• Glasgow rally pledges to continue journey towards Scottish independence

    Sep 18
    Crowds gathered in Glasgow on Saturday, one year on from the Scottish independence referendum, pledging to continue the journey towards independence.

    Gathering at the city's George Square, pro-independence campaigners held the Saltire and 'Still Yes' banners, stating that they wished "to make a clear statement that our journey to full independence for our nation continues".

    Speaking on Friday, the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said that it would be wrong to rule out another referendum, however, commenting on the 2014 referendum result, she said, "We respect last year's result."

    "It would be wrong to propose another referendum without a fundamental change of circumstances or a strong indication that a significant number of those who voted No last year had changed their minds."

  • US receives first Cuban ambassador in 54 years
    The United States received its first ambassador, Jose Cabanas, from Cuba in 54 years on Thursday, reports Reuters.

    "The ceremony took place at the White House Oval Office, the venue of the presidential office, in the midst of a day when the U.S. leader received 16 new ambassadors," the Cuban embassy said in a statement.

    "The Cuban ambassador's accreditation to the United States is a further step within the process to normalize relations between both countries," the statement added.

  • China's president to visit US on Sept 25
    China's president, Xi Jingping is to visit the United States later this month on an official state trip where he will be hosted by the US president, Barack Obama.

    The visit will take place on September 25 the White House said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

    "President Xi's visit will present an opportunity to expand U.S.-China cooperation on a range of global, regional, and bilateral issues of mutual interest, while also enabling President Obama and President Xi to address areas of disagreement constructively," the White House added in a statement.

  • South Africa invites Bashir to enter again
    South Africa welcomed the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who faces a warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, to enter the country again, despite widespread criticism of Mr Bashir's visit to South Africa in June.

    The South African president, Jacob Zuma, told diplomats that Sudan was likely to participate in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which is due to take place in Johannesburg in December.

    "It is expected that the Sudanese government will participate in FOCAC," Mr Zuma was quoted by AFP as saying.

    In June, despite numerous calls for Mr Bashir to be arrested and handed over to the ICC on arrival in South Africa, the South African government said that he was granted immunity as he was attending an African Union summit.

  • French court stops extradition of Rwandan genocide suspect
    A court in France on Tuesday stopped the extradition of a Rwandan genocide suspect, Joseph Habyarimana, who is accused of inciting the murder of monks in a monastery in 1994, reports Le Monde.

    A judge in a Toulouse court, where Mr Habyarimana now resides did not grant the extradition request stating that the crimes were not deemed a criminal offence at the time and therefore the law could not be enacted retrospectively.

    The ruling was met with anger by a group representing the victims, the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda (CPCR).

  • December 9th welcomed as International Day to honour genocide victims
    The marking of December 9th as 'International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime' by the UN General Assembly last Friday was welcomed on Monday by the UN's Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng.

    “Remembering the events of the past and paying tribute to those who perished should strengthen our resolve to prevent such events from ever happening again,” Mr Dieng said statement today.

    “We have a collective responsibility to prevent genocide – and by commemorating the victims of the crime of genocide, we can dignify them and show that we are not indifferent, that we care about what happened to them and will never forget them.”

  • US urges calm on both sides in Jerusalem
    The United States urged both sides to restrain from escalating violence, following clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces by the Al-Asqa mosque or Temple Mount.

    "The United States is deeply concerned by the increase in violence and escalating tensions surrounding the (al-)Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount," the US State Department spokesperson, John Kirby, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

    "We strongly condemn all acts of violence. It is absolutely critical that all sides exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric and preserve unchanged the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount."

  • Northern Ireland's disappeared buried 43 years on
    One of Northern Ireland's 'disappeared', Kevin McKee was buried today in Belfast, 43 years after he went missing just before his 17th birthday.

    Speaking at the funeral, the priest Father Michael Murtagh was quoted by the Belfast Telegraph as saying:

    "We acknowledge 43 years of pain, of wondering, of uncertainty and not knowing what had happened."

  • Russia to continue military support to Syrian government

    Russia’s will continue to provide military supplies to the Syrian government, reports Reuters.

    The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying that Russian aid would be offered with supervision.

  • Corbyn elected as UK's opposition leader

    Updated 1300 GMT

    Corbyn addresses Mullivaikkal memorial event on May 18th, 2011

    Jeremy Corbyn, the veteran anti-Apartheid campaigner won the UK opposition party's leadership contest on Saturday with a sweeping victory.

    Winning 59.5% of the vote, Mr Corbyn's victory exceeded the poll predictions and came despite a number of key Labour figures expressing concern about the party's chances at the next election if he was elected as leader.

  • Yemeni govt drops out of UN peace talks
    The Yemeni government pulled out of UN mediated peace talks on Sunday, stating that they would not take part until the armed groups accepted and implemented resolution 2216.

    "[Yemen's government] confirmed it would not take part in any meeting until the coup militia recognize international resolution 2216 and accepts to implement it unconditionally," the official state news agency Saba was quoted by Reuters as saying.

    The government is currently in exile in Saudi Arabia following escalating violence between government forces and Houthi fighters.

  • Germany re-imposes border controls on refugees
    Germany announced today that it was temporarily re-imposing border controls to slow the flow of refugees into the country. Trains travelling to Germany from Austria were suspended for 12 hours ending Monday morning.
  • Memorial for Mau Mau uprising victims revealed

    A memorial for the victims of the Kenyan Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule has been unveiled in in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

    The UK-funded memorial is part of a out-of-court settlement by the Britain when it agreed to pay £20m ($30m) in compensation to Mau Mau veterans.

  • Tens of thousands at pro-refugee rallies across Europe

    Rallies in support of refugees have attracted tens of thousands of people in London and across several cities in Europe.

    The London protest was attended by newly elected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, just a few hours after his victory was announced.

  • Serbian court charges 8 over Srebrenica
    In a landmark ruling, a Serbian court on Tuesday charged 8 for war crimes over the massacre of hundreds of Bosnian Muslim boys and men in 1995 by Bosnian Serb forces.

    The ruling is the first time that a court in Serbia has charged anyone for involvement in the massacre.

    The eight people charged includes the unit commander of the forces responsible for the massacre, Nedeljko Milidragovic, who was nicknamed the "butcher", and reported told the forces that "nobody should get out alive".

Subscribe to International Affairs

Most-Read Articles

Senior Buddhist monk from Anuradhapura remanded over sexual abuse of minor
A senior Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and chief prelate of the Anuradhapura Atamasthana,…
Velupillay makes history as first Tamil at a FIFA World Cup
Photograph: @Socceroos Nishan Velupillay has been selected in Australia's squad…
17 years today - A massacre in Mullivaikkal
To mark 17 years since the Sri Lankan military onslaught that massacred tens…
In Pictures - Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day commemorated in Mullivaikkal
All photographs by Uthayarasa Shalin Thousands of Tamils gathered at Mullivaikkal…
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay marks Mullivaikkal remembrance with pledge to support Eelam Tamils
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay issued a message on Monday evening marking…