WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

  Three United Nations (UN) experts called for a full and independent investigation into the killing of three Lebanese journalists by Israel last week, which they described as ‘another attack on press freedom by Israeli forces.’ On March 28, Israeli forces killed Al Mayadeen reporter Fatima Ftouni, her brother and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni, and Al Manar TV reporter Ali Shoeib as they were…

Satellite images reveal possible war crimes in Sudan – Amnesty

Satellite images reveal the Sudanese government may be committing war crimes by indiscriminately bombing civilian areas in South Kordofan, said Amnesty International.

In a new briefing published this week, satellite imagery obtained by the organisation reportedly show indiscriminate bombing by the Sudanese Armed Forces on areas such as hospitals and schools.

Kurdistan president vows to keep forces in Kirkuk

The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, in a visit to the recently grabbed city of Kirkuk, Thursday vowed to never withdraw Kurdish forces form the region, reports the Financial Times.

“We are not ready to relinquish even a hand’s width of Kurdish Land. If Kirkuk at any time becomes part of the Kurdistan region again, it will be clear how well we will serve it,” said Masoud Barzani.

US calls for regional unity as troops arrive in Iraq

The first US troops deployed to assist the Iraqi army in combating the militant group ISIS arrived on Thursday in Baghdad, announced the Pentagon.

At least half of the 300 pledged special operations soldiers, began work in Baghdad or on the front lines, reports the BBC.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry, on Tuesday, also called for regional unity to expel the ISIS rebels that had taken large regions of Iraq.

ICC should investigate crimes in CAR says HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes in the Central African Republic (CAR), following a request from the country’s interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza.

The call from HRW comes after a coalition of human rights organisations warned that the conditions from genocide were being created in the Central African Republic, as violence spread between religious groups.

Catherine Samba-Panza, CAR’s interim president, had earlier requested the ICC to formally investigate crimes in the country, acknowledging that the country’s courts could not do so.

Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch said,

“Everyone involved in the horrific crimes in the Central African Republic should know there is a price to pay for committing atrocities… The ICC prosecutor should accept the government’s request, investigate crimes by all parties, and help provide a sense of justice for the victims.”

International Federation for Human Rights warns of genocide in CAR

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has warned that attacks by rival religious groups in the Central African Republic have created conditions which could see genocide in the region.

In a report released this week, violence between the mostly Christian anti-Balaka and mainly Muslim Seleka was detailed. The organisation, a coalition of 178 organisations in over 120 countries, named their report after one militia leader told researchers "they all have to leave or die."

Florent Geel, the director of the federation's Africa Desk, called on the international community to act, saying,

21 killed in Abuja bomb

At least 21 people were killed and 52 injured on Wednesday in a bomb blast in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. See here, here and here.

The bomb, the latest of a series of high profile attacks believed to be orchestrated by the militant group Boko Haram, who also abducted 200 schoolgirls in April, exploded during rush hour in the capital's shopping district.

UN calls for military action against ISIS advances in Iraq

The United Nations special envoy to Iraq Wednesday called for military force to be used against the advancing ISIS militants in the North and East of Iraq. 

Nickolay Mladenov said that instability in the North and East must be dealt with militarily though overall success would depend on a broad political solution, reports Reuters.

"The part of the crisis that has been caused by the advances of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) must be addressed militarily," Mladenov told reporters.

ICC will not investigate North-Korean attacks on military targets

The International Criminal Court, said Monday that it would not investigate two incidents of North Korean forces attacking South Korean territory, because neither attack had intentionally targeted civilians, reports Reuters.

Although North Korea has not ratified the Rome statute, its attack on an ICC member country like South Korea, can still give the court jurisdiction to investigate potential war crimes committed by North Korea.

Kurdistan to seek formal independence from Iraq, Kerry set to visit regional capital

The Iraqi Kurdish President Monday said the Kurdish region in Iraq would seek formal independence from the rest of Iraq.

“The Time is here for the Kurdistan people to determine their future and the decision of the people is what we are going to uphold,” said Massoud Barzani in an exclusive interview to CNN.

Barzani added that he would argue the case for an independent Kurdistan to the US Secretary of State, who is due to visit Erbil on Tuesday.

Explaining the need for an independent Kurdistan he said:

Spain drops genocide investigation against China

An investigation into genocide against Chinese leaders in Tibet has been dropped by the Spanish High Court.

The case, brought by a Tibetan monk with Spanish citizenship, was dismissed as it did not comply with new legislation that limits Spain's ability to investigate crimes against humanity committed abroad, the High Court said.