The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has formally opened a case into war crimes in Mali from January 2012, it was annoucned earlier today. Stating that she believes there is a "reasonable basis" that crimes such as murder, rape, torture and intentionally directing attacks against protected objects, prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said, “Since the beginning of the armed conflict in January 2012, the people of Northern Mali have been living in profound turmoil,” “At each stage during the conflict, different armed groups have caused havoc and human suffering through a range of alleged...
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the disappearance of Laotian civil society activist Sombath Somphone and has urged Laos to conduct a “transparent investigation”. "We call upon the Lao government to pursue a transparent investigation of this incident and to do everything in its power to bring about an immediate and safe return home to his family," Clinton said in a statement. Human rights groups in the country said they fear he was abducted by pro-government forces. Mr Somphone was a social activist who campaigned for fair land rights for farmers, which may...
For the first time since 1991, the US has decided to recognise the Government of Somalia. The decision came during a visit by the Somalian president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to the US State Department on Thursday. Making the announcement, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said the decision was made in response to efforts made by the government towards stability over the past year. In a statement, the US State Dept, said: "In 2012, after more than a decade of transitional governments, Somalia completed its political transition process. This culminated in a new provisional constitution, a new parliament, and the election by that parliament of Mr. Hassan Sheikh as Somalia's president. In recognizing the Government of Somalia, the United States is committing to sustained diplomatic engagement with the Somali authorities. While we maintain responsibility for U.S. engagement in Somalia through our personnel in the Somalia Unit, led by Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, and co-located with the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, we have increased our travel to Somalia over the last six months and plan to establish an even more robust presence there as security permits. In addition, recognition removes an obstacle to Somali participation in certain foreign assistance programs, including security sector programs like International Military and Education Training and Foreign Military Financing.
Fiji's ruling military has imposed new rules on political parties, raising further concerns regarding the country's move away from democracy. According to the new rules, trade union executives and other 'public officials' are to be banned from creating political parties, and political parties are banned from accepting donations from foreign governments, companies, inter-government or non-government organisations. Parties have been instructed to reach a membership threshold in order to register as a political party, which means that the current 16 parties will have 28 days to increase their...
Former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan has been admitted to hospital during his trial on Wednesday, making him the second leader facing trial to be taken ill and hospitalised this week. 81-year old Khieu Samphan, also known as Brother Number 2, joins 86-year old Nuon Chea, at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh. Former regime Foreign Minister Ieng Sary also stayed at the same hospital last year after he also fell ill during trial. The trio are all on trial, facing charges of genocide and war crimes. However the health of the suspects, all of whom are over 80, threaten to cut...
Both India and Pakistan have agreed to ease military tensions in Kashmir, after a recent fighting has left at least 5 soldiers dead from both sides. A 10-minute phone call between commanders from both armies reportedly saw an agreement that tensions would not continue to rise between the two. The agreement comes after a rise in tensions that saw a spate of killings across the Line of Control that divides Kashmir. At least 3 Pakistani soldiers and Indian soldiers have been killed in the violence, according to reports. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on his troops to be “aggressive...
A US official has told reporters that the US will officially recognise the Somali government, for the first time in over 20 years. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said that the news will be made official at a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tomorrow. "When the secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognise the Somali government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years," he told media. A senior US official is reported to have told Reuters that new aid measures...
Two people were killed and 41 taken hostage by Islamist militants at a gas plant in Algeria on Wednesday. The hostages were described as 'Western' and included British, French, Japanese and American citizens. The group claiming responsibility told Mauritanian media that they entered Algeria from northern Mali and carried out the attack as revenge against French intervention in Mali and Algeria's cooperation. The group which calls itself 'Signatories for Blood' said: "Algeria was chosen for this operation to teach (Algerian President Abdelaziz) Bouteflika that we will never accept the...
A Palestinian teenager was shot and killed by Israeli troops on the West Bank reports AFP. The shooting occured near a school in the village of Budrus, where a group of students had thrown stones at the soldiers after finishing their exams. The soldiers caught and tried to arrest 17-year-old Samir Ahmed Awad, firing six bullets when he tried to flee. A spokesperson for the army said that the incident was a response after Palestinians "approached the security fence near Budrus and damaged it in an attempt to infiltrate Israel". See here for full report on AFP .
The Prime Minister of Greenland Kuupik Kleist has said that his government will not favour the EU over China or other potential investors for access to the country’s rare earth minerals. Kleist said it would not be fair "to protect others' interests more than protecting, for instance, China's" according to the BBC . "All are welcome if they meet our conditions and our requirements to operate in Greenland," Mr Kleist said, adding that he would resist pressure from the EU over the highly valuable minerals. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark but unlike Denmark, is not part of the EU...