WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

  Three United Nations (UN) experts called for a full and independent investigation into the killing of three Lebanese journalists by Israel last week, which they described as ‘another attack on press freedom by Israeli forces.’ On March 28, Israeli forces killed Al Mayadeen reporter Fatima Ftouni, her brother and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni, and Al Manar TV reporter Ali Shoeib as they were…

Germany to apologise to Namibia for Herero genocide

Germany is to recognise the massacre of over 100,000 Herero people by German troops between 1904 and 1908 as a genocide, and make a formal apology to Namibia. Reparations have been ruled out however.

The massacre, considered the first genocide of the 20th century, is believed to be a precursor to the Holocaust.

The Herero, as well as Nama people were sent to concentration camps, where many were beheaded or died of malnutrition and abuse. Others were driven into the Namibian desert where they died.

85 dead in Nice truck attack

Eighty-five people have been killed in Nice, France after a truck drove into the crowds gathered to celebrate Bastille Day last night before firing shots at those trying to flee.

The driver of the truck ploughed into the crowds for 2km before French police shot him dead.

The attack was condemned by the French president Francois Hollande who said it was of "an undeniable terrorist nature".

Bastille Day is a celebration of France's Independence Day.

Condemning the attack "in the strongest terms", the US president Barack Obama also speculated that it appeared to be "a horrific terrorist attack in Nice".

Hundreds 'disappeared' in Egypt - Amnesty

Human rights group Amnesty International has accused the Egyptian regime of forcibly disappearing and torturing hundreds of people, including political activists, students and protestors.

The group says many of the disappeared, some as young as 14, have been held for months.

The Egyptian government has denied the allegations.

See more on the BBC here.

Syrian government sued for killing of journalist Marie Colvin

Relatives of Marie Colvin, a veteran journalist killed in Syria in 2012, have filed a lawsuit claiming she was deliberately targeted by the Syrian government.

The lawsuit alleges that veteran Sunday Times correspondent Marie Colvin was killed in order to silence her reporting on Syria and Homs.

Ms Colvin was killed in 22nd February 2012 along with French photographer Remi Ochlik in a rocket attack on a makeshift broadcast studio in Homs.

Indian troops fire on Kashmir protesters and cut internet in crackdown

Indian troops opened fire on thousands of protesters killing at least eight civilians from south Kashmir reports Al Jazeera.

The shooting came after tens of thousands of people defied a curfew in Kashmir to pay respects to a Kashmiri rebel fighter, Burwan Wani, who was shot dead by security forces.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, a local journalist, who travelled to the protest regions, said authorities had cut electricity, blocked roads and internet as part of a wider crackdown on protesters.

US sanctions Kim Jong-un

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has been targeted with sanctions by the US over human rights abuses.

The US treasury said Mr Kim was "directly responsible" for human rights violations and blacklisted him alongside ten other officials. The sanctions will freeze any property held by the individuals in the US and ban US citizens from conducting business with them.

Rwandan mayors jailed in France over genocide

Two former mayors from Rwanda have been jailed for life in France for their role in the 1994 genocide in the country.

Tito Barahira, 65, and Octavien Ngenzi, 58, were found guilty of crimes against humanity and genocide, including during the massacre of 2,000 Tutsis in a church in Kabarondo/.

The two men were arrested in France a few years ago and had both denied involvement in the killings.

UN prepares contingency plan for violence in Congo

UN peacekeepers warned the UN security council has started to develop contingency plans for the event of widespread violence in Congo, said the UN Secretary General on Tuesday.

Speaking on a report about upcoming elections in Congo, Ban Ki Moon said,

UN Secretary General slams Israeli settlement plan

The United Nations Secretary General Bank Ki-moon slammed Israel’s decision to advance plans to build further hundreds more units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, reports Reuters.

Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in a statement released on Tuesday, said,

“The raises legitimate questions about Israel’s long-term intentions, which are compounded by continuing statements of some Israeli ministers calling for the annexation of the West Bank.”

3 suicide bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia

Three seemingly coordinated suicide bomb attacks took place in Saudi Arabia on Monday as Ramadan draws to an end.

One bomb targeted a mosque of the Prophet Mohammad in the city of Medina, considered one of the holiest cities in Islam.

Another bomb went off in the city of Qatif, whilst another near the US consulate in Jeddah.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

The attacks follows an attack in Baghdad over the weekend, leaving over 200 dead.