A "viable" pipe bomb was found by Forth River Primary school in Belfast on Friday. Police said that the device was found by a member of the public in Forth River Road at approximately 3pm. The spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: “Army technical experts attended and confirmed it to be a viable pipe bomb-type device.” Last month, a similar device was found at a community building by Shore Road.
In what is being seen as a significant battle won for Scottish nationalists, clerks at the House of Commons in Westminster agreed to stop using the word "separation" in titles of debates on independence. As a compromise, future debates on the effects of independence would be referred to as "post-2014". The issue arose after a debate tabled by the Labour MP for Inverclyde Ian McKenszie - "The future of Royal Mail [postal service] in a separate Scotland", had its title altered by clerks to "The future of the Royal Mail in Scotland". According to The Scotsman , the name was changed after the SNP Perth and North Perthsire MP Pete Wishart formally complained about the inclusion of the words "separate" or "separation". A spokesperson for the Commons, told The Scotsman that the name was changed because a “separate Scotland is hypothetical”, and therefore fell outside the remit of ministers. Labour ministers who had previously protested against the clerks' decision had reportedly been told that the heading of debates are also neutral and the inclusion of the word "separate" was "leading" and "not impartial".
In a report released this week, Human Rights Watch confirmed that at least 18 Israeli airstrikes, during the Israel-Gaza conflict in November 2012, were in violation of international law. A detailed investigation into the attacks revealed that 14 of the attacks on Gaza had no indication of legitimate military targeting, whilst the remaining 4 strikes, which targeted legitimate military targets, were indiscriminate and caused a higher proportion of civilian casualties. Human Rights Watch's Middle East director, Sarah Leah Whitson, said : "Israeli forces too often conducted airstrikes that...
A district court in Oslo, Norway has convicted a Rwandan man for his part in the 1994 genocide and sentenced him to 21 years in prison. Sadi Bugingo, a 47 year old man living in Norway, was found guilty of complicity in premeditated killings of at least 20,000 Tutsis. The court focussed on three attacks that occurred in Bugingo's home town of Kibungo in April 1994. Judge Jonas Petter Madsoe said : "Several witnesses have described how the accused was present in the massacres," "In this court's view, there are also several other circumstances in the case which together support the conclusion...
Sixteen-year-old Hussein Ali Ahmed was shot dead during clashes with Bahrain's security forces on Thursday, two years on from the start of the pro-democracy uprising in the Kingdom. The incident occured in the village of Diya, near the capital Manama, where security forces were firing teargas, rubber bullets and birdshot at demonstrators. Dozens of others were also injured. See here for coverage on the New York Times' blog.
Zimbabwe's important referendum on a new constitution said to be a major step towards democratic reform, has been "tentatively" set for 16th March. The referendum is expected to be followed by elections were both the current president Robert Mugabe, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai would run. Although the details of the new constitution are yet to be officially released, it is understood that both Mugabe and Tsvangirai have approved it. The announcement was made by the Constitutional Affairs Minister, Eric Matinenga, who said: "I can confirm 16 March is the tentative referendum date...
Human Rights Watch (HRW) have accused the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of failing to protect indigenous women and girls from violence in northern British Columbia, as well as abusive behaviour by the police itself. HRW interviewed women and girls who described abusive treatment by police officers, including excessive use of force as well as physical and sexual assault. An 89-page report detailed ongoing failures by the police along with allegations of violent behaviour by police, especially against women and girls living in communities along Highway 16 which has come to be called...
The former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed has taken refuge inside the country's Indian embassy after a local magistrate ordered his arrest. Riot police barricaded the streets around the embassy as Nasheed's supporters gathered. A former pro-democracy campaigner, Mr Nasheed was ousted from government by a police and security force mutiny and violent demonstrations. Tweeting from the diplomatic compound, Mr Nasheed said: "Mindful of my own security and stability in the Indian Ocean, I have taken refuge at the Indian High Commission in Maldives." An arrest warrant was issue by a...
Defying UN resolutions, North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday, prompting condemnation from the US, and a call for calm from China. North Korea stated that this third test had "greater explosive force" that its previous two, conducted in 2006 and 2009, and that this latest device was "miniaturised" and lighter. The US president Barack Obama condemned the act as "highly provocative", adding: "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community. The United States will also continue to take steps...
The Israeli government has given the final approval for the construction of 90 new settler homes in the West Bank, days after the US announced that President Barack Obama would visit Israel. The announcement by the Israeli Defence Ministry in August of the construction was given final approval by the Civil Administration's planning committee, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pledge that 300 new homes would eventually be erected in Beit El for settler families. Hagit Ofran from the Peace Now settlement watchdog commented that, "Even though there is not yet a new government in...