• Up to 100,000 Kurds flee as Turkey begins to close border

    Turkish authorities have begun to close the border between Syria and Turkey, after almost 100,000 Kurdish refugees entered the country as Islamic State (IS) militants surrounded a Kurdish enclave in Syria.

  • Taliban reject Afghan unity deal

    The Afghan Taliban have rejected the unity deal reached by the government as a “sham”, planned by the US and said they would continue with their war, reported Reuters.

  • Hong Kong students protest over electoral reforms
    Thousands of students in Hong Kong are boycotting classes for a week-long protest against China’s rejection of electoral reforms. Students from over two dozen institutions have gathered at the Chinese University of Hong Kong campus.
  • Ukraine to withdraw heavy weaponry
    The Ukrainian military is preparing to withdraw heavy artillery it amassed along the front-line with separatist rebels.

    An amended ceasefire agreement signed on Saturday included the set-up of a buffer zone in the east of the country.

     According to National Security and Defence Council spokesperson Col Andriy Lysenko, separatist rebels had begun moving their heavy artillery already, but it was "not as massive as we expected".
  • Liberian rebel commander arrested for war crimes in Belgium

    A former commander of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) was arrested in Belgium last Wednesday, accused of committing war crimes during Liberia’s civil war, reports the BBC.

    A complaint was made against Martina Johnson for her role in the Operation Octopus offensive, where she is accused of committing “mutilation and mass killing”.

  • Scotland’s independence an eventual certainty - Alex Salmond
    Scotland’s independence was ”pretty certain” as it could declare itself independent without a referendum in the future said the Scottish First Minister.
  • Explosions kill 2 in Xinjiang province
    Chinese state media reported a series of blasts has killed 2 people and injured many more in the Xinjiang province on Sunday.
  • Dozens killed as Boko Haram attacks market
    Up to 36 people are reported to have been killed in a Boko Haram attack on a market in North-Eastern Nigeria.
  • Afghan leaders sign deal for unity government

    The two contenders of the Afghan presidential election have signed a deal to form a unity government.

    The deal will see Ashraf Ghani become president and runner-up Abdullah Abdullah nominating a chief executive, with powers similar to a prime minister.

  • Ukraine truce ‘in name only’ – Nato

    The truce in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian troops and separatist rebels exists “in name only”, according to a senior Nato military commander.

    Gen Philip Breedlove said the situation in the region was “not good”.

    "The number of events, and the number of rounds fired and the artillery used across the past few days match some of the pre-ceasefire levels. The ceasefire is still there in name, but what is happening on the ground is quite a different story," he added.

    The general however added that he was hopeful about a new ceasefire deal reached on Saturday.

    Ukraine accuses Russia of arming and supporting separatists, something Moscow denies. The first truce signed earlier this month was violated repeatedly before Saturday’s renewed agreement.

  • Independence vote approved by Catalan parliament
    The regional president of Catalonia was given power to call for an independence “consultation” after the Catalan parliament voted in favour of the new legislation on Friday, reports the BBC.

    The Catalan president said that Scotland’s referendum had shown the way for Catalan independence, and pledged to hold a similar vote on November 9.
  • Turkish hostages held by Islamic State are freed

    Turkish hostages captured by Islamic State in Iraq several months ago have arrived in Turkey on Saturday, after a covert operation to free them, according to Istanbul.

    The 49 hostages, including diplomats and their families, were captured by the militants in June in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which was overrun by Islamic State fighters.

  • ICC summons Kenyatta

    The International Criminal Court in The Hague has summoned Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for a tribunal in early October.

    The judges at the court intend to question the president over claims that the Kenyan government withheld documents previously requested by prosecutors, in relation to his trial for crimes against humanity.

  • UN Human Rights Chief calls for justice for 'mass murder' of migrants at sea
    The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has called on Egypt and other North African and European States to work together and bring to justice the smugglers who rammed a boat full of migrants earlier this month, killing up to 500 people.

    Calling the incident “mass murder”, Zeid condemned the “callous act of deliberately ramming a boat full of hundreds of defenceless people”, saying it “is a crime that must not go unpunished.”

    “This is a truly horrendous incident,” Zeid said, adding “it is the duty of States to investigate such atrocious crime (and) bring the perpetrators to justice.”

    The UN Human Rights Chief went on to call for a concerted effort by the international community to tackle the root causes of such tragedies.
    “Far too many refugees and migrants are dying all across the world in an effort to flee conflict, systematic political oppression and human rights violations, including economic deprivation. These root causes in their countries of origin must be tackled in a concerted manner,” Zeid said.
  • 66,000 Kurds flee Syria into Turkey, PKK fighters head to fight IS

    More than 66,000 Kurdish refugees have fled from Syria into Turkey in the last 24 hours said Turkish officials, as militants from the Islamic State (IS) advanced on the Kurdish enclave of Kobani in Syria.

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