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…

US president intervenes in UK EU referendum debate

US President warned that Britain could be placed to the back of the trade queue, if it votes to leave the European Union in it’s in out referendum.

Speaking at the start of a three day visit to the UK, he said,

“Let me be clear: ultimately this is something the British voters have to decide for themselves.”

"As part of our special relationship, part of being friends is to be honest and to let you know what I think, and speaking honestly, the outcome of that decision is a matter of deep interest to the US, because it affects our prosperity as well."

UK MPs declare Islamic State is committing genocide

British MPs on Wednesday unanimously declared that Islamic State is committing a genocide against the Yazidi and Christian people in Syria and Iraq, during a vote at the House of Commons.

The motion, which was passed by 278 votes to zero, also called on the British government to urge the UN Security Council to place the issue before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"It is about doing justice and about seeing justice being done," said MP Fiona Bruce, who tabled the motion.

ICC officially opens permanent HQ in The Hague

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday opened its official headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands.

The event was attended by politicians, diplomats and lawyers from around the world, as well as the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

Writing in Ahram Online, the ICC's president, Judge Silvia Fernandez, said "the message of today’s ceremony is clear: the International Criminal Court is here to stay."

"The ICC’s mandate is relevant everywhere. Where massive atrocities have occurred, international justice helps ensure that such crimes are addressed, that the perpetrators are held responsible and that victims receive justice."

South Sudan peace deal threatened say monitors

Monitors of South Sudan's peace deal said it was at risk of collapse this week after Riek Machar failed to return to the capital.

Mr Machar was due to take up post of vice-president within a unity government as part of the deal. His team have said he was delayed by logistical issues.

"The agreement is at risk. Having come so close to the formation of the transitional government of national unity, all parties must ensure that the spirit of reconciliation, compromise and dialogue embodied by the agreement should be protected," said Festus Mogae, chairman of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC).

The US expressed disappointment at what it described as his "wilful decision" not to follow through on the agreed delay.

US sends troops to Iraq, pledges $415 million aid to Kurdish Peshmerga

The United States will send more troops to Iraq and will position them closer to the frontlines of battle against Islamic State militants, reports Reuters.

US defence officials said on Monday that they will deploy a further 200 troops as advisers for Iraqi troops as they advance towards Mosul, and provide up to $415 million to Kurdish Peshmerga military units.

The US also authorised Apache attack helicopters to help the advance.

UK defence firm hired former child soldiers as mercenaries in Iraq

A former senior director at a British firm said that it employed mercenaries from Sierra Leanne to work in Iraq due as they were cheaper than Europeans, reports the Guardian.

The Aegis Defence Services, between 2005 and 2015 recruited from countries such as Sierra Leone, “where there’s high unemployment and a decent workforce” to reduce costs for the US presence in Iraq.

Former Rwandan politician jailed for life for hate speech

Former Rwandan politician Leon Mugesera, who was extradited from Canada in 2012, has been jailed for life over his role in the 2004 genocide.

The former official with the then-ruling Hutu party described Tutsis as "cockroaches" and called for their extermination, during a speech in 1992.

Mr Mugesera worked as a lecturer in Quebec province and lost a 12-year legal battle to avoid extradition from Canada.

Over 800,000 Tutsis were killed in the genocide by Hutu militias.

Egyptians protest over handing over of islands to Saudi Arabia

Egyptian security forces began to fire tear gas at protesters on Friday in what was the biggest demonstrations since the uprising to oust Mubarak from his presidency.

The protests were triggered by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to transfer two Egyptian islands to Saudi Arabia.

The US government, in a statement released Friday, said it will continue to watch the situation in Egypt.

Thousands of Egyptians protested in Tahir Square chanting slogans from the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, reports Reuters.

OIC calls on India to support Kashmiri right to self-determination

 The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation reaffirmed its support to the peoples of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir for the realisation of their right to self-determination.

In a joint communique issued on Friday, the OIC called on India to implement the UN resolutions on Kashmir, adding that the disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir must be made in accordance of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Iraqi Kurds launch Kurdistan web domain

Iraqi Kurds have launched their own .krd domain name for an independent cyber region for Kurdistan, reports Reuters.

The .krd domain name was granted in 2013 by the US based non-profit organisation which regulates the domains, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

"Those who imprisoned us within these geographical boundaries do not have the same leverage in cyberspace. In the internet we choose our own borders," the individual responsible for securing international recognition of the .krd domain, Hiwa Afandi told Reuters.