• Sweden to officially recognise Palestine

    Oct 02

    Sweden will be the first sitting member of the European Union to recognise the state of Palestine.

    Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced the move during his inaugural speech to the new government.

    "The conflict between Israel can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law," he said.

    "A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognise the state of Palestine."

  • More UN peacekeepers die in Mali

    Nine peacekeepers with the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (Minusma) have been killed in an attack by heavily armed gunmen.

    The attack on the convoy happened between the north-eastern desert towns of Menaka and Ansongo, according to Minusma spokesman Olivier Salgado.

    Arnauld Akodjenou, the deputy head of the mission, said he was "horrified" by the "cowardly" attack.

    "Once again, lives have now been lost in the name of peace in Mali. These crimes must not go unpunished," he said in the statement.

  • Catalans push forward with independence referendum
    Leaders in Catalonia have vowed to push forward with plans to hold a referendum on 9 November, despite opposition to the vote from the Spanish government.

    The Spanish government declared the vote “illegal”, with Spain's constitutional court stating it was to review the legality of the referendum. The ruling effectively suspended the vote from going ahead, but Catalonia's leader Artur Mas, stated it would take place as planned regardless.

    Catalan regional government spokesman Francesc Homs told reporters, "We have agreed to maintain the decree calling the vote so that citizens can exercise their right to vote on November 9."

  • Islamic State release video purportedly showing British hostage execution

    Islamic State have purportedly executed British aid worker Alan Henning, releasing a video on Friday showing him kneeling beside a militant in a desert setting.

    According to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist groups, the one minute, 11-second long video titled "Another Message to America and its Allies" showed Mr Henning introducing himself and saying "because of our parliament's decision to attack the Islamic state, I, as a member of the British public, will now pay the price for that decision."

    The United Kingdom commenced air strikes against IS in Iraq earlier this week.

    The UK Foreign Office has said that it is working urgently to verify the contents of the video.

  • Australia accused of turning a blind eye to Bosnian war criminal
    Australia has been accused of providing a safe haven for alleged war criminals after the country failed to act on the case of a Bosnian war criminal, who lived in Canberra for almost 10 years, reports Fairfax newspapers.

    Krunoslav Bonic was wanted by Bosnian police for 8 years for alleged war crimes committed during the Bosnian war in 1992-1995.

    According to Australia's Attorney-General department an extradition request was made in March.

  • Palestinians urge UN Sec Council to call for end to Israeli occupation by 2016
    Palestinians urged the UN Security Council on Wednesday to end the Israeli occupation by 2016, putting together a draft Security Council resolution to that effect.

    The resolution calls for "the full withdrawal of Israel ... from all of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, as rapidly as possible and to be fully completed within a specified timeframe, not to exceed November 2016," reports Reuters.

    It further adds that the Israeli withdrawal must commence “as rapidly as possible and to be fully completed within a specified timeframe, not to exceed November 2016, and the achievement of the independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people,” reports Al Arabiya News.

  • Turkish parliament approves military action in Iraq, Syria
    The Turkish parliament authorised military action against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in a vote held today, reports Reuters.

    The motion, which also approves the stationing of foreign troops in Turkey, was passed with 298 votes for and 98 against, reports CNN.

    Turkey had till now refused to join the attack against IS, citing the fact that 46 Turkish citizens were being held as hostages. All 46 have since been released.

  • Ethnically targeted human rights abuses in northern Iraq says UN
    A United Nations report published on Thursday, outlined gross human rights violations and “acts of violence of an increasingly sectarian nature” committed by Islamic state militants led to over 9000 civilian deaths.

    The report, produced by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) listed rights violations between 6 July and 10 September.

    “These include attacks directly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, executions and other targeted killings of civilians, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence perpetrated against women and children, forced recruitment of children, destruction or desecration of places of religious or cultural significance, wanton destruction and looting of property, and denial of fundamental freedoms,” the report says.

  • US and India pledge 'forward together we go'
    Photograph @PIB_India


    The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, pledged both countries would go forward together ('chalein saath saath') as Modi's high-profile visit to the US came to an end Wednesday.

  • UK conducts air strikes over northern Iraq
    The UK's RAF launched its first air strikes over northern Iraq on Tuesday, attacking Islamic State targets and destroying a heavy weapon and armed vehicle, the Ministry of Defence said.

    Supporting Kurdish fighters, two Tornadoes flying from Cyprus, dropped a precision guided bomb and fired a missile, The Telegraph reported.

    The attack is the first by the RAF since the British parliament voted to authorise British air strikes over the region, along side the United States.

    “The RAF were in action today,” the British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, said.

  • Kenyatta trial delay rejected

    Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will have to appear at a hearing next week, after the International Criminal Court rejected his request to postpone it or appear via video link.

    "The chamber, by majority, finds that the requirements of justice in this case necessitate the physical presence of the accused in court," the ICC said in a statement.

  • Mexico charges soldiers with murder

    Mexico has charged three of its troops with murder, after a shootout in June, which left 22 suspected gang members dead.

    Attorney General Jesus Murillo said the soldiers shot the men "without any justification whatsoever".

  • UK Labour Party reiterates support for Saharawi self determination
    The United Kingdom's Labour Party reaffirmed its support of the right to self determination for the Saharawi people in Western Sahara, reports the Sahara Press Service.
  • Karadzic denies charges of ethnic cleansing
    Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic denied charges of ethnic cleansing at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, as he began his closing defence arguments.

    Karadzic, who submitted a 800 page written brief to the court, rejected what he called “lies” laid out in the 11 charges against him, including genocide.

    "It is the Serb people that stand accused," he told his judges. “The entire case against me is false... I know the truth, the prosecution knows the truth, they are trying to delude the court.”

    Karadzic went on to say, “I know of no one in the Serb leadership who wanted to harm Muslims or Croats” adding, “I really was a true friend to the Muslims.”

  • Thousands protest after Spanish court rules secession vote unconstitutional
    Thousands of Catalan demonstrators took to the streets on Wednesday after the Spanish court ruled the campaign to hold a secession vote in November unconstitutional.

    Photograph: Yes Catalonia

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