A ceasefire between Kachin rebels and the Burmese government has been broken after Burma's army launched attacks on Kachin positions near Laiza, the capital of the Kachin state, controlles by the rebels. The Kachin Independence Army claimed that the the ceasefire announced by the government on Friday was never adhered to and that the Burmese Army continued with attacks. The rebel group has been fighting for more autonomy from the central government for ethnic Kachins. Kachins have had de-facto rule over the state for over 50 years and the government is now attempting to retake territory from...
Austrians voted in favour of keeping military conscription in a national referendum this Sunday. Bringing out over half of voters across the country, over sixty percent voted for it despite no obvious threat of attack from any neighbours. Voters cited the country's ethos of community service as one the key reasons why they favoured it. Other European countries that continue to retain compulsory military service include Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Greece.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has once again called for a war crimes investigation into Syria, urging the Security Council to act. Speaking to reporters, Pillay said , "I firmly believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed, are being committed and should be investigated," "I have urged the Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court for investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity on the part of all parties engaged in this conflict," Pillay went on to say that victims in Syria " see the...
Two men have been arrested over the killings of three Kurdish activists in Paris earlier this month. French media reported that both men were born in Turkey and one was the driver for one of the women. Le Point reported that one of the arrested was the last person to see the women before their deaths. The three women, all activists linked to the PKK, were found on January 10 at an office, linked to the Kurdish movement.
The Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos has warned Farc not to return to violence once its unilateral ceasefire expires on Sunday. The rebel group declared the ceasefire in November, ahead of peace talks, although the Colombian government refused to reciprocate the move and continued attacks on rebel positions. The president said the army was prepared for any upsurge in violence but urged Farc not to commit any "terrorist attacks".
India's Supreme Courty ruled on Friday, that the country has the jurisdiction to try two Italian marines charged with the deaths of two fishermen, however, a special feveral court must be set up as the Kerala state courts do not have the authority to adjudicate in the case. In February 2012, two fishermen were killed off the coast of Kerala by members of a military security team who allege they mistook the fishermen for pirates. The case has cause a rift in Indian-Italian relations with Indian officials arguing the killings took place in a "contiguous zone" where Indian law applies. Last year...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged that he will not dismantle any Jewish settlements in the West Bank if he wins another term in next week’s elections. "The days when bulldozers uprooted Jews are behind us, not in front of us." he told Israel's Maariv newspaper. "We haven't uprooted any settlements, we have expanded them, "Nobody has any lessons to give me about love for the Land of Israel or commitment to Zionism and the settlements." According to the BBC, the new government is expected to be one of the most right wing in Israel’s history, with the ultra-nationalist...
Tens of thousands of people gathered Thursday in the city of Diyarbakir, southern Turkey, to mourn the deaths of three Kurdish activists murdered in Paris last week, an outpouring that some said was the largest political gathering that Turkish authorities had ever allowed the Kurds to stage. Fidan Dogan, Leyla Söylemez and Sakine Cansız, one of the founders of the separatist Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), were killed by execution-style shootings last week. Their three coffins, draped in red, green and yellow flags of the PKK, were carried in procession to the main square, as a massive crowd...
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has apologised for the performance of a Serbian song linked to the Srebrenica massacres, at a concert in the UN General Assembly at New York on Monday. The concert saw a performance from the Viva Vox choir from Serbia who performed “March of the Drina”, a song originally written to praise Serbian troops killed in World War I, but since used as a Serb nationalist anthem during the Bosnian War. The song’s lyrics depict Bosnia’s main river, the Drina, stating “Near cold water/Blood was flowing/Blood was streaming: By the Drina was freedom!”. The performance received a standing ovation from Ban Ki Moon and other UN officials. The Congress of North American Bosniaks, The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada, the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Cente wrote to Ban saying, "The genocide that occurred in Srebrenica and Zepa, and other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was conducted by Serbian aggressors while blasting this song as they raped, murdered, and ethnically cleansed the non-Serb population". Ban’s spokesman Martin Nesirky has since said, "We sincerely regret that people were offended by this song… The Secretary-General obviously was not aware what the song was about or the use that has been made of it in the past."
The Burmese military has announced that it will end attacks on rebels in the northern state of Kachin after thousands of civilians were displaced by a recent intensification of conflict. The decision was announced hours after Burma's parliament passed a resolution on Friday to end the fighting. The military's commander-in-chief had agreed to the president's command “not to carry out offensive attacks except in self-defence”, the government said in a statement. Described by the Financial Times as an "unprecedented call", the statement reflected concern that the conflict would undermine Burma's...