• House of Commons to hold emergency debate as China rejects British 'interference in internal affairs'

    Nov 30
    Tensions between China and Britain escalated on Monday, after a spokesman for the British prime minister said that China’s decision to deny British parliamentarians access to Hong Kong served to only “amplify concerns about the situation in Hong Kong rather than diminishing concerns.”

    The British House of Commons has declared an emergency debate, to be held on Tuesday, that will discuss how to deal with escalating diplomatic tensions with China, reports the BBC.
     
    The Chinese foreign ministry responded, labelling the British  Foreign Affairs Select Committee access requests as attempts to interfere in “internal affairs.”

    “For those who are committed and sincere about promoting China-UK friendship, China’s door is always open. However, we do not welcome those who came to China to interfere in our internal affairs and will not allow them to do so,” said the Chinese foreign ministry in their statement.

  • ICC rejects Lubanga appeal

    An appeal by Thomas Lubanga, the first person convicted by the International Criminal Court, has been rejected.

    The Congolese militia's leader attempted to overturn his conviction and 14 year sentence for recruiting child soldiers under the age of 15 and sending them into battle.

    A five-judge panel at The Hague rejected or dismissed the seven parts of Lubanga's appeal.

    "The trial chamber's assessment of the facts was reasonable," said presiding judge Erkki Koroula.

  • Sisi to drop efforts to charge Mubarak for murder
    Further legal action would not be taken to try former president Hosni Mubarak for murder said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday.

    The president added that, following recommendations of the court, he would ask a committee to review the procedural technicalities that had been cited to dismiss murder charges leveled against Mubarak on Saturday, reports the New York Times.

    Expressing “full confidence in the fairness, integrity, impartiality and competence of Egypt’s judges,” Sisi said that Egypt must now “look to the future.”

  • Nazi war criminal 'died in Syria'
    One of the world's most wanted Nazi war criminals died in Syria four years ago, according to the director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Israel office.

    Nazi-hunter Efraim Zuroff said, who heads the centre, said though he could not prove forensically SS captain Alois Brunner was dead, "we are certain that is the case."

    Brunner, who would now be 102 years old, is accused of deporting more than 128,000 Jews from Austria, Greece, France and Slovkia to concentration camps during World War II. In 2003, he was named as "the world's highest-ranking Nazi fugitive believed still alive".

    "[He] played a key role in the implementation of Hitler's 'Final Solution' to murder Jews," said Zuroff, calling Brunner "a monster."

  • Rajoy visits Catalonia to denounce referendum
    Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy paid his first visit to Catalonia following an independence referendum last month, denouncing the poll as having “failed resoundingly”.

    The unofficial referendum, which saw over 80% vote for an independent Catalan state, was slammed by Rajoy as “a sham” and “a farce” in his address to party supporters in Barcelona.

    Speaking at a rally this weekend Rajoy went on to criticise the regional Catalan government, stating it had carried out an “international propaganda operation”, which had fallen apart “noiselessly and without clatter”. He also attacked a recently announced 18-month plan for secession, labelling it as a “trip to nowhere.”

  • More than 1.7 million Syrian refugees at threat as WFP suspends food aid
    The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it is suspending a food aid scheme for Syrian refugees due to a funding crisis, leaving more than 1.7 million at risk of going hungry this winter.

    WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin appealed to donors for more funding, stating “a suspension of WFP food assistance will endanger the health and safety of these refugees and will potentially cause further tensions, instability and insecurity in the neighbouring host countries.”

    “The suspension of WFP food assistance will be disastrous for many already suffering families,” she added.

    UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres stated the suspension  “couldn’t come at a worse time.” “It will impact tens of thousands of the most vulnerable refugee families who are almost entirely dependent on international aid,” added the High Commissioner.

  • Indian policemen killed during raid on Maoist camp

    Maoist rebels have killed thirteen policemen in the central Indian state of Chattisgarh, while they were conducting a raid on a rebel hideout.

  • Farc frees Colombian general

    The Colombian general and two others who were detained by Farc militants two weeks ago have been released to the Red Cross.

    General Ruben Dario Alzate was captured earlier this month due to the government's continuing military operations against the rebels, during peace-talks.

    The capture lead the government to suspend the peace-talks.

  • US coalition increases airstrikes on de-facto Islamic State capital
    The US led coalition increased its assault on Islamic State militants, with over 30 airstrikes on the de-facto capital of Raqqa in Syria, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday.

    At least 100 people were killed by Syrian government airstrikes which targeted mosques and public markets, last week said the Syrian observatory using reports form the ground.
  • British lawmakers denied entry to Hong Kong as security forces clamp down on protests
    British lawmakers looking to inquire into Hong Kong’s progress towards democracy will not be allowed to enter the region, the Chinese government decided on Sunday.

    “I have been informed by the Chinese Embassy that if we attempt to travel to Hong Kong we will be refused entry,” the foreign affairs select committee chairman said in a statement.

    “We are a committee of elected Members of Parliament from a democratic nation who wish to scrutinise British diplomatic work in Hong Kong. The Chinese government are acting in an overtly confrontational manner in refusing us access to do our job,” added Richard Ottoway.

    The committee is looking to analyse Britain’s relations with Hong Kong after handing it over to China 30 years ago, reports Reuters.

    The news comes as thousands of pro-democracy activists clashed with police whilst demonstrating outside government headquarters, in the early hours of Monday.

    The protesters demanding free elections for the city’s next leader in 2017, charged ad security forces with makeshift barricades as they were struck by security force batons, reports Reuters.

    Student leaders arrested as police clamp down on Hong Kong protests (26 November 2014)
  • EU places sanctions on separatist groups and politicians in eastern Ukraine
    The European Union imposed sanctions on organisers of elections for independence in eastern Ukraine reports Reuters.

    The eastern separatists, including Ukrainian ministers supporting the cause,  were hit by travel bans and asset freezes against 5 of their political organisations.
  • Croatian PM cancels Belgrade trip over war crimes suspect release
    Croatia's prime minister Zoran Milanovic has cancelled a planned trip to Serbia, protesting Belgrade's failure to distance itself from comments made by Serbian nationalist leader who was recently released from a UN war crimes tribunal.
  • Xinjiang violence leaves 15 dead

    An attack in China's restive Xinjiang province has left at least 15 people dead, according to China's official news agency.

    Xinhua reported that the assailants used explosives and knives to attack civilians and that 11 of the dead were attackers.

  • Hosni Mubarak cleared over killings

    Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been cleared of killings which occurred during the uprising which toppled his regime three years ago, after his initial life sentence was overturned and a retrial ordered.

    Around 2000 protestors gathered on Tahrir Square in Cairo after the announcement, but were soon dispersed by police using tear gas.

  • Egyptian security forces kill opposition demonstrators
    At least four protesters have been killed and scores of others injured as Egyptian security forces opened fire on thousands of demonstrators protesting against the government of President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, reports Aljazeera.
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