against Iran.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/...american-23212

Thought Jared was supposed to be brokering peace in the Middle East.

The Pope visited Myanmar but had nothing to say about their ethnic cleansing of the Muslims.

Very Christian of him.

He could have refused to go and slated them from Rome ffs.

I'd give Francis the benefit of doubt here.

He did talk about the Rohingya before entering the country.

There are 650k Catholics in Myanmar, a little more than 1% of the country, whose welfare he has an interest in and who could face repercussions for what he says.

His position is not the same as a head of state. Visiting the Catholics in Myanmar is an important consideration. Refusing to go there is not the same as it would be for say the POTUS.

He is head of state though as well as the small matter of being gods voice on earth for over a billion people.

Should be nowhere near the place legitimising the bastards.

He IS a head of state. He's far more powerful and influential than most heads of state. His decision to visit matters more than the President of the US. Far more people look to him as a moral leader.

Ali Abdullah Saleh killed by the Houthi. He had just switched sides from the Houthi to Saudi Arabia.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42225574

Argentine ex-president Cristina Fernandez charged with treason

World’s Most Expensive Home? Another Bauble for a Saudi Prince

The 2015 purchase appears to be one of several extravagant acquisitions — including a $500 million yacht and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting — by a prince who is leading a sweeping crackdown on corruption and self-enrichment by the Saudi elite and preaching fiscal austerity at home.

Austria far right: Freedom Party wins key posts in new government
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42379985
ffs

Heard this while driving around at 4:00am. It's a one-on-one with a British journalist and the Sudanese foreign minister.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csvpq4

Found it amazing. BBC is so badass compared to our spineless media class here in USA #1. They go HAM, no regrets.

It really demonstrates the restrictive and conservative impact of corporate funding. Even State funding is more free. In the USA we have some independent media, but it's too small to get much access to the ruling class.

I wonder how long before Trump tries to implement a Central Election Commission?

Ahem:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pres...tion_Integrity

When that organization is allowed to decide who does and doesn't get to run it might be comparable.

In Honduras the right wing government that we supported in the coup of 2009 has totally rigged the election with ballot stuffing and still losing and having to halt counting in order to stuff more and some of the police are going on strike rather than suppress the protests. Trump has congratulated the fraudster of course and probably more for the vote in the US on Jerusalem and saying they'll move their embassy too than anything else.

Long clip with no English - shows some of the cops walking off.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-slander-chile

Still giving him the benefit of doubt?

Looks like pro-EU centrist academic Jiří Drahoš is trying to beat anti-immigration, pro-Russia incumbent Miloš Zeman for the presidency in The Czech Republic. Zeman won by 12% in the first round. A bunch of the first round losers have sponsored Drahoš. Will the voters of the other candidates vote for Drahoš and knock out Zeman?