Chinese investment in Taiwan registered a 90% drop in the first quarter of the financial year reports the Central News Agency (CNA).

The Economic Affairs’ Investment Commission noted that Chinese investment in Taiwan was 90.83% lower than last year.

The drop in Chinese investment comes amidst strong protests by Taiwanese activists against an impending trade deal between China and Taiwan, which activists say will increase China’s influence in Taiwan.

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Members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations called for further business-aimed sanctions against Russia, as pro-Russian separatists continue to occupy key buildings in eastern parts of Ukraine and a strong Russian military presence remains on the border.

The Senators said that the US must apply pressure on Gazprom and other financial arms of Russia if Russia does not take clear steps to de-escalate the situation, reports Reuters.

Congo confirmed the first batch of former M23 rebels that would receive amnesty in line with an agreement adopted last year, reports the Associated Press.

The Congolese Justice Ministry announced that roughly 50 people who were involved with the M23 at the final stages of the conflict last year would be granted amnesty.  The ministry said that it was considering amnesties on a case by case basis.

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The Central African Republic is close to facing genocide warned Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in a statement released by the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation today.

“The country stands on the brink of genocide; some would say it has already commenced,” said Tutu in the statement.

The Archbishop stressed that that the people of the CAR had to play a key role in finding sustainable peace.

The leader of Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the bombing of the capital Abuja last week, reports CNN.

A man claiming to the be the leader, Abubakar Shekau, asserting that  the bomb attack was due to the Nigerian government’s collaboration with the United states, warned of further violence.

“This is a prelude” said the man.

The Philippine government and the Islamic rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) announced today that they would collaborate to reduce the amount of kidnappings occurring in the south of the country.
 
The government negotiator said that the MILF would meet with them again next week, to discuss details of an agreement that would help Filipino troops capture kidnappers and outlaws operating in territories controlled by the MILF.

Kidnappings of teachers, village leaders and journalists have seen a spike in recent years with over 100 cases recorded in the last three years.

South Sudanese rebels who recently attacked a United Nations compound, killing dozens of civilians, defended their actions and said they would continue their offensive in the oil producing area to deny the government revenue to engage Ugandan troops and Sudanese militias. See The Independent’s report.

The rebel leadership also warned that if South Sudan’s President, Salva Kir, failed to negotiate with them, opposition forces would take their fight to the capital to depose him.

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted resolution (2150) in which it called on all states to renew their commitment to prevent and fight against genocide and other serious crimes under international law.

Through the resolution, the Council also called upon States that had not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to consider doing so as a matter of high priority.

The Council, presently under the presidency of Nigeria, was marking the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.

Twenty-six years have passed since Saddam Hussein's campaign of mass killings against the Kurds in northern Iraq. Yet to date, no governments - except for Iraq's - have officially recognised the campaign as constituting a genocide. That allows them to avoid legal liability for supporting and arming Saddam during this time, writes Sofia Barbarani in Al Jazeera’s website.