• Another ‘mass grave’ discovered during search for Mexican students

    Oct 27

    Mexican authorities have discovered another suspected mass grave during their search for 43 students who disappeared after clashes with police.

    Attorney general Jesus Murillo Karam said that suspects arrested last week provided information leading to the discovery.

    Karam said police officers had confessed to handing over the students to drug gangs in the southern state of Guerrerro.

    "We have the people who carried out the abduction of these individuals," Karam told reporters.

  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Ruling party loses Tunisia elections

    Tunisia’s Ennahda party has conceded defeat by the secular Nidaa Tounes party in the country’s second election since the overthrow of dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

    Official results are yet to be announced, however Ennahda party officials congratulated the winners.

    “We have accepted this result and congratulate the winner,” Ennahda’s Lotfi Zitoun, told Reuters.

  • Egyptian military given new powers

    Egypt’s President General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi has given increased powers to his military, authorising soldiers to protect state facilities, including power plants, gas pipelines, and oil fields.

    The move comes after a deadly attack by militants, which left over 30 soldiers dead in the Sinai peninsula last Friday.

  • Kurdistan set to double oil pipeline capacity
    Iraqi Kurdistan will double its oil exporting capacity through Turkey industry sources said on Monday.

    The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) confirmed plans to expand its oil pumping capacity from 280,000 bpd to 400,000 bpd, reports Reuters.
  • Pro-European parties in Ukraine set to form unity government after sweeping election polls
    Both the pro-western ruling and opposition part are expected to win most of the votes in in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections reports the BBC.

    President Petro Portoshenko’s party and Arseniy Yatseniuk’s opposition party are tied on votes with half the counting completed.
  • Kosovo provisionally recognised by Olympic body
    Kosovo has gained provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee this week, setting the stage for the country's possible debut appearance at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

    "The [Executive Board] noted that the NOC [National Olympic Committee] of Kosovo has met the requirements for recognition as outlined in the Olympic Charter. These include the sport and technical requirements as well as the definition of “country” as defined in Rule 30.1 – “an independent State recognised by the international community.” Kosovo is recognised as a country by 108 of the 193 UN Member States," the IOC said in a statement released on Wednesday.

    "The decision was taken by the Executive Board in the interests of the athletes in Kosovo and to remove any uncertainty they may have. It will allow them to take part in qualifications for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and in future editions of the Games," the IOC added.

  • British combat troops end operations in Afghanistan
    UK combat troops withdrew from the British base in Afghanistan on Sunday, handing over control of the region to Afghan security forces.

    The British flag was lowered in a ceremony marking the end of the UK mission in Helmand province.

    "It is with pride that we announce the end of UK combat operations in Helmand, having given Afghanistan the best possible chance of a stable future," said the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.

    "Our armed forces' tremendous sacrifice laid the foundations for a strong Afghan security force, set the security context that enabled the first democratic transition of power in the country's history, and stopped it being a launch pad for terrorist attacks in the UK."

  • Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces recapture ground
     Kurdish forces and Iraqi security forces gained ground against Islamic State militants on Saturday, reports the Reuters.

    In northern Iraq, Kurdish militants recaptured the town of Zumar whilst Iraqi security forces seized control of the strategic town of Jurf al-Sakhar near Baghdad.

    “Our forces with the support of volunteers are in total control over Jurf al-Sakhar now and the terrorists fled to the southwest areas of the town, “ said a spokesperson for the security forces.

    Zumar was one of the first Kurdish towns to be captured by Islamic State militants in August.

  • Israel killed American citizen - US State Department

    The US says a Palestinian-American youth was killed by Israeli troops during clashes on Friday and demanded a swift and transparent investigation.

    Orwah Hammad, 14, was shot in the head in the Palestinian village of Silwad, near Ramallah.

  • Heavy fighting across northern Lebanon

    Clashes between militants and the Lebanese army continued for a third day in the north of the country.

    The violence erupted after troops raided a militant hideout in the region, with fighting since then concentrated on Lebanon's second city of Tripoli.

    The al-Nusra front, linked to al-Qaeda and Isis, warned the forces to halt their operations to clear areas occupied by the militants, and threatened to execute captive soldiers.

    "We warn the Lebanese army against any military escalation targeting Sunnis in Tripoli," the group said in a statement quoted by AFP news agency.

  • US investigates doctors' claims of chemical weapons usage by IS
    Claims made by Iraqi doctors and police officers that Islamic State militants are using chemical weapons are being investigated by US officials reports the Telegraph.
  • EU sanctions on Russia to remain in place
    European Union sanctions will continue to be placed on Russia due to failures in observing the ceasefire between Ukrainian troops and Russia backed rebels, the German Chancellor told reporters on Friday.

    “When you’ve had more than 200 people killed you cannot say the cease-fire has been accepted,” said Angela Merkel.
  • Rwanda bans BBC broadcasts in protest of genocide documentary
    The Rwandan government suspended all BBC radio broadcasts in protest of the organisation’s recent documentary about the 1994 genocide.

    The Rwandan Utilities Regulatory Authority, citing public complaints of “incitement, hatred, divisionism, genocide denial and revision,” announced the suspension of all local language broadcasts of the BBC on Friday, reports The Guardian.

    A BBC spokesperson responded on Friday, stating, “the Rwandan genocide raises extremely painful issues but the BBC has a duty to investigate difficult and challenging subjects. We believe this programme, which was produced by a BBC current affairs team in London and broadcast in the UK, made a valuable contribution to the understanding of the tragic history of the country and the region.”

    The spokesperson added the BBC regretted calls for sanctions against it and criticised the “threat of direct measures against an independent broadcaster.”

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