Top of the Morning: A Fitting Tribute to a Great Man

Top stories from DAWNS Digest

A Fitting Send-Off for a Great Man 

This is potentially the largest gathering of world leaders in history, potentially eclipsing the memorial service for Pope John Paul II. All living US presidents (except Bush-the-elder) will be in attendance. “At FNB Stadium, where the memorial is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET, workers on Monday were welding together a stage and installing bulletproof glass to protect President Barack Obama and other guests. Obama will speak at the service, after tributes by four of Mandela’s grandchildren, by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and by an official of the African Union.” (NBC http://nbcnews.to/1gkLaxX)

Evidence Surfaces Ethnic Killings By Mali Armed Forces

AP reporters found six bodies after ethnic killings in Mali. “The body of an old man known as The Last Arab of Timbuktu, the symbol of ethnic minority Arabs who died or disappeared in a backlash against the al-Qaida occupation, has been found buried in the desert. The Associated Press’ discovery of the body of Ali Ould Kabbad and five others provides the first concrete evidence for the ethnic killings, which human rights groups have blamed on Mali’s military. In each case, the victims were last seen taken away by Malian soldiers at gunpoint.” (Yahoo! News http://yhoo.it/18wTFkO)

RIP, Richard Williamson

One the the Republican party’s most thoughtful voices on atrocity prevention and human rights died suddenly yesterday. “Over three decades, he held diplomatic roles under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush that included assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs; ambassador to the United Nations offices in Vienna; an assistant secretary of state; ambassador to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights; and special presidential envoy to Sudan. Last year he was a top foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney in his unsuccessful White House bid against President Barack Obama.” (Chicago Tribune http://trib.in/1gkLqgG)