• Wall Street down as Chinese markets suspended

    Jan 06
    Shares on Wall Street were down on Thursday after China suspending trading on its market for the second time this week after stocks fell by over 7 percent.

    China's decision to suspend the circuit breaker system, only increased concern among investors about the health of the country's currency and economy.
  • Syrian govt agrees to allow aid into Madaya says UN
    The Syrian government has to allow aid into the town of Madaya after residents were reported to have died of starvation, the UN said.

    The rebel held town has been under siege by government forces.     Photographs released over recent days depicted severely emaciated children.

    “The UN welcomes today’s approval from the government of Syria to access Madaya, Fua and Kefraya and is preparing to deliver humanitarian assistance in the coming days,” the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said on Thursday.

  • CAR UN peacekeepers face new sexual abuse charges
    UN peacekeepers in Central African Republic were accused once again of sexual abuse after fresh allegations emerged this week, Reuters reported.

    CAR's UN mission, known as MINUSCA said on Tuesday that it was "investigating fresh allegations concerning both sexual exploitation and abuse and other misconduct by U.N. Peacekeepers and international forces in Bangui."

    The new reports come only weeks after the UN was accused of failing to act on previous allegations of child sexual abuse in 2013 and 2014.

  • U.S. 'deeply disappointed' that Rwandan president will seek third term
    The United States is “deeply disappointed” by Rwandan President Paul Kagame  New Year’s announcement that he would seek a third term 2017, reports Reuters.

    The spokesperson for the US State Department, 
  • Vatican officially recognises Palestine
    An agreement singed last year to make the Vatican’s preliminary recognition of Palestine in 2012 official came into effect on Saturday, reports Reuters. 

    In a statement released on Saturday, the Vatican said,
  • Afghan president seeks to restore Taliban peace process in new year
    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that international meetings next month to lay the foundation of peace talks with Taliban would seek an approach that ended terrorism.

    Officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are due to meet in Islamabad in less than 2 weeks in attempts to restore the peace process with Taliban which fell apart last year.

    Speaking to press, Afghan President Ashraaf Ghani, said,
  • IS massacre of minorities is a genocide says Hillary
    The US democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton said she believed the Islamic State's massacre of minorities, including the Christian community and the Yazidis constituted a "genocide", reported AP and CNN.

    Ms Clinton made this comment when she attended a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday evening and was asked by a member of the audience, "Will you join those leaders, faith leaders and secular leaders and political leaders from both the right and the left, in calling what is happening by its proper name: Genocide?"

    "I will because we now have enough evidence," Ms Clinton replied, adding that "What is happening is genocide, deliberately aimed at destroying not only the lives but wiping out the existence of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East in territory controlled by ISIS."

  • US expresses concern over arrest of journalists using anti-terror legislation in Ethiopia
    The White House expressed concern regarding the arrest of journalists in Ethiopia using anti-terror legislation in a statement on Wednesday.

    The National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price said,
  • Nigeria says ready to negotiate with Boko Haram over kidnapped school girls
    The Nigerian government on Wednesday said that it would be prepared to negotiate with Boko Haram in order to ensure the release of over 200 school girls who were kidnapped in April 2014.

    "We are prepared to negotiate with them without any preconditions," the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari was quoted as saying by Reuters.

  • Iraqi army needs Kurds to recapture Mosul
    Iraq’s Finance Minsiter Hoshiyar Zebari said that Kurdish militant support would be a necessity to help Iraq’s army recapture the largest city under Islamic State control reports, Reuters.

    Mr Zebari said the Kurdish Peshmerga would be needed to help recapture the Sunni Muslim city of Mosul.
  • German court sentences Rwanda mayor to life for genocide
    Onesphore Rwabukombe who was a mayor in Rwanda at the time of the genocide, was already serving a sentence for his role in the massacres.  The new trial was based around new evidence found him guilty of genocide.

    Evidence was gathered form over 100 witnesses who described scenes from the massacres that were directed by Rwabukombe, reports Reuters.
  • Japan apologises for war-time rape and abuse of South Korean women
    Japan has apologised for the rape and forced prostitution of South Korean women during World War 2 in a new bi-lateral accord that seeks to boost relations between the two nations.

    Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that Japan had apologised and expressed remorse reports Reuters.

    The Japanese prime minister said,
  • US, China welcome Japan's apology to South Korea
    The United States and China welcomed the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe's apology on Monday to South Korea for its rape and forced prostitution of South Korean women during World War 2.

    “We believe this agreement will promote healing and help to improve relations between two of the United States’ most important allies,” the US Secretary of State, John Kerry was quoted by the WSJ as saying.

    “We applaud the leaders of Japan and the Republic of Korea for having the courage and vision to reach this agreement, and we call on the international community to support it.”

    The Chinese foreign ministry's military spokesperson also welcomed the apology.

  • Iran on track - John Kerry on nuclear deal

    Iran has taken a "significant step" towards meeting its nuclear commitments, by sending a large quantity of uranium abroad, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry.

  • University of Barcelona boycotts Israel
    The Central University of Barcelona announced its decision to boycott Israeli universities and institutions that had direct or indirect ties with the occupation of Palestine.

    The decision formed part of a trans-national initiative, “Places without Racism” that was supported by hundreds of institutions and universities worldwide, reports the Palestinian Information Center.
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