• Mugabe warns Zimbabwe security forces

    President Robert Mugabe has warned his security forces not to get involved in politics after continued uncertainty over the ageing Zimbabwean leader's successor.
    The president said Army, police and intelligence officers were taking sides in his Zanu-PF party's infighting over who will take the helm.
  • Canada's Assembly of First Nations weclomes inclusive development by large companies
    The head of Canada’s Assembly of First Nations (AFN) said that large companies could develop in Aboriginal areas if they forged good links with the community.

    Noting that companies could develop in Aboriginal areas, Perry Bellegarde said that as long as they “respect inherent rights, treaty rights and indigenous peoples’ involvement, there could be ways to work through some of those concerns.”
  • India-Pakistan talks to resume

    High-level peace talks between India and Pakistan will resume, announced India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, after meeting her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz.

    "The foreign secretaries of both countries will meet and chart out the agenda for the meetings," Ms Swaraj told reporters.

  • French troops questioned over CAR child rape allegations

    Four French soldiers were questioned on Tuesday over allegations of child rape in the Central African Republic, AFP reports.

    The investigation in Paris is looking at 14 soldiers involvement in the allegations of sexual abuse of a group of children in CAR's capital Bangui between December 2013 and June 2014. The children, some as young as nine, said the soldiers abused them in exchange for food.

    The allegations first surfaced after a UN report leaked, sparking accusations of a cover-up.

    This is not the first time that allegations of sexual abuse have been made against UN peacekeeping soldiers.

    Sri Lankan troops were expelled from Haiti for sexually abusing children in 2007, with 111 soldiers and 3 officers were repatriated back to Sri Lanka after being part of UN mission in Haiti and were accused of a string of sexual assaults, including rape of children as young as 7 years old. No prosecutions or punishments have taken place.

  • Burundi releases political prisoners amidst EU aid talks
    Nearly 100 Burundian protesters who opposed President Pierre Nkurunziza during months of escalating violence in the capital Bujumbura were released on Tuesday.

    The announcement came as the Burundian government held aid talks with European Union officials.

    The Burundian Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary said that the release of the 97 prisoners had “no connection with the consultations underway.”
  • China and Russia to disrupt Security Council moves on North Korea

    Russia and China are expected to block any punitive measures proposed at the UN Security Council, after the US set a special meeting on for Thursday to discuss the country.

    China has reportedly objected to the meeting organised by the US, which holds the presidency this month, arguing that it is beyond the scope of the peace and security mandate of the council.

  • Human rights groups call for prosecution of French troops over Rwandan genocide

    French human rights organisations have called for the prosecution of French troops for complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, over reports that they abandoned hundreds of Tutsis who were subsequently slaughtered by Hutu militias.

    The International Federation of Human Rights and other organisations state that a fax from June 27-30 1994 which was recently declassified, proved that French troops knew of a group of Tutsis sheltering in a nearby wooden area in Rwanda's Bisesero hills , requesting French protection.

    "Certain elements of the French special forces with a clear mandate to halt the massacres were stationed about 5 km as the crow flies from the crime scene with all the information, communications and equipment needed to mount a life-saving operation instantly," said the group. "That did not happen".

  • Venezuela's opposition wins majority in national assembly
    As results came through for Venezuela's election on Sunday, it was clear the Democratic Unity coalition, the main opposition, won a majority ending 16 years of rule by Chavez and his supporters.

    A two-thirds majority, with 112 seats, would allow the opposition to have weight against the president, Nicolas Madura.

    Speaking on Monday, leaders from within the coalition of opposition parties pledged new laws to encourage the growth of the private sector, and for an amnesty ensuring the release of political prisoners.

  • China Russia oppose UN Security Council meeting on North-Korea
    China and Russia opposed plans to hold a special Security Council meeting on human rights in North Korea.

    A meeting headed by the United States has been backed by nine of the 15 council members, including Chile, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, Britain and the United States.

    Speaking to Reuters, one diplomat said,
  • Third round of Syria talks to be held in New York
    US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the next round of governmental talks on the crisis in Syria would take place in New York later this month.

    Speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Mr Kerry, said,

    “The governments involved are going to meet later this month in New York in order to continue to move this process forward. Our goal is to facilitate transition that all parties have stated that they support."
  • Second UK air strike in Syria, Germany votes in favour of non-combat role
    The UK launched its second set of air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria on Saturday, following the parliamentary vote in favour of military action on Wednesday.

    On Friday, German MPs also voted in favour of joining the mission with a non-combat role, by 445 votes to 146.

    This will include 1200 troops being sent to the region, as well as Tornado reconnaissance jets and a naval frigade.
  • Spanish court rejects Catalan's independence resolution

    The constitutional court in Spain on Wednesday rejected a resolution passed by the Catalan assembly paving the way to establishing an independence republic in 18 months.

    The resolution which was passed last month, declared Catalan as "sovereign" and called for the drafting of laws within 30 days in order to create an independent system of maining security, as well as a separate treasury.

    The court, which was presenting a ruling on an appeal made by the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy, stated the Catalan assembly "cannot set itself up as a source of legal and political legitimacy to the point of assuming the authority to violate the constitutional order."

  • British MPs vote in favour of air strikes in Syria

    British parliamentarians have voted in favour of launching air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria, following a debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

    British Prime Minister David Cameron said MPs has "taken the right decision to keep the country safe" after the decision to launch strikes was passed by 397 votes to 223.

  • Pakistan denies allegations of war crimes in Bangladesh
     Pakistan denied that its armed forces had committed war crimes during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

    The Pakistan Foreign Minsitry on Monday met with Bangladesh’s envoy to reject Dhaka’s accusations of war crimes.

    In a statement released after the meeting the Pakistani foreign ministry, said,
  • US to deploy special ops force to fight Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq
    The United States on Tuesday said it was deploying new special operations troops to Iraq conduct raids against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

    The decision has already been rejected by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi who said deployment of such force was unacceptable without prior Iraqi approval.

    In a statement released shortly after the US announcement, Mr Abadi said,
     
    The US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said,
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