• India to bring 'renewed vigour' to relationship with USA

    Jun 08

    The Indian government is to bring a “renewed vigour” to its engagement with the United States of America stated Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in his inaugural address to the 16th Lok Sabha earlier today.

    Speaking on India-US relations, Mukherjee said,

  • Sikh demonstrators commemorate 'genocide' and demand separate state
    Thousands of members of the Sikh community marched through central London yesterday in protest of the massacre at the Golden Temple in India over 30 years ago, reports the BBC.

    Protestors demanded that the 1984 massacre of Sikhs be recognised as a genocide, whilst others called for the Sikh people’s right to self-determination to be upheld.
  • China's foreign minister visits Delhi, meets with Modi
    China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, visited New Delhi on Sunday, to meet with the new Indian foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, followed by the newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Colombia and Farc announce truth commission for all victims of conflict
     A truth commission between the Colombian government and Farc rebel group is to be set up to address the loss of thousands of lives during the 5 decade long conflict.

    A statement released by participants in the peace talks between the two groups said,
    “The rights of all victims are non-negotiable. Victims must be recognised not only in their position as victims, but as citizens with rights.”
  • Iran to enter trilateral talks with US and EU on nuclear programme
    Talks on Iran’s nuclear programme will start tomorrow between Iranian, US and European Union officials, at the United Nations in Geneva, reports Reuters.
  • Prince Zeid Al-Hussein proposed as next UN Human Rights chief
    Prince Zeid Al-Hussein, Jordan's ambassador to the UN, has been proposed as the next UN Human Rights Chief in an announcement made by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Friday.

    Prince Zeid, a widely respected, long-standing diplomat, will replace the South African jurist, Navi Pillay as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
  • Land rights activist killed in Myanmar
    An opposition land rights activist in Myanmar, was shot and killed in the northern Shan state, reports Voice of America.

    Sai San Tun was allegedly taken away from his house by two men before his body was found a day later.
  • Croatia spends over 3 million euros on genocide prosecution at the Hague
    The Croatian government last week announced that it had spent over 3 million euros in the country’s genocide prosecution against Serbia at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, reports BalkanInsight.
  • World leaders mark D-Day 70th anniversary

    World leaders gathered in Normandy, France on Friday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

    More famously known as D-Day, the landings began the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe and eventually led to the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War 2.

  • Both sides in CAR conflict responsible for war crimes finds preliminary UN Commission of Inquiry

    Both sides of the conflict in the Central African Republic are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, found a United Nations preliminary Commission of Inquiry report.

    The report stressed that, "the displacement of Muslims affected by whatever party so far is a matter of protection and the preservation of human life, not a matter of ethnic cleansing.”

  • China welcomes Palestinian unity government as foundation of independent statehood
    The Chinese government this week welcomed the newly formed Palestinian unity government as a step towards Palestinian independence, reports Xinhua.
  • Israel responds to Palestinian unity by announcing more settlements

    In response to a Palestinian unity government being sworn in this week, Israel has announced the construction of almost 1,500 new homes in various settlements, in a move that has received international condemnation.

  • Palestinian unity government work towards two state solution welcomed by UN
    The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the announcement of a Palestinian unity government, in a statement released yesterday.
  • Assad emphatically wins criticised Syrian elections
    Ruling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was announced the winner of the much criticised Syrian elections on Wednesday, taking 88.7% of the vote and securing a third term in office, as fighting continued in many parts of the country.

    Opposition controlled areas did not see any voting, yet Syria's constitutional court put the turnout at 73.42%. The two other men on the ticket, who received only 4.3% and 3.2% of the vote, were dismissed by the opposition, claiming they were token candidates who provided no real alternative to the Assad regime.

    The elections were also slammed by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who said, “The elections are non-elections. A great big zero”. Speaking in Lebanon, he went on to add, "You can't have an election where millions of your people don't even have an ability to vote... Nothing has changed between the day before the election and after”.

    He was joined by the European Union in his criticism who stated it was not "a genuinely democratic vote".
  • 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square marked
    See more minute by minute tweets of the events of June 4th 1989 @prchovanec

    Tens of thousands of people gathered in Hong Kong to mark the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre today, whilst Chinese authorities silenced all mention of the pro-democracy protests, that resulted in a military crackdown killing hundreds.

    Organisers stated that 180,000 people gathered in Hong Kong, as thousands of candles were lit to mark the massacre, alongside events held in Taiwan and around the globe.


    Pro-democracy activists alongside Tamil Solidarity mark the massacre in London. Photograph: Tamil Solidarity

    The White House also released a statement saying, the United States “continues to honor the memories of those who gave their lives in and around Tiananmen Square and throughout China, and we call on Chinese authorities to account for those killed, detained, or missing in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989.”

    In mainland China though, the government cracked down in the weeks leading up to the massacre, where it is still a taboo topic. Lawyers, journalists and activists were reportedly detained while international news reports were censored and internet searches blocked.
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