Zimbabwe diamond torture camp alleged

Zimbabwe's security forces are allegedly operating a torture camp in the country's Marange diamond fields, the BBC's Panorama TV investigative show reported.

Victims told of severe beatings and sexual assault, Panorama said Monday.

The claims come as the European Union is considering a partial lift of a trade ban on Zimbabwe's diamonds dating back to 2009 imposed by the Kimberley Process, the international organization that polices diamonds.

The ban of Zimbabwe diamonds from world markets came after reports of killings and abuses by Zimbabwe's security forces in the diamond fields.

Witnesses described conditions in the alleged torture camp in Zengeni near Marange.

"It is the place of torture where sometimes miners are unable to walk on account of the beatings," a victim who was released from the camp in February told the BBC.

There have been reports of an additional camp located in nearby Muchena, Panorama said.

Civilians recruited by the police and military to illegally dig for diamonds for them are taken to the torture camps if they demand too large a share, the program said.

Civilians found mining for themselves are also tortured in the camps, the report said.

Saudi Arabia demands Syria end bloodshed

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait all recalled their ambassadors from Syria Monday in response to Damascus' brutal crackdown on opposition protesters.

The New York Times reported the decision by the three Middle East neighbors came as the state-run Syrian news agency said Syrian President Bashar Assad had replaced his defense minister, Lt. Gen. Ali Habib, with the army's chief of staff, Gen. Dawoud Rajh.

It was unclear why Assad made the move, the U.S. newspaper said. Habib had served in the Cabinet post since June 2009.

Withdrawing the ambassadors is the most significant action taken yet by Arab nations since protests against the Assad administration started in mid-March, the Times noted.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Monday the United States is "very much encouraged" by the actions.

"These are further signs that the international community are repulsed -- is repulsed by the brutal actions of the Syrian government and is standing with the Syrian people. And furthermore, it's signs that, as I've said before and others have said, that President Asad and his government are further isolating themselves from the international community through their actions," Toner said.

Saudi Arabia demanded an end to the bloodshed the Syrian military has inflicted on opposition activists, including nearly 70 people killed in a single day of military assaults.

"What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia," King Abdullah said in a statement read over the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya news channel.

"Syria should think wisely before it's too late and issue and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms. Either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss," said Abdullah, whose own monarchy bans political opposition and supplied troops to neighboring Bahrain to repress anti-government protests.

"The kingdom does not accept the situation in Syria because the developments cannot be justified," Abdullah said, insisting Damascus introduce "comprehensive and quick reforms."

"The future of Syria lies between two options -- either Syria chooses willingly to resort to reason, or [it will] face being swept into deep chaos, God forbid," he said.

Abdullah's rebuke and warning followed an increasingly widespread surge of condemnation of Assad Sunday, from the Arab League to the pope.

The 22-member league, which had been silent in the five months since the uprising began, said Sunday it was "alarmed" by the bloodshed. It called on Syrian authorities to stop attacking protesters and demanded an immediate halt to the violence.

A league appeal in March for international intervention in Libya laid the groundwork for NATO's bombing campaign against leader Moammar Gadhafi. But with Syria, the league has so far specifically asked the West to stay out.

Pope Benedict XVI called on Assad to respond properly and adequately to the Syrian people's "legitimate aspirations," adding he had "deep concern" about "Syria's dramatic and increasing episodes of violence," which he said had led to "numerous victims and grave suffering."

CNN reported Monday hackers accessed the Web site of Syria's Defense Ministry replacing its content with anti-government messages and support for the protests.

More than 250 Syrian tanks and armored vehicles Sunday laid waste to the country's biggest northeastern city and oil capital, Deir el-Zour, which has been under siege for days, in a predawn offensive that also included snipers positioned on rooftops picking off "anything that moves," said the activist Local Coordination Committees, which tracks the uprising and organizes some protests. Nearly 50 people were killed there, activists said.

Thousands fled the city of about 511,000, the activists said. A family of six trying to escape -- a couple with four children -- were among the dead, they said.

Syrian tanks also shelled Houleh, a town in central Syria's Homs province that had also seen large protests, killing about 20, the activists said.

More than 300 people have died in the past week, the bloodiest in the five-month uprising, the activists said.

Man living in tent had 37 huskies

Authorities say they returned 19 huskies taken by animal advocates to a Canadian man living in a tent with 18 more of the dogs.

Canadian broadcaster CTV reported Monday the Lachute, Quebec, man had taken in several of the huskies some time ago after the dog sledding company where he worked went out of business. They weren't spayed or neutered and eventually he found himself with 37 of the dogs. But the cost of caring for them contributed to his eviction from his home this summer and the man has been tying them to trees near the tent where he's living, CTV said.

The unidentified man had contacted the SPCA Laurentides-Labelle and the provincial Agriculture Ministry to help him find foster and permanent homes for the animals.

But this past weekend, members of Keepers of Animals Rights for the Mistreated and Abused and other agencies went to Lachute to check on the dogs.

"Apparently the dogs have been there since September last year," said Dee-Ann Gallant of KARMA.

"Huskies are used to cold climates. They have to be either in the basement or somewhere cool in the summer, they can't be left outside."

Gallant had found homes for seven of the dogs another set of animal rescue advocates from Eleven Eleven Rescue say they took 19 of the dogs Sunday evening, considering them abandoned, only to be stopped by police and government officials. The owner of the dog pack told CTV News he was trying to find owners for the animals and is capable of taking care of them in the meantime.

The SPCA Laurentides-Labelle was to house the remaining animals at the organization's shelter.

China tries to end sex-selective abortions

The Chinese government says it will be cracking down on sex-selective abortions for non-medical purposes.

The family planning policy, announced by the Chinese government in a release Monday, is an attempt to put an end to illegal sex-selective abortions and balance the sex ratio in the country where many people highly value male children to preserve bloodlines, Xinhua reported.

The Outline for the Development of Chinese Children (2011-2020) says efforts to "eliminate discrimination against girls" and continue promoting gender balance should be made.

"Using ultrasonic techniques to conduct non-medical sex determination" should be strictly prohibited, it says.

Family planning policies have been implemented in China for about three decades to control the population. Previously, couples in urban areas were only allowed to have one child.

Nowadays, polices have been loosened. Couples in some parts of the country can have two children if both parents are from one-child homes.

Teens allegedly pointed laser at copter

Six Canadian teenagers have been charged with assault for allegedly pointing a laser at a police helicopter patrolling over Oshawa, Ontario, officials say.

The Durham police helicopter was flying over the city at 12:30 a.m. on July 29 when the green laser beam was pointed directly into the cockpit, the Toronto Star reported.

Police said the helicopter pilot was not affected, however, the flight officer suffered temporary vision problems.

After landing the aircraft, police traced the beam to a back yard where they found six teenagers passing around a laser pointer, which was confiscated.

Curtis Lee, Aaron Mountjoy, Andrew Capesky, Dale Branton and Alana Capesky, all 18, are facing six charges, including assault with a weapon and mischief endangering a life. Robert Roughly, also 18, was previously charged in the incident.

Durham police say this is the second incident of this type within the past year.

1st woman to command Royal Navy battleship

An officer on track to be the first female commander in the British Navy is also on track to be the first woman to command a warship, officials said Monday.

The Admiralty announced Lt. Commander Sarah West is to take command of the frigate HMS Portland in April 2012, The Guardian reported. She is scheduled to be promoted to commander at the end of the year.

West, who studied mathematics at the University of Hertfordshire and also has a law degree, joined the Royal Navy in 1995, five years after its ranks were open to women. She has commanded smaller vessels, participated in the evacuation of British citizens from Lebanon in 2006 and has been involved in naval planning in Iraq.

As commander of the Portland, West will be responsible for a crew of 185 and a vessel with more firepower than the entire fleet Admiral Horatio Nelson took into action at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Women remain barred from a few naval positions, including the Royal Marine Commandos and submarine crews. About 15 percent to 20 percent of most ship's crews are now women.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/08/08/1st-woman-to-command-Royal-Navy-battleship/UPI-97631312859779/#ixzz1UWQU22TN

Rioting spreads in London and beyond

Rioting spread Monday to a growing number of neighborhoods in London and to cities beyond in the third night of violence brought on by a police shooting.

The riots erupted Saturday in the North London neighborhood of Tottenham and nearby areas. On Monday, hundreds of young people took to the streets in Croydon, on the capital's southern edge, and in other south London districts, including Battersea and Lewisham, The Guardian reported.

Similar violence was reported in Birmingham and Liverpool.

A fire set by rioters destroyed Reeves, a century-old family-run furniture store in Croydon, The Guardian said. In Battersea, local gangs allegedly declared a night of truce as they attacked stores.

In Birmingham, police cordoned off the Bullring, the city's central shopping and business district. But police said stores were damaged and passersby were beaten elsewhere.

Mike Golden, manager of a store that was broken into, said he had been on vacation and did not know what was going on. Monday night, he got a call from the alarm company.

"They are using what happened in London as an excuse for this behavior," he said.

In Liverpool, police reported "isolated outbreaks of disorder," including cars set on fire.

Enfield, the most northerly London borough and 6 miles north of Tottenham, was one of at least four London neighborhoods targeted Sunday night, police and witnesses said.

Resident Mizu Rahman told The Guardian he had seen a message on Facebook that Enfield would be "next on the hit list."

Conservative Member of Parliament Nick de Bois, whose district includes Enfield, said the disorder was fomented by social-media Web sites.

"There seems to have been a very well-organized campaign over social media to try to engineer trouble here in Enfield. It has almost become a self-fulfilling prophecy," he told LBC Radio.

Saturday night's Tottenham violence started as a small, peaceful march outside a police station to protest the killing of a local man, Mark Duggan, in a police shooting the week before.