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…

Karzai orders out US Special Forces

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has given US special forces two weeks to leave Wardak province in the centre of Afghanistan.

Afghan soldiers with the US troops are accused of being behind disappearances and torture.

The US said it took all allegations seriously but could not comment on this issue "until we have had a chance to speak with senior government officials".

Norway to extradite genocide accused to Rwanda

The Norwegian government has decided to extradite a Rwandan citizen back to the country, after having sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment for his role in the 1994 genocide, marking Norway's first such extradition.

The Nordic Page stated that Norwegian State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Paul Lønseth hailed the move as "a milestone in the pursuit after the genocide in Rwanda".

Raul Castro to retire 2018

The Cuban president Raul Castro announced that he would retire after his second term ends in 2018.

Castro made the announcement on Sunday during a speech broadcast nationally, saying, "this will be my last term".

The announcement came after the Cuban National Assembly elected him to a second five year term at the opening of the new parliament.

Castro will be 86 years old in 2018.

Syrian opposition pulls out of talks

Syria's main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, said it had decided not to attend a summit of the Friends of Syria in Rome next month, and also turned down invitations for talks in Washington and Moscow.

In a statement, the coalition said:

"The international silence on the crimes committed every day against our people amounts to participating in two years of killings,"

Iran to expand nuclear programme

The Iranian government has announced the discovery of new uranium deposits and said it will expand its nuclear programme.

The announcement comes a few days before talks with Western powers about sanctions over its development of nuclear technology.

Iranian media reported that the new finds have trebled Iran’s uranium reserves.

Rwandwan stripped of US citizenship over genocide

A US jury has found a Rwandan woman guilty of lying about her role in the country's 1994 genocide, leading to her citizenship being stripped.

43-year-old Beatrice Munyenyezi, who was on trial for lying on US government citizenship forms, was accused by the prosecution of having a "front-row seat" to the slaughter of Tutsis who killed and ordered rapes, playing an active role in the genocide.

HRW calls for accountability in Mali

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Malian government to investigate and prosecute soldiers accused of committing torture, summary executions and other atrocities in the fight against Islamist militants in the country’s north.

The HRW report said its investigations had found that Malian troops had carried out several abuses against members of the Tuareg, Arab and Fula communities.

The organisation called on Malian authorities to,

Eight Indonesian soldiers killed in Papua

The Indonesian army has claimed that eight of its soldiers were killed in attacks by armed men in Papua.

Army spokesperson Jansen Simanjuntak told the BBC that two attacks in the district Puncak Jaya saw the soldiers ambushed with guns. Two of the attackers were also reported to have been killed.

Papuan rebels have been fighting for independence from Indonesia for over four decades.

Zambia takes over Chinese mine

The Zambian government has seized a Chinese coal mine, after it revoked the mine’s license over safety concerns.

The Zambian mining minister Yamfwa Mukanga said that the government would continue to run the Collum Coal mine until “suitable investor was found”.

"Collum coal mine has failed to consistently provide employees with approved personal protective equipment" he told a press conference. He added that the mine also failed to pay royalties or declare how much coal was produced.

Assad has no part in negotiations - Syrian Opposition

Syria's opposition council has said that it is willing to negotiate a peace deal with the USA and Russia, on the condition that President Bashar al-Assad is not party to any settlement.

In a draft document, the opposition said:

"Bashar al-Assad and the military and security apparatus commands are responsible for the decisions that have led the country to what it is now, are outside the political process and are not part of any political solution in Syria,"