• Pro-Russian separatists hold elections in Eastern Ukraine

    Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk held elections on Sunday, to directly elect presidents and parliaments.

    The elections have been slammed as illegitimate by the EU, Nato and the US who have vowed not to recognise the results. "We deplore the intent of separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine to hold illegitimate so-called local 'elections' on Sunday," said the White House in a statement on Friday.

    Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, referred to the elections as “the pseudo-elections that terrorists and bandits want to organise on occupied territory”.

    However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed the elections, stating that a ceasefire agreed in September allowed for elections that were "in co-ordination with, not in line with" Ukrainian plans.
  • Burkina Faso sees third leader in 24 hours
    A second military officer has assumed power in Burkina Faso, after the former president resigned on Friday amidst mass protests.

    Colonel Isaac Zida, who is the third person to claim leadership of the country within 24 hours, called on the international community to recognise his authority.

    Speaking to crowds in the capital city Ouagadougou, Zida said that the military had taken control to “prevent a state of anarchy that would be detrimental to the goal of democratic change.”

    “I will assume the duties of head of this transition and head of state to guarantee the continuity of the state,” he added.

  • Boko Haram denies negotiations to release abducted school girls
    The leader of the Nigerian militant Boko Haram, claimed that deals to free the 200 kidnapped school girls were untrue, reports the Telegraph.
  • Islamic State militants execute 85 Albu Nimr tribe members
    Islamic State militants executed a further 85 members of the Albu Nimr tribe in Iraq on Saturday, reports Reuters.

    The tribal chief said that 50 members of the tribe had been killed with a further 35 bodies found in a mass grave.

    Sheikh Naeem al-Ga’oud said that requests to the Iraqi central government for arms to had been repeatedly ignored.
  • Militants committing war crimes in Libya says Amnesty International
    All sides in Libya’s most recent conflict have committed serious rights abuses, some of which amount to war crimes, found Amnesty International’s latest report.

    The report, “Rule of the gun: Abductions, torture and other abuses in western Libya,” found that armed groups had summarily killed, tortured or ill-treated detainees in their custody whilst targeting civilians based on their origins or perceived political allegiances.

    “Leaders of militias and armed groups in Libya have a duty to put an end to violations of international humanitarian law and to make clear to their subordinates that such crimes will not be tolerated. A failure to do so could result in prosecution of commanders by the International Criminal Court,” said the Amnesty press release.

  • Burkina Faso president resigns amid protests
    The President of Burkina Faso resigned on Friday after days of unrest that saw protesters set fire to the parliament building, reports the New York Times.

    Campaore announced his resignation, after the military announced that they had decided to take the side of the protestors.

    The recent protests against Campaore came after the former president tried to change legislation that would allow him to extend his term in power.

    Blaise Campaore initially seized power of Burkina Faso in 1987 in a coup that saw the former president killed under suspicious circumstances.

  • Realisation of right to self-determination vital for international peace says UN expert
    The realisation of the right to self-determination is fundamental in maintaining local, regional and international peace and must be seen as an important conflict prevention strategy, said the United Nations independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

    Presenting his third report the UN General Assembly on Monday, Alfred de Zayas, said,
    “Over the past decades too many conflicts have started because of the denial of the legitimate aspiration of peoples to achieve their human rights, including the right to internal or external self-determination.”
    The UN expert called for a strategy to ensure that a recurring questions regarding self-determination were addressed and that a proactive role was taken by the UN to mediate existing and potential crises associated with self-determination, reports Panarmenian.net.

  • Sweden formally recognises Palestine
    Sweden formally recognised the state of Palestine on Thursday, becoming the first European Union member to do so, reports AFP.

    The decision, which came ahead of schedule, has been criticised by Israel.

    “Some will claim that today’s decision comes too early. I’m rather afraid it’s too late,” Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom wrote in the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

    “The past year, we’ve seen how the peace negotiations once again have halted, how decisions on new settlements on occupied Palestinian land have obstructed a two-state solution and how violence has returned to Gaza.”

  • Israeli police shoot journalists covering Palestinian protests
    Protests following the funeral of a 14 year old Palestinian killed by Israeli soldiers were met with a strong  police clamp down on Monday.

    Two photographers, including one working for the Associated Press (AP), were hit by rubber bullets fired by Israeli policemen at close range reports the Huffington Post.

    The AP has said it will lodge complaints with the Israeli military, police and government.

    A senior managing editor for international news, John Daniszewski, said the shooting was an example of “reckless disregard for the safety of journalists who were doing their job in a lawful way.”

    Describing the incident, the AP photographer said he was amongst several clearly identifiable journalists before an armoured vehicle pulled up in front of them and fired directly at them.

  • UN, UK and US express concern at Israeli settlement plans in Palestine
    Israel’s planned settlements violated international law and would raise “grave concerns” regarding its commitment towards a durable peace with the Palestinians said a senior UN political chief, reports the BBC.

    Britain said that the settlement activity made it harder for Israel’s friends to defend it against accusations that questioned Israel’s commitment to peace.
  • Bangladesh war crimes tribunal sentences opposition leader to death
    The chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Bangladesh was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, including genocide, torture and rape during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, reports Reuters.

    “Considering the gravity of crimes, the tribunal punished him with the death sentence," a Bangladeshi state prosecutor told the press.

    News of the verdict has sparked several violent protests from supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, resulting in the deployment of thousands of Bangladeshi police officers across major cities.

  • UK cannot leave EU without backing of each home nation – Nicola Sturgeon

    The leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon said the UK cannot leave the European Union as the result of a referendum, unless each nation returns a majority vote in the proposed referendum on membership.

    Sturgeon said in an interview with BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland, that if a referendum bill was proposed in the Commons, the SNP would table an amendment requiring that for the UK to leave the EU, it would need "not just a majority across the whole UK but a majority in each one of the four nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland".

    "If you look at states like Australia and Canada there are some circumstances where changes to their constitution requires not just a majority across the country but in each of the provinces as well.

    "The UK is not a unitary state it is a family of nations, it is made up of the four home nations.

    "We were told during the referendum that each of these nations had equal status, that our voices mattered.

    "If that is the case I think it is right that something that would have such significant consequences for jobs, for the economy, for our standing in the world, it should require the consent of not just the UK as a whole but that family of nations."

  • FSA rebels arrive in Kobane to support Kurds

    Rebels from the Free Syrian Army have arrived in Kobane to support Kurdish fighters defending the town against 6-week long assault by the Islamic State.

    FSA commander Col Abdul Jabbar al-Oqaidi, told the BBC’s Arabic service that "around 200 fighters" had entered the Kobane to help the defenders.

  • North Korea envoy meets with UN investigator amid calls for ICC referral
    North Korea's envoy met with a UN rights investigator, Marzuki Darusman, on Monday amid calls for the country to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

    The meeting was to discuss "future cooperation in the area of human rights", a North Korean official told AFP.

    On Wednesday, Darusman, who was also on the Panel of Experts to present a report on Sri Lanka's mass atrocities, is to present a report to the UN General Assembly.

    The report is believed to call on the UN member states to seek a Security Council referral to the ICC and consider sanctions, to ensure North Korea to face justice for war crimes, which were detailed by a UN Commission of Inquiry earlier this year.

    The EU and Japan have already tabled a draft resolution calling on the Security Council to "take appropriate action". China however, expressed scepticism.

  • EU justice mission in Kosovo accused of graft
    European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo has been accused graft, in documents leaked by a prosecutor to a national newspaper, Koha Ditore.

    The leaked documents reportedly reveal an investigation is being carried out into allegations that senior EULEX officials dropped some criminal charges in Kosovo in exchange for money, reports Reuters.
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