• Serious rights violations and potential war crimes committed in Iraq – UN

    The UN said in a report that potential war crimes and human rights violations have been committed by the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and groups allied to it, causing “untold hardship and suffering” to the population under their control.

    The report accuses the Iraqi army of committing human rights violations including summary executions and extrajudicial killings of prisoners and detainees, “which may also amount to war crimes.”

    The report also says that ISIS is carrying out “large-scale killings, injuries and destruction and damage of livelihoods and property,” according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, including in “markets, restaurants, shops, cafes, playgrounds, schools, places of worship and other public spaces where civilians gather in large numbers.”

  • Pro FARC editor has prison sentence overturned by Colombian courts
    The former editor of an activist website linked to Colombia’s separatist militant group, the Farc, last week had an eight year prison sentenced overturned, reports Colombian media.
  • UN Security Council considers resolution on Ukrainian site crash site access
    The United Nations security Council is considering a draft resolution to condemn the shooting down of a Malaysian passenger plane, demand armed groups to allow access to the crash site and call on states in the region to cooperate with an international investigation reports Reuters.
  • Current Gaza offensive sees deadliest day

    Gaza has seen the deadliest day since clashes erupted again, with 87 people reported killed on Sunday. 13 Israeli soldiers were also killed in fighting with Hamas.

    The of Shejaiya saw intense shelling on overnight and a two hour 'humanitarian ceasefire' on Sunday, organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross, broke down within an hour of commencing, with both sides blaming each other for the collapse.

    Women and children were among the dead, along with a Palestinian paramedic and a cameraman, who died when the ambulance they were travelling in was hit, reported AFP.

  • Ethiopia charges bloggers with terrorism

    Nine government-critical bloggers and journalists have been charged with terrorism in Ethiopia after being accused of receiving financial aid and instructions from “terrorist groups”.

    The three journalists and six bloggers, all belonging to the social media activist group Zone 9, are accused of working in collusion with the banned US-based opposition group Ginbot 7 and were held without charge since April.

  • Israeli offensive faces increasing criticism as Gaza death toll tops 300, 2 IDF troops killed
    International criticism of Israel's offensive increased on Saturday, as Gaza officials reported over 300 Palestinians had been killed since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted 12 days ago.
  • US accuses Myanmar of 'police state' tactics

    The Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski, accused Myanmar of using "police state tactics" after five journalists were sentenced to ten years hard labour over a contentious claim of involvement in a weapons factory, AP reported.

  • World leaders urge ceasefire to investigate passenger plane crash in Ukraine

    World leaders urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine in order to investigate a suspecting shooting down of a Malaysian airlines passenger plane departing from the Netherlands on Thursday.

    Calling for a credible investigation and an immediate ceasefire the US president Barack Obama said, "the eyes of the world are on eastern Ukraine, and we are going to make sure that the truth is out."

  • Over 40,000 displaced in Gaza as Israeli ground offensive continues
    The UN, said that the number of people displaced in Gaza has doubled on Friday from 22,000 to over 40,000 civilians, reports the BBC.

    Meanwhile the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that Israel was prepared to widen its ground offensive to ensure that all Hamas tunnel networks were destroyed.
  • Conflict resumes between Israel and Hamas after 5hr humanitarian truce

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    Violence resumed this evening between Israel and Hamas, after the five hour humanitarian truce came to an end at 3pm local time.

    Three Palestinian children, from the same family, have been killed in the hours since, according to officials in Gaza.

  • Israel commences ground offensive in Gaza
    The Israeli military has begun a ground offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza, reports the BBC.

    In a statement the Isreali Defence Force (IDF) said,
  • Malaysia Airlines plane shot down over Ukraine
    A Malaysia Airlines plane with 295 passengers was shot down over the near the disputed city of Donetsk in Ukraine.

    Ukrainian officials denied any involvement in the shooting, with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, condemning the event as an act of terrorism.
  • Netherlands liable for Srebrenica deaths

    The district court in The Hague has ruled that the Netherlands is liable for deaths of over 300 Bosniak men and boys during the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

    The court ruled that the Dutchbat, the Dutch peacekeeping forces, failed to protect the men who fled to a UN compound in Srebrenica, by handing them to Serb forces, although the forces should have been aware of the potential for genocide to be committed.

    "It can be said with sufficient certainty that, had Dutchbat allowed them to stay at the compound, these men would have remained alive. By co-operating in the deportation of these men, Dutchbat acted unlawfully," the court said.

    Although the court ruled that the Dutch state must accept some responsibility and pay compensation to relatives of the victims, it held that it was not responsible for the deaths of over 7,000 other Bosniaks killed during the massacres.

  • Pakistan PM calls for international action against genocide by Israel as conflict continues
    Pakistan's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, called on Wednesday for international action to stop Israel from carrying out "atrocities" against the Palestinian people that amounted to genocide.
  • Malnutrition caused by ethnic conflict in South Sudan could kill 50,000 children
    The United Nations warned today that as many as 50,000 children could die as a result of recent conflict between ethnic rebels, reports abc news.

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) predicted that at least 50,000 children will die in South Sudan by the end of this year due to malnutrition.
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