• Overnight News Summaries ,
• Tags: Africa, China, Colombia, earthquake, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mexico, Middle East, Protest, Russia, Social media, Tahrir Square, UAE, Uganda, United States, Yemen
• 20 Apr

KEY STORYLINES

• AFRICA: In Egypt, protesters gathered in Tahrir Square to demand the military council hand over power to civilians.
• AMERICAS: In Colombia, President Santos announced the resignation of the head of the national police.
• ASIA: In Afghanistan, a US helicopter crashed with four people believed to be on board.
• EUROPE: US Secretary Clinton said Turkey is considering invoking the NATO alliance’s mutual defense treaty over Syrian shelling.
• MIDDLE EAST: In Iraq, al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the wave of attacks that struck 10 cities.
• TECHNOLOGY: A survey released from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth says companies are shifting away from maintaining blogs and towards other social media platforms.

TOP STORY

• Syria: Increased violence amid calls for intervention
• The government reinforced posts on the borders of Homs.
• The UN aims to have 30 cease-fire monitors in Syria next week and up to 300 overall.
• The proposed plan will include deployment in 10 locations throughout Syria.
• French FM Juppe warned if Annan’s peace plan “doesn’t function, we have to envisage other methods.”
• Coverage: DPA, Xinhua, AP, Reuters, AP-2

AFRICA

• Region: Uganda’s military said it would intervene if fighting between Sudan and South Sudan escalated to full-scale war. (Xinhua)
• Egypt: Thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square to demand the military council hand over power to civilians. (AP)
• Mali: Ex-president Toure left the capital for Senegal. (AP)
• Somalia: AU troops in Somalia took control of al Shebab insurgent bases near Mogadishu. (AFP)
• Sudan: Rebels in the Blue Nile state said they killed 79 government troops and militiamen in two ambushes on Tuesday and Wednesday. (AFP)

AMERICAS

• Region: Two men from China held at Guantanamo Bay were released in El Salvador. (AP)
• Colombia: President Santos announced the resignation of the head of the national police. (AP)
• Mexico: Members of an indigenous community released 14 police and a local official seized to protest weak security. (AFP)
• United States: Airborne troops from Russia and the US will hold joint anti-terror drills between 24MAY and 31MAY in Colorado. (Xinhua)
• United States: The Secret Service’s investigation into alleged misconduct expanded to determine involvement beyond the current 11 individuals. (NYT)

ASIA

• Region: The Philippines accused China of escalating the ten-day standoff by sending a third patrol vessel. (AP)
• Afghanistan: A US helicopter crashed with four people believed to be on board. (Reuters)
• Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi and other party members plan to boycott parliament next week over the constitutional oath. (AFP)
• Philippines: A fisherman died when his boat collided with a US Special Forces vessel on a mission to contain Islamic extremists. (AFP)
• Thailand: Security forces killed five suspected insurgents including a most-wanted leader during a shootout in Yala province. (AFP)

EUROPE

• Region: The Ukraine and the EU will negotiate issues on Schengen visas on 15MAY. (Interfax)
• Turkey: US Secretary Clinton said Turkey is considering invoking the NATO alliance’s mutual defense treaty over Syrian shelling along its border. (AFP)
  Turkey: FM Davutoglu urged the leader of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region for tougher action against the PKK insurgency in the southeast of Turkey. (AFP)
• United Kingdom: British police arrested three men on suspicion of possessing documents intended for “terrorist purposes” overseas. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

• Region: A defense official says rockets fired from Egypt toward Israel earlier this month were smuggled from Libya. (AP)
• Region: Iran wrote to the UN reasserting its claim to sovereignty over three Gulf islands amid counterclaims by the UAE. (AFP)
• Iraq: Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the wave of attacks yesterday that struck 10 cities across Iraq, killing at least 30 and wounding 117. (AP)
• Yemen: Clashes between al Qaeda militants and the army, on the outskirts of Zinjibar in Yemen’s restive south, left 20 people dead. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

• Social media: A survey released from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth says companies are shifting away from maintaining blogs and towards other social media platforms.(USA Today)

WORLD

• Cyclones: Nothing to report.
• Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
• Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
• Volcanoes: Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
• Super-heated rock fragments ejected. (AP)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (21APR)

• Colombia: Shared Responsibility Campaign launched – 2006.
• France: First round of presidential elections.

END