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…

Anti-government bloggers jailed in Vietnam

A group of citizen journalists have been jailed for up to twelve years in Vietnam for blogging about human rights abuses, corruption and foreign policy.

Nguyen Van Hai, Ta Phong Tan and Phan Thanh Hai, founding members of the ‘Free Journalists’ Club’ were found guilty of spreading “propaganda against the state”, and were handed sentences ranging from four to twelve years in jail.

The mother of Ms Tan died in late July after self-immolating in protest against her daughter’s arrest.

Israel will not change peace treaty with Egypt

The Israeli government has ruled out any changes to the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Egyptians "shouldn't try to delude themselves or delude others," whilst talking to Israel Radio.

Pressure has been growing on the Egyptian government recently to lift restrictions on the number of troops on the Sinai Peninsula after an increase in violence.

The number of troops was restricted by the treaty in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the peninsula.

Former Guatemalan army commander extradited to US

A former Guatemalan army commander accused of war crimes has been extradited from Canada to the United States to face immigration charges.

54-year-old Jorge Sosa is accused of leading a counter-insurgency force of the Guatemalan military in 1982 known as the “Kabiles”. He is alleged to have overseen a massacre of over 200 civilians whilst leading a patrol in 1982, with member of the patrol also raping women and girls before killing them.

Libyan leader orders disbanding of illegal militias

The interim Libyan leader Mohammad al-Magarief has vowed to disband all ‘illegitimate’ militias in the country, after the killing of the US ambassador Christopher Stevens.

In a press conference on Saturday, Magarief said that all militias which are not under government authority would be disbanded.

"[We want to] dissolve all militias and military camps which are not under the control of the state," he said.

Belarus President Lukashenko will, once again, win unfair elections

Hardline Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is expected to retain his leadership despite the opposition’s call for voters to boycott parliamentary elections.

The two main opposition parties urged voters not to participate in, what they see as, a sham exercise by the Lukashenko leadership to retain power.

Western monitoring agencies have not judged an election in Lukashenko’s Belarus as ‘free and fair’ for 18 years.

Pakistani minister offers reward for death of filmmaker

As protests against an anti-Islam film continue around the world, a Pakistani minister has offered a reward to anyone that kills the maker of ‘Innocence of Muslims’.

Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told a news conference on Saturday:

"I announce today that this blasphemer, this sinner who has spoken nonsense about the holy Prophet, anyone who murders him, I will reward him with $100,000.”

Belarus denies supplying Syrian arms after US sanctions

Belarus has denied accusations from the United States that they were attempting to supply weapons to Syria, after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on   state-owned Belarusian company earlier this week.

The state-owned arms company Belvneshpromservice was accused by the US Treasury of supplying fuses for bombs used by the Syrian military via Syria’s Army Supply Bureau and had sanctions placed on it earlier this week.

Free Syrian Army move HQ to Syria

The Free Syrian Army moved its main comman centre from Turkey to Syria, the group announced on Saturday.

In a video entitled, 'Free Syrian Army Communique Number 1 from Inside' the leader Riad al-Assad, said, "The Free Syrian Army command has moved into liberated areas of Syria following arrangements made with battalions and brigades to secure these zones,” and they would "start the plan to liberate Damascus soon, God willing”.

Benghazi militias expelled by protestors

Protestors in the Libyan city of Benghazi have stormed the base of a militia suspected to be behind the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

The headquarters of the Ansar al-Sharia group were stormed by police and protestors.

According to witnesses, armed supporters of the group gathered outside the building and fired shots into the air to disperse the protestors, but fled after the base was flooded with people shouting slogans against the group.

M23 rebels set up de facto administration, denies separatism

The rebellion in Congo’s east, known as the M23, has reinforced its power over the territory it has controlled for over five months, by setting up, what a U.N chief has described as, a parallel government.

U.N peace keeping chief, Herve Ladsous, denounced what he called a parallel government , warning of the risk of escalating the conflict and stating that “the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo has to be respected.”

Describing the situation to reporters in New York, Ladsous said