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…

David Cameron to meet Kenyan president

British Prime Minister David Cameron is due to meet Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.

Kenyan rights groups have condemned the visit to the UK, saying the invitation is a betrayal.

Kenyatta is attending a conference on Somalia, held in London this week, with Kenya being an important stakeholder in the Horn of Africa, providing nearly 5,000 troops to the country.

Genocide recognition may hamper trade ties, says Turkey

Turkey has called on both Canada and France to weigh up their recognition of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as genocide against their trading relationships with the country in recent weeks, as they push for killings to not be labelled genocide.

Evidence of Syrian rebels using sarin says UN investigator 

Carla Del Ponte of the UN independent commission of inquiry on Syria confirmed on Sunday that testimonies collected from casualties and medical staff suggest that Syrian rebels have used the nerve agent sarin. See here.

Speaking in Italian to a Swiss-Italian TV network Del Ponte said: 

Germany arrests former Auschwitz guard

German police have arrested a man accused of being a guard at the notorious Auschwitz extermination camp during the Second World War.

Hans Lipschis, 93, claims he was only a cook but prosecutors concluded there was “compelling evidence” of his involvement in crimes.

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre accused Lipschis of taking part in the mass murder of Jews between October 1941 and 1945.

ICC delays Kenya Vice President trial

The crimes against humanity trial of Kenya's new vice president William Ruto was postponed on Monday by International Criminal Court judges.

The trial date was initially set for May 28th but has been postponed due to a number of administrative issues.

Ruto faces trial for three counts of crimes against humanity for his contribution to the deadly post-election violence that erupted in 2007.

Turkey blasts 'butcher' Assad

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Bashar al-Assad, labelling him a 'butcher' in his strongest attack on the besieged Syrian President.

Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan told a cheering crowd,

"If God permits, we will see this butcher, this murderer, receive judgement in this world... and we will praise (God) for it".

"You will pay a very, very heavy price for showing your courage to the babies in the cradle, the courage you cannot show others."

Syria and Arab League condemn Israeli strikes

The Syrian government has accused Israel of coordinating with terrorists to carry out targeted air-strikes on Syrian soil.

In a letter, sent to the UN, the government said a number of casualties were caused by the second consecutive day of attacks.

"The flagrant Israeli attack on armed forces sites in Syria underlines the co-ordination between 'Israel', terrorist groups and... the al-Nusra Front," the letter said.

Islamist riots in Dhaka

At least three people have died in clashes between police and protesters in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

A further 60 are reported injured, after up to half a million supporters of Islamist group Hefazat-e Islam took to the streets of the city calling for the hanging of aetheists and other insulters of Islam.

Rioters set fire to shops and vehicles, and police used tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades to drive thousands of protesters out of the city's main business district.

US lawmakers urge Obama to train Syrian rebels

US lawmakers have called on American President, Barack Obama, to speed the fall of the President Bashar Al-Assad regime by providing intelligence and training to the Syrian rebels.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Mike Rogers, said such action would also ensure that a stabilizing force existed once Assad’s regime fell.

Rogers noted that the situation in Syria was worsening by the day, with thousands of foreign fighters flooding into the country.

Israeli airstrike inside Syria

Israeli fighter jets have attacked a target in Syria, saying it was an arms convoy to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The planes flew over Lebanese territory, drawing condemnation from Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said earlier this week that the transfer of sophisticated weapons to radical militant groups like Hezbollah was a red line, and Israel had acted when it was crossed, speaking about an air strike in January.