• Egyptian court sentences 188 people to death over killing of policemen

    Dec 02
    An Egyptian court sentenced 188 people to death, for involvement in the deaths of 11 policemen after security forces forcefully cleared two protest camps outside the ousted President Mohammed Morsi’s parliament.

    The attacks happened after security forces killed over 100 protesters during the clearance of the streets in Cairo.
  • Iran conducts airstrikes against Islamic State, denies US cooperation
    Iran conducted airstrikes against Islamic State militants in eastern Iraq, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.

    The US and Iran both stated that the two nations were not coordinating attacks on Islamic State.

    “Nothing has changed about our policy of not coordinating military activity with the Iranians,” said a US military official.
  • Peace talks in Colombia resume after released general resigns
    The Colombia government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have agreed to resume peace talks, after a Colombian military general who was released from detention resigned this week.

    A joint statement from the two sides said,
    "We consider the crisis over and announce that we have agreed that the next cycle of conversations will take place between 10 and 17 December."
    The peace talks came under threat following Farc detaining Gen Ruben Alzate after he ignored security protocols and travelled into Farc held territory last month. The general boarded a small boat with a lawyer and a soldier, before making his way into areas held by the group and was subsequently arrested on arrival.

    After two weeks in captivity, he was released. General Alzate resigned the following day.

    Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos initially tweeted that the minister of defence and the chief of the armed forces had to "explain why Gen Alzate broke all security protocols and was dressed as a civilian in a red zone".
  • Kenyatta case: ICC provides ultimatum

    The International Criminal Court has given prosecutors an ultimatum of one week to provide the court with evidence against Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, or drop the charges.

    The court, based in The Hague, ruled that further delays would be "contrary to the interests of justice".

    Rejecting the request for a delay, the judges said the prosecutors needed to decide within a week whether it would withdraw charges or that the "evidentiary basis has improved to a degree which would justify proceeding to trial".

  • Hong-Kong protest leaders surrender to police
    Three leaders of the Hong-Kong pro-democracy movement, Occupy Central, handed themselves over to police after calling on student protesters to retreat and avoid clashes with security forces.

    Law professor Benny Tai and his two co-founders Rev Chu Yiu-ming and Chan Kin-Man handed themselves in on Wednesday reports the Guardian.


    Speaking to a local broadcaster, the founder, Benny Tai said that he did not regret the protests, stating,

    “In hindsight, I would still do the same thing. From what we have seen throughout, we set an example to the world already.”
     
    The Occupy Central movement, was met with violence on Sunday night as police used water cannons, batons and pepper spray in final attempts to clear demonstrators.

    British lawmakers denied entry to Hong Kong as security forces clamp down on protests (30 Nov 2014)

    Student leaders arrested as police clamp down on Hong Kong protests (26 November 2014)
  • French MPs vote for recognition of Palestine

    French parliamentarians have voted to recognise Palestine as a state, drawing criticism from the Israeli government.

    The vote, passed with 339 MPs for and 151 MPs against, is largely symbolic and will not be binding on the French government.

    Palestinian leaders expressed "gratitude" and urged France to "translate its parliament's vote into action," reported AFP news.

    Israel criticised the vote, saying "unilateral measures" would be "counter-productive" for the peace process.

    France's vote comes soon after similar votes in the British and Swedish parliaments. British MPs also chose to recognise Palestine in a symbolic vote, whereas the Swedish government now officially recognises Palestinian statehood.

  • Israeli prime minister dismisses ministers and calls early elections
    The Israeli prime minister sacked his finance and justice ministers and called early national elections on Tuesday, after disagreements over a new legislation that critics say discriminates Arab citizens.

    Alleging that the sacked ministers, has covertly tried to form an alternative coalition, Netanyahu said,

    “In one word, that is called a putsch. And that makes it impossible to run a government.”
  • Prosecutors seek return of Serbian war crimes suspect

    United Nations prosecutors are seeking the return of a Serbian war crimes suspect who was temporarily released from The Hague, in order to receive treatment for cancer.

    Vojislav Seselj, founder and president of the Serbian Radical Party, was released on “humanitarian grounds” last month, in order to return to Serbia and receive treatment for cancer.

    On his return, he was greeted by some 5,000 supporters and made a speech vowing to overthrow “Serbian traitors” who had “become servants of the West.”

    Prosecutors at the UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague filed a motion stating,

    "He has clearly demonstrated that his health condition is no barrier to making unacceptable public statements that are inflammatory and insulting to victim communities."

  • Lebanon claims capture of ISIS leader’s wife

    Lebanese security officials claim to have detained the wife and child of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, at a border crossing into Lebanon.

    Lebanese newspaper al-Safir broke the story of the arrest, which occurred more than a week ago, according to officials.

  • House of Commons to hold emergency debate as China rejects British 'interference in internal affairs'
    Tensions between China and Britain escalated on Monday, after a spokesman for the British prime minister said that China’s decision to deny British parliamentarians access to Hong Kong served to only “amplify concerns about the situation in Hong Kong rather than diminishing concerns.”

    The British House of Commons has declared an emergency debate, to be held on Tuesday, that will discuss how to deal with escalating diplomatic tensions with China, reports the BBC.
     
    The Chinese foreign ministry responded, labelling the British  Foreign Affairs Select Committee access requests as attempts to interfere in “internal affairs.”

    “For those who are committed and sincere about promoting China-UK friendship, China’s door is always open. However, we do not welcome those who came to China to interfere in our internal affairs and will not allow them to do so,” said the Chinese foreign ministry in their statement.

  • Indian policemen killed during raid on Maoist camp

    Maoist rebels have killed thirteen policemen in the central Indian state of Chattisgarh, while they were conducting a raid on a rebel hideout.

  • More than 1.7 million Syrian refugees at threat as WFP suspends food aid
    The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it is suspending a food aid scheme for Syrian refugees due to a funding crisis, leaving more than 1.7 million at risk of going hungry this winter.

    WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin appealed to donors for more funding, stating “a suspension of WFP food assistance will endanger the health and safety of these refugees and will potentially cause further tensions, instability and insecurity in the neighbouring host countries.”

    “The suspension of WFP food assistance will be disastrous for many already suffering families,” she added.

    UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres stated the suspension  “couldn’t come at a worse time.” “It will impact tens of thousands of the most vulnerable refugee families who are almost entirely dependent on international aid,” added the High Commissioner.

  • Rajoy visits Catalonia to denounce referendum
    Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy paid his first visit to Catalonia following an independence referendum last month, denouncing the poll as having “failed resoundingly”.

    The unofficial referendum, which saw over 80% vote for an independent Catalan state, was slammed by Rajoy as “a sham” and “a farce” in his address to party supporters in Barcelona.

    Speaking at a rally this weekend Rajoy went on to criticise the regional Catalan government, stating it had carried out an “international propaganda operation”, which had fallen apart “noiselessly and without clatter”. He also attacked a recently announced 18-month plan for secession, labelling it as a “trip to nowhere.”

  • Sisi to drop efforts to charge Mubarak for murder
    Further legal action would not be taken to try former president Hosni Mubarak for murder said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Sunday.

    The president added that, following recommendations of the court, he would ask a committee to review the procedural technicalities that had been cited to dismiss murder charges leveled against Mubarak on Saturday, reports the New York Times.

    Expressing “full confidence in the fairness, integrity, impartiality and competence of Egypt’s judges,” Sisi said that Egypt must now “look to the future.”

  • ICC rejects Lubanga appeal

    An appeal by Thomas Lubanga, the first person convicted by the International Criminal Court, has been rejected.

    The Congolese militia's leader attempted to overturn his conviction and 14 year sentence for recruiting child soldiers under the age of 15 and sending them into battle.

    A five-judge panel at The Hague rejected or dismissed the seven parts of Lubanga's appeal.

    "The trial chamber's assessment of the facts was reasonable," said presiding judge Erkki Koroula.

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