• US diplomat freed after Congo raids democracy activist meeting

    Mar 15
    A US diplomat who was arrested after Democratic Republic of Congo security forces raided an activist meeting in Kinshasa has been freed, said Congo's government.

    USAID official Kevin Sturr was amongst the 40 people arrested after security forces broke up a press conference attended by journalists, activists and musicians.
  • China becomes world's third biggest arms exporter
    China has increased the amount of weapons it exports to foreign countries to become the third biggest exporter of arms, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

    China overtook Germany, France and the UK as it increased exports of arms by 143% from 2010-14,  compared to 2005-09.
  • Nigerian military recaptures town in Borno state
    The Nigerian government forces recaptured the North Eastern city of Bama from Boko Haram militants, the army announced on Monday.

    The Nigerian Defence Headquarters tweeted,

    “Nigerian troops have this afternoon routed terrorists from Bama in Borno state. Mopping up operation is ongoing.”
  • German Chancellor urges EU to maintain sanctions pressure on Russia
    The German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Europe to maintain pressure on Russia through sanctions, on Monday.

    Speaking after a meeting with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Ms Merkel said that a full cease-fire had not been observed and that pro-Russian militants continued to block international monitors from having complete access to the regions they controlled.
  • UN report on Eritrea finds clear patterns of rights violations
    A United Nations investigation into human rights in Eritrea found “very clear patterns” of violations, and an absence of rule of law, on Monday.

    The chairman of the investigative team, Mike Smith, told the UN Human Rights Council, that “Most Eritreans have no hope for their future,” stating,

    “Detention is an ordinary fact of life, experienced by an inordinate number of individuals men and women, old and young, including children.”
  • Syrian transition needs negotiations with Assad says Kerry
    US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States would have to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in order to find a solution to the ongoing conflict in the country.

    However, clarifying Mr Kerry's comments that were made in an interview to CBS news, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said negotiations would not happen directly with the Syrian president, stating “it has never been and would not be Assad who would negotiate - and the Secretary was not saying that today.

    "By necessity, there has always been a need for representatives of the Assad regime to be a part of this process," added the spokesperson.

    Earlier the Secretary of State said the conflict in Syria was "one of the worst tragedies any of us have seen", adding "everybody agrees there is no military solution; there's only a political solution".

  • Vatican backs military force to stop IS 'genocide'
    The Vatican's diplomat to the United Nations in Geneva has called for military force to be deployed in the battle to halt the Islamic State (IS) from committing genocide in the Middle East, reports Crux.

    In an interview with Crux, Italian Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, said, “We have to stop this kind of genocide... Otherwise we’ll be crying out in the future about why we didn’t so something, why we allowed such a terrible tragedy to happen.”

    Whilst “a coordinated and well-thought-out coalition to do everything possible to achieve a political settlement without violence” was needed, the Archbishop went on to add, “but if that’s not possible, then the use of force will be necessary.”
  • Kurdish council reveals evidence of chemical weapon attacks by Islamic State
    Kurdish authorities in Iraq, confirmed on Saturday, that they have evidence that holds Islamic State militants accountable for using chemical weapons against Peshmerga fighters in Tikrit.

    Reports that Islamic State militants used chlorine gas as a chemical weapon against the fighters stem from a suicide attack in January in northern Iraq, reports the Associated Press.

  • Myanmar 'drops bomb' on Chinese territory

    Myanmar's air force is reported to have dropped a bomb in a field on Chinese territory, killing four civilians.
    China in response sent fighter jets to their shared border in the Yunnan province.

    Myanmar denied dropping the bomb and said Kokang rebels, who have been fighting the Burmese army, may have been behind the attack.

  • ISIS accepts Boko Haram's pledge of allegiance
    Islamic State said it accepted the Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram's pledge of allegiance, and announced an expansion of its territory.

    In an audio message released on Thursday, an IS spokesperson said that the pledge had allowed the Islamic State's 'caliphate' to be established in West Africa.

    “We announce to you to the good news of the expansion of the caliphate to west Africa because the caliph... has accepted the allegiance of our brothers of the Sunni group for preaching and the jihad," the spokesperson, Mohammed al-Adnani was quoted as saying, urging Muslims to join Boko Haram.

  • Cuba-US phone links re-established after 15 years

    Cuba and the United States have re-established direct telephone communication links for the first time in 15 years.

  • UN Security Council 'failing' Syrian victims

    A coalition of aid agencies has accused the UN Security Council of failing the victims of the conflict in Syria, with the UN accusing the powerful countries on the Security Council of putting their own interests ahead of the need to end the conflict.

  • ICC judges agree to withdraw charges against Kenyatta
    The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday decided to withdraw charges of crimes against humanity against Kenya's president over his role in post-election violence in 2007.

    Last year prosecutors sought for the charges to be dropped, citing political interference and witness intimidation hampering the process.

    Prosecutors remain free to re-start a judicial process if new evidence emerges, reported Reuters.

  • Sudan dismisses ICC as a failure
    Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al Bashir on Thursday dismissed the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a failure after the court moved to seek a referral to the UN Security Council on Mr Bashir's failure to cooperate with investigation into alleged war crimes.

    "The decisions of the International Criminal Court are non-binding on the government of Sudan and the referral of Sudan's case to the Security Council shows the failure of the ICC which is seeking punishment for Sudan," Sudan's information minister, Ahmed Bilal Osman, told the Sudanese Media Centre.

    "The ICC is aware that it doesn't scare Sudan," he added.

  • Saudi Arabia recalls ambassador in diplomatic row with Sweden

    Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador to Sweden, in an escalating row over Swedish criticism of the country’s human rights record, which saw the Saudis blocking a speech to the Arab League by Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom.

    "We were informed yesterday [Tuesday] that Saudi Arabia had called back its ambassador," said Swedish foreign ministry spokeswoman Veronica Nordlund.

Subscribe to International Affairs

Most-Read Articles

British Tamil engineer takes F1 podium spotlight after Mercedes win
British Tamil engineer Arun Rajkumar became an unexpected face of Mercedes’ Austrian…
Sri Lanka attends Khamenei funeral as Iran's allies gather to mourn
Sri Lanka has sent Deputy Speaker Dr. Rizvie Salih to Tehran to represent Colombo at the…
Vijay looks back on Eelam solidarity, but not forward
The Tamil Nadu chief minister, Vijay, made a brief reference to Eelam Tamils during a…
Sri Lanka revives infamous Israeli-made Kfir warplanes
The Sri Lanka Air Force has carried out the first test flight of its upgraded Israeli-…
Transitional justice cannot exist without truth
Illustration by Sagi Thileepkumar. "It happened; therefore, it can happen again…it…