• Turkish parliament approves military action in Iraq, Syria

    Oct 01
    The Turkish parliament authorised military action against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in a vote held today, reports Reuters.

    The motion, which also approves the stationing of foreign troops in Turkey, was passed with 298 votes for and 98 against, reports CNN.

    Turkey had till now refused to join the attack against IS, citing the fact that 46 Turkish citizens were being held as hostages. All 46 have since been released.

  • Ethnically targeted human rights abuses in northern Iraq says UN
    A United Nations report published on Thursday, outlined gross human rights violations and “acts of violence of an increasingly sectarian nature” committed by Islamic state militants led to over 9000 civilian deaths.

    The report, produced by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) listed rights violations between 6 July and 10 September.

    “These include attacks directly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, executions and other targeted killings of civilians, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence perpetrated against women and children, forced recruitment of children, destruction or desecration of places of religious or cultural significance, wanton destruction and looting of property, and denial of fundamental freedoms,” the report says.

  • US and India pledge 'forward together we go'
    Photograph @PIB_India


    The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, pledged both countries would go forward together ('chalein saath saath') as Modi's high-profile visit to the US came to an end Wednesday.

  • UK conducts air strikes over northern Iraq
    The UK's RAF launched its first air strikes over northern Iraq on Tuesday, attacking Islamic State targets and destroying a heavy weapon and armed vehicle, the Ministry of Defence said.

    Supporting Kurdish fighters, two Tornadoes flying from Cyprus, dropped a precision guided bomb and fired a missile, The Telegraph reported.

    The attack is the first by the RAF since the British parliament voted to authorise British air strikes over the region, along side the United States.

    “The RAF were in action today,” the British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, said.

  • Kenyatta trial delay rejected

    Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will have to appear at a hearing next week, after the International Criminal Court rejected his request to postpone it or appear via video link.

    "The chamber, by majority, finds that the requirements of justice in this case necessitate the physical presence of the accused in court," the ICC said in a statement.

  • Mexico charges soldiers with murder

    Mexico has charged three of its troops with murder, after a shootout in June, which left 22 suspected gang members dead.

    Attorney General Jesus Murillo said the soldiers shot the men "without any justification whatsoever".

  • UK Labour Party reiterates support for Saharawi self determination
    The United Kingdom's Labour Party reaffirmed its support of the right to self determination for the Saharawi people in Western Sahara, reports the Sahara Press Service.
  • Karadzic denies charges of ethnic cleansing
    Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic denied charges of ethnic cleansing at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, as he began his closing defence arguments.

    Karadzic, who submitted a 800 page written brief to the court, rejected what he called “lies” laid out in the 11 charges against him, including genocide.

    "It is the Serb people that stand accused," he told his judges. “The entire case against me is false... I know the truth, the prosecution knows the truth, they are trying to delude the court.”

    Karadzic went on to say, “I know of no one in the Serb leadership who wanted to harm Muslims or Croats” adding, “I really was a true friend to the Muslims.”

  • Thousands protest after Spanish court rules secession vote unconstitutional
    Thousands of Catalan demonstrators took to the streets on Wednesday after the Spanish court ruled the campaign to hold a secession vote in November unconstitutional.

    Photograph: Yes Catalonia

  • Commission of Inquiry into Eritrea will pave way for accountability, says special rapporteur
    The recently mandated Commission of Inquiry into Eritrea would help pave the way to accountability a United Nations expert said, reports the UN News Centre.

    Warning of a deteriorating human rights situation, the newly appointed Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Shaila Keetharuth added,
    "the creation of my special rapporteur’s mandate has increased international awareness about the large-scale violations of human rights in Eritrea.”
    Eritreans are escaping systematic and widespread human rights violations. I hope the Commission of Inquiry would pave the way to establish accountability for these violations, especially in view of the continued non-cooperation of Eritrea with my mandate and other UN mechanisms,” said Sheila Keetharuth.

  • Afghanistan signs deal to keep US troops

    The new Afghan government has signed a deal with the United States to keep troops in the country.

    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), saying his country has “regained its sovereignty as a power."

    US President Barack Obama said it was a "historic day" in US-Afghan relations.

  • Karadzic was 'driving force' for genocide say prosecutors
    Prosecutors at the trial of the former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic told judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, that Karadzic was the "driving force" behind the genocide in Bosnia, reports Reuters.

    "After hundreds of witnesses, 80,000 pages of transcripts, and 10,000 exhibits, the policy of ethnic cleansing is finally exposed. And Karadzic was its driving force," said the prosecutor Alan Tieger, as the prosecution made its closing remarks on Monday. 

    "He said at the time what would happen and it did. Thousands killed, hundreds of towns destroyed, masses forceably displaced," Tieger added.

  • Spain wants to ban Catalonia referendum

    The Spanish government has asked its constitutional court to declare the independence referendum planned in Catalonia as illegal.

    Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the vote was not "compatible with the Spanish constitution".
    Rajoy said "Nobody and nothing will be allowed to break up Spain”, during a televised address to the nation on Monday.

  • Tens of thousands defy Hong Kong riot police and demonstrate into the night
    Tens of thousands of people defied calls to dismantle their protests and return home, after pro-democracy demonstrations grew in Hong Kong on early Monday morning.
  • Turkey reiterates support to Kurdistan in fight against Islamic State militants
    The Turkish President pledged to support the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in their fight against Islamic State militants, reports the International Business Times.

    Tayyip Erdogan met with the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister at the sideliners of the World Economic Forum meeting in Istanbul.
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