(via cnn.com)
A video has been release asking for an exchange of the five Britons taken hostage back in May with Iraqi prisoners.
“The PM has been in close contact with PM Maliki on this case, and discussed it again with him over the ‘phone this morning,” a statement from Brown’s office said.
“Both leaders deplored the taking and public parading of hostages, and agreed to continue their close cooperation to secure their early release.”
In the video released Tuesday, a man who identified himself as Peter Moore pleaded with the British government to perform “a simple exchange” of prisoners with his captors so “we can go home.”
Link to video (.wmv)
(via newsinfo.inquirer.net)
Unidentified gunmen late Sunday killed 12 people during a brazen assault on a police station at a gold-mining township in south-western Guyana, in the second massacre to have occurred in less than one month, authorities said.
Regional Chairman Hilbert Knights said three policemen and nine civilians were killed and several others injured.
He said preliminary information indicated that at least six men had arrived via the Essequibo River in a speed-boat and immediately invaded the Bartica police station located almost on the river bank.
Word is a number of civilians were asked to lay down and shot in the back of the head execution style.
(via uctp.blogspot.com)
CARIFESTA … will return to its birthplace – Guyana – from August 22 to 31 2008. CARIFESTA attracts a wide range of creative artists from various Caribbean and Latin American countries and was the culmination of a concept that began in 1970 when participants at an Artists and Writers Convention in Guyana complained about the absence of an outlet to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Region.
(via breakingnewskenya.wordpress.com)
Peace Corps operations in Kenya will be temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of the 58 remaining Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Kenya. With growing instability in Kenya, and following the unrest associated with the recent elections on December 27, 2007, these Volunteers who remained working at their sites in the eastern, central and coastal regions of Kenya, will now be transitioning out of service.
Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter said, “Our first priority is the safety and security of our Volunteers. Over 5,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Kenya in the last 42 years, building deep friendships with the people there. The Peace Corps has become an integral and positive element of the U.S. partnership with Kenya and the Kenyan people.”
The 58 Volunteers from the eastern region of Kenya will be granted close of service in good standing, or offered an opportunity to transfer to another Peace Corps country. The ultimate goal of Peace Corps/Kenya is to return Volunteers to their communities in Kenya when the security situation improves. The Peace Corps staff will remain in Kenya and maintain the program during the temporary suspension.
