WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

UN experts demand investigation following Israel’s killing of Lebanese journalists
  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…

Turkey and Iraq pledge to cooperate in fight against Islamic State

Dec 24, 2014
Turkey and Iraq pledged, on Thursday,  to work towards greater military cooperation in their fight against Islamic State militants.

Turkey is ready to work with Iraq to extend its military assistance, said the Turkish prime minster with his Iraqi counterpart at a joint press conference.

Dozens dead in Assam attack

Dec 23, 2014

At least 62 people have died in attacks in India's restive northeastern state of Assam.

According to police, separatist Bodo militants from the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) carried out the attacks in villages mainly inhabited by non-Bodos in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts on Tuesday.

Potential war crimes in Libya says UN

Dec 23, 2014
Extensive fighting between armed militant groups in Libya could lead to prosecution for war crimes a UN official said this week.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, said that there had been hundreds of civilian deaths in the conflict between the split governments, noting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had been investigating the situation.

A spokesperson from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, (OHCHR), Ravina Shamdasani, highlighted a lack of accountability in Libya, adding that “some of these crimes may amount to war crimes.

Islamic State captures Jordanian pilot

Dec 23, 2014

The Islamic State (IS) has captured a Jordanian pilot from a plane that crashed in Syria, claiming the jet was shot down with a heat-seeking missile.

The United States disputed the claim stating that “evidence clearly indicates that ISIL did not down the aircraft” and that the plane had crashed in Syria on Wednesday. A statement from US Central Command said it would “not tolerate ISIL's attempts to misrepresent or exploit this unfortunate aircraft crash for their own purposes”.

Jordanian Information Minister Mohammad Momani, however, told al-Arabiya TV that a “missile fired from the ground” had hit the plane, adding that “efforts to rescue the pilot were unsuccessful.”

Images of the pilot of the F-16 aircraft have been released on social media, alongside photographs of IS militants hauling wreckage of the aircraft.

Troops deployed on French streets

Dec 22, 2014

The French government has decided to deploy up to 300 soldiers and increase police patrols in public areas, Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced, after three seemingly unrelated attacks left around 20 people injured.

Mr Valls told Europe 1 radio there was "no link" between the attackers and that the police were dealing with individuals who acted alone.

“The number of patrols will be increased during this period. Between 200 and 300 soldiers will be deployed in the coming hours,” Valls said.

“Patrols by police and gendarmes will concentrate on areas where there are a lot of people: shopping areas, city and town centres, stations and transport networks.”

Ukrainian vote to forge closer ties with NATO angers Russia

Dec 22, 2014
Ukraine's parliament has voted to drop the country's “non-aligned” status and stated that it will work towards eventually joining NATO, in a move that has angered the Russian government.

The vote on Tuesday received 303 votes – 77 more than the minimum needed to pass the amendment into law.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko told foreign diplomats before the vote on Monday night that “Ukraine's fight for its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty has turned into a decisive factor in our relations with the world.”

After the vote he tweeted "European and Euro-Atlantic integrations -- that is Ukraine's XX course."

The move has angered Russia with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, saying “it will only escalate the confrontation and creates the illusion that it is possible to resolve Ukraine’s deep internal crisis by passing such laws.”

Lavrov went on to demand Ukraine "put an end to confrontation" and stop passing "absolutely counterproductive" measures.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in a Facebook post that "in essence, an application for NATO membership will turn Ukraine into a potential military opponent for Russia."

Former Bangladeshi minister sentenced to death for genocide

Dec 22, 2014
A former Bangladeshi government minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, rape and genocide committed during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Syed Mohammad Qaisar was found guilty of leading an armed group, which alongside Pakistani troops, killed 150 people in 22 villages during the conflict.

Egypt receives 10 US attack helicopters

Dec 21, 2014
The Egyptian army has received 10 Apache attack helicopters from the United States, following the US decision to reverse an imposed hold on military aid.

State-run Al-Ahram Gate quoted a military source confirming the arrival of the helicopters, whilst a US senior administration official also told AFP "they got there a few weeks ago."

The US, which allocates $1.5bn in aid to Egypt, including $1.3bn in military assistance, froze aid to the country in October 2013 after the military overthrew the then elected president Mohamed Morsi.

North Korea threatens US over Sony hacking

Dec 21, 2014
North Korea has threatened to confront the United States in retaliation for White House claims that Pyongyang was behind the recent cyber attack on Sony.

In a statement, North Korea said "the army and people of the DPRK are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces including cyber warfare space."

"Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole US mainland, the cesspool of terrorism, by far surpassing the 'symmetric counteraction' declared by Obama."

The North Korean statement went on to accuse US President Barack Obama of "recklessly making the rumour" that North Korea was responsible for the Sony attack, which leaked a Hollywood comedy film on the fictional assassination of North Korea's leader.

Obama said on Sunday that the United States would respond "proportionately" to the cyber-attack. "I'll wait to review what the findings are," he said in an interview to CNN, stating however, that the cyberattack was not "an act of war". He went on to say that fresh sanctions were being considered, including putting North Korea on the list of states that sponsor terrorism.

Renewed calls for prosecution of those responsible for torture in CIA interrogation program

Dec 21, 2014
Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union wrote to the US attorney general Eric Holder with calls for a criminal investigation into torture and other serious abuses revealed in a recent report on the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) interrogation and detention program.

Citing findings from the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA, the organisations, on Monday, called for a special prosecutor to investigate crimes including, torture, conspiracy, sexual assault and homicide, with a view to prosecute.

"The Senate torture report shows that CIA officials knew their methods were illegal and tried hard to cover them up. A full investigation is necessary to show that torture in the name of national security is still a criminal offense," said the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth.

The New York Times editorial board, on Sunday, called for a credible investigation into the torture allegations, that held US officials accountable.
Turkey and Iraq pledge to cooperate in fight against Islamic State
Dozens dead in Assam attack
Potential war crimes in Libya says UN
Islamic State captures Jordanian pilot
Troops deployed on French streets
Ukrainian vote to forge closer ties with NATO angers Russia
Former Bangladeshi minister sentenced to death for genocide
Egypt receives 10 US attack helicopters
North Korea threatens US over Sony hacking
Renewed calls for prosecution of those responsible for torture in CIA interrogation program