WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Al-Shabab fighters are claiming to have seized control of Adan Yabaal, a town in central Somalia, on Wednesday.  Adan Yabaal is situated about 220 kilometres north of Mogadishu and serves as the logistical hub for government forces. Raids were launched by al-Shabab fighters before dawn on Wednesday, forcing the army to retreat after fierce battles, according to a security officer quoted…

US military to drop aid into Gaza - Biden

On Friday, President Biden announced plans to carryout a US military airdrop of food and supplies into Gaza.

The announcement comes just a day after Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinians lining up for desperately needed food assistance. The massacre left more than 750 wounded and killed at least 112 Palestinans. 

Biden has stated that the military airdrop will take place in the coming days. He added that the United States is also currently exploring additional ways of getting aid to Palestinians. 

Indonesia activists condem four-star general rank for presumed president

Human rights experts have condemned a decision by Indonesia’s outgoing president to award the rank of honorary four-star general to his presumed successor, Prabowo Subianto, a controversial figure accused of human rights violations.

Nicaragua files case at ICJ against Germany for aiding Israel

Nicaragua has filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Germany for providing Israel financial and military aid, and for suspending funding for the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA).

The case brought on by Nicaragua builds on South Africa's ICJ case against Israel. In it Nicaragua states that Germany is violating the 1948 Genocide convention and the 1949 Geneva convention on the laws of war in the occupied Palestinian territories.

US airman dies after setting himself on fire outside of Israeli Embassy

A member of the US Air Force has died after setting himself on fire outside of the Israeli Embassy in Washington in protest against Israel’s war on Gaza.

The 25-year-old US airman, Aaron Bushnell of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries on Monday according to the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC.

Abuses committed in Sudan war including attacks on fleeing civilians - UN report

The UN Human Rights Office has stated that warring sides in Sudan have committed abuses that could amount to war crimes, including indiscriminate attacks on civilian sites such as hospitals, markets, and refugee camps. 

The 10-month conflict has killed thousands and displaced approximately 8 million people.

In the report, Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, "Some of these violations would amount to war crimes." He emphasizes that "The guns must be silenced, and civilians must be protected."

UN experts state there is credible evidence of Israeli assault against Palestinian girls and women

UN experts are calling for a full investigation into credible allegations that Palestinian women and girls have been subjected to sexual assault while in Israeli detention. 

A panel of experts has stated that there is evidence of at least two cases of rape alongside other cases of sexual humiliation and threats of rape. 

UK minister says he 'cannot disprove' claims Afghans were unlawfully killed by SAS

The UK’s minister for veterans, Johnny Mercer, has effectively admitted in front of a public inquiry that he believed members of the SAS had engaged in dozens of unlawful killings of Afghan civilians between 2010 and 2013.

Asked by the chair of the inquiry to clarify that he was describing "allegations of straight murder" by the SAS, Mr Mercer replied, "Yes."

The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, launched in the wake of reporting by the BBC and other media outlets, is investigating whether British special forces killed civilians and unarmed people on night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.

UK sanctions settlers in the West Bank

The Foreign Secretary has announced sanctions on 4 extremist Israeli settlers who have committed human rights abuses against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  

There have been unprecedented levels of violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank over the past year. Some residents of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts have used harassment, intimidation and violence to put pressure on Palestinian communities to leave their land. 

Prime Ministers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

In a joint statement published on Wednesday, the leaders of Canada, New Zealand, and Australia call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza in response to Israel's planned military operation in Rafah. 

The statement emphasizes that Rafah is currently providing refuge for 1.5 million Palestinians and that an expanded military operation would be catastrophic.

Dozens of civilians killed by Ethiopian troops

Ethiopia’s federal security forces killed at least 45 civilians in a massacre in Amhara state in late January, the independent state-affiliated Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said on Tuesday.

It is one of the worst episodes of violence in the Amhara region since last August, when powerful local Fano militias began a rebellion against the government's plans to disarm them.