Rendon Group: Overnight News Summaries: 01 May 2012

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: The military junta in Mali said it remained in control of key sites around the capital after an attempted counter-coup.
AMERICAS: President Chavez returned to Cuba for additional cancer treatment.
ASIA: Afghan protesters accused NATO soldiers of killing four children during clashes with insurgents yesterday.
EUROPE: The British Defense Ministry is considering placing surface to air missiles on civilian rooftops during the Olympics
MIDDLE EAST: Israeli Defense Minister Barak was skeptical that international sanctions would succeed in curbing Iran’s nuclear goals
TECHNOLOGY: Freedom House indicated press freedom globally held steady after eight years of decline.

TOP STORY

US President Obama prodded to improve its human-rights record.
Secretary Clinton left for China yesterday while US officials continue to be quiet about the case.
Chen may be exiled if he wants to stay in China.
Chinese censors are scrambling to erase the activist from social media.
Coverage (Reuters, AP, NYT, Reuters-2, AFP)

AFRICA

Region: Diplomats at the UN are working to resolve Sudan/S. Sudan tensions as air strikes continued through the weekend. (AP)
Guinea-Bissau: ECOWAS continued to threaten to use force to dislodge military rulers while adding new sanctions. (Reuters)
Mali: The military junta said it remained in control of key sites around the capital after an attempted counter-coup. (Reuters)
Nigeria: Troops raided a suspected Boko Haram bomb factory in Kano and recovered IEDs. (AFP)
Sudan: International diplomats were granted access to their nationals who were arrested along the contested border with South Sudan. (AP)

AMERICAS

Colombia: Thirteen were killed in a military helicopter crash near the Caribbean coast. (AP)
Colombia: President Santos accused the FARC of kidnapping a French journalist who went missing on Sunday in a firefight with the FARC. (AP)
Mexico: The lower house of congress approved a bill to require federal assistance to victims of brutal gang violence. (Reuters)
United States: The Department of Homeland Security is set to launch their own probe of the Secret Service’s actions in Colombia. (Washington Post)
Venezuela: President Chavez announced his intention to withdraw Venezuela from an OAS human rights panel and signed an overhaul of the country’s labor law. (Dow Jones)
Venezuela: President Chavez returned to Cuba for additional cancer treatment. (CNN)

ASIA

Afghanistan: The EU ambassador indicated Afghan leaders need to improve. (Reuters)
Afghanistan: Protesters accused NATO soldiers of killing four children during clashes with insurgents yesterday. (AFP)
India: A ferry capsized with over 200 feared dead. (AP)
Korea, North: US President Obama, speaking with Japanese PM Noda, warned the DPRK that its “pattern of provocation” was over and the US would not buy “good behavior.” (AFP)
Malaysia: The government ordered 32 armored vehicles from Indonesia. (Xinhua)
Pakistan: Questions remain about Pakistan’s role a year after OBL’s death. (AP)
Philippines: Foreign Secretary del Rosario and Defense Secretary Gazmin appealed to the US to help modernize the Philippine armed forces. (AFP)
Thailand: Two soldiers were killed and six other injured by a bomb in the southern province of Pattani. (Xinhua)

EUROPE

Region: Details of planned AQ attacks in Europe were released by German authorities. (CNN)
Region: The US plans to declare at the upcoming Chicago Summit that the first phase of European missile defense is complete. (Xinhua)
Britain: The Defense Ministry is considering placing surface to air missiles on civilian rooftops during the Olympics. (WSJ)
Turkey: A committee began drafting a new constitution that is more democratic, as the current one was written while under military rule. (BBC)

MIDDLE EAST

Iran: Israeli Defense Minister Barak was skeptical that international sanctions would succeed in curbing Iran’s nuclear goals. (DPA)
Iraq: A SIGIR report indicates American reconstruction funds may have financed insurgents according to surveys of American officers and officials. (AFP)
Israel: Ex-opposition leader Livni plans to quit parliament today. (AP)
Syria: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated Syrian forces killed 10 in Idlib. (Reuters)
Yemen: Twelve militants were killed in Abyan province while seven soldiers died in the clash. (Global Post)
Yemen: Rebels claimed they had seized 20 tanks in Lawdar. (UPI)

GLOBAL

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Pay Phones: When paying with your phone you may be providing other information about yourself to the merchants. (NYT)
Press Freedom: Freedom House indicated press freedom globally held steady after eight years of decline. The US fell due to its response to the Occupy Wall Street protests. (AP)

WORLD

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (02MAY)

Asia: The Philippines hosts the annual Asian Development Bank meeting.
Europe: EU finance ministers decide new global capital requirements at Basel III.
El Salvador: Anniversary of the end of the Revolution Government Junta – 1982.
France: Presidential candidates Sarkozy and Hollande face off in televised debate.
Hungary: Presidential elections take place.
Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi to be sworn into parliament.
Myanmar: Anniversary of Cyclone Nargis making landfall – 2008.
Nigeria: Anniversary of the Yelwa massacre – 2004.