House Budget Cuts in Humanitarian Aid. U.S. officials and nonprofit groups are expressing alarm about the deep reductions in humanitarian assistance in the House budget bill, warning that it could leave millions of poor people hungry and put refugees in jeopardy in places such as Iraq and Pakistan.
Afghanistan. The dramatic build up of a controversial anti-Taliban militia that many Afghans fear could revive the country's detested warlords has had to be suspended in a key district of Helmand amid outbreaks of fighting between different groups.
'Day of Anger' in Libya. Protesters in Libya have defied a security crackdown and taken to the streets in four cities for a "day of rage," inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, reports say.
Quote of the Day. "That is straight out of Gandhi. If people are not afraid of the dictatorship, that dictatorship is in big trouble. … If you fight with violence, you are fighting with your enemy's best weapon, and you may be a brave but dead hero." Gene Sharp, leading theoretician of nonviolence, whose writings inspired the student movement in Egypt, commenting on their discipline in remaining peaceful and their lack of fear. (New York Times)
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