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…

World powers agree to UN mechanism to re-impose sanctions on Iran

Six world powers agreed on a UN mechanism that would restore sanctions on Iran if it breaks terms of a future nuclear deal, reports Reuters.

The US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China agreed on a deal that allows any easing of UN sanctions to be automatically reversible if Iran breached any terms of the agreements it committed to.

UN adviser on prevention of genocide calls on Burundian officials to prevent ethnic killings

The UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, warned called on Burundian officials to work to prevent ethnic violence after a two day visit to the region.

A statement issued on Adama Dieng’s visit, said he urged “Burundian parties to use their influence to prevent any action that could increase the risk of violence against individuals or groups on the basis of their identity, including political affiliation, religious and ethnic identity.

Belgian party expels MP over Armenian genocide denial

The Democratic Humanist Centre party (CDH) expelled their deputy leader for refusing to call the mass killing of Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire genocide.

Mahinur Özdemir refusal to recognise the killings as genocide “is contrary to the party’s values”, said a party statement. “Recognition of the Genocide is not an ambiguous issue and demands total clarity," said the CDH adding that Ms Özdemir "does not share this fundamental commitment of CDH."

Rwanda suspends BBC service over genocide documentary

The Rwandan government has ordered an indefinite suspension of all BBC broadcasts in the country after the airing of a controversial documentary on the 1994 genocide, which has led to accusations of genocide denial.

The Rwandan public regulatory body, which had recently launched an investigation into the documentary, said the decision was made based "on the resolutions made by the commission of inquiry that was set up by the Rwandan government to investigate allegations of genocide denial and revisionism against the BBC in the new documentary produced by BBC journalist, Jane Corbin".

The documentary, “Rwanda's Untold Story”, contained allegations that current President Paul Kagame and his then Rwandan Patriotic Front armed organisation shot down and killed then Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana, sparking the genocide which killed some 800,000 people.

US removes Cuba off terrorism blacklist

The US administration, on Friday, removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism following a round of negotiations, reports the Washington Post.

The order was signed by the US Secretary of State john Kerry, removed Cuba from a list which holds Iran, Syria and Sudan.

Palestine calls for Israel to be suspended from FIFA

The head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said he would push ahead with a move to try and suspend Israel from world football this week.

Stating that Israel was “playing like the bully of the neighbourhood", PFA head Jibril Rajoub said he would take the issue to the world football governing body and bring it to a vote. "I am going to end the suffering and the humiliation of the Palestinian footballers," he told the BBC. "It is our right."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was “a blatant politicisation of sport and the result will be Fifa's collapse". "The Athenian Assembly thousands of years ago collapsed when they started ousting people,” said the prime minister. “They cancelled its universality. The same will happen with Fifa. We'll fight against it."

Germany deems former Nazi ‘unfit for trial’

Prosecutors in Germany concluded that a former SS lieutenant wanted for a World War II massacre in Italy is unfit to face trial.

Gerhard Sommer, who was on top of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most-wanted Nazi criminals, was deemed to have severe dementia rendering him unfit for trial.

Mr Sommer, now 93 years old, was convicted in absentia in Italy, over the killing of 560 civilians in the village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema in August 1944, as the Nazis retreated from the region.

He currently resides at a nursing home in Hamburg-Volksdorf.

UN envoy calls for Kosovo to set up war crimes court

The United Nations envoy to Kosovo urged the government to set up a war crimes court in order to try former Kosovo Liberation Army members for war crimes.

Speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council, Farid Zarif said the international community expects “no delays in the steps required from Kosovo toward the establishment of the court."

EU judges prosecute former Kosovan militants for war crimes

European Union judges in Kosovo sentenced for former Kosovo-Albanian militants responsible for war crimes during the pro-independence uprising in 1998.

Two of the militants sentenced were close to the former prime minister Hashim Thaci were sentenced by the EU mission.

The mission was established after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

FARC peace-talk negotiator killed by Colombian government air raid

Officials from the FARC militants in Colombia announced that one of their peace negotiators had been killed in the Colombian government’s last bombing raid.

Pedro Nel Daza Martinez, also known as Jairo, was one of the 27 Farc militants killed in bombing raids last Thursday.

One of the rebel commanders, Pastor Alape, in a statement made on Wednesday, said,