• Colombia warns Farc over truce end

    Jan 18

    The Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos has warned Farc not to return to violence once its unilateral ceasefire expires on Sunday.

    The rebel group declared the ceasefire in November, ahead of peace talks, although the Colombian government refused to reciprocate the move and continued attacks on rebel positions.

  • Court rules Italian marines can be tried in India for fishermen killings

    India's Supreme Courty ruled on Friday, that the country has the jurisdiction to try two Italian marines charged with the deaths of two fishermen, however, a special feveral court must be set up as the Kerala state courts do not have the authority to adjudicate in the case.

  • No more settlement removals pledges Netanyahu

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged that he will not dismantle any Jewish settlements in the West Bank if he wins another term in next week’s elections.

    "The days when bulldozers uprooted Jews are behind us, not in front of us." he told Israel's Maariv newspaper.

  • Massive crowd in Turkey mourns Kurdish activists slain in Paris

    Tens of thousands of people gathered Thursday in the city of Diyarbakir, southern Turkey, to mourn the deaths of three Kurdish activists murdered in Paris last week, an outpouring that some said was the largest political gathering that Turkish authorities had ever allowed the Kurds to stage.

  • Ban apologises for Serbia war song played at UN concert
    UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has apologised for the performance of a Serbian song linked to the Srebrenica massacres, at a concert in the UN General Assembly at New York on Monday.

    The concert saw a performance from the Viva Vox choir from Serbia who performed “March of the Drina”, a song originally written to praise Serbian troops killed in World War I, but since used as a Serb nationalist anthem during the Bosnian War. The song’s lyrics depict Bosnia’s main river, the Drina, stating “Near cold water/Blood was flowing/Blood was streaming: By the Drina was freedom!”.

    The performance received a standing ovation from Ban Ki Moon and other UN officials.

    The Congress of North American Bosniaks, The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada, the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Cente wrote to Ban saying,
    "The genocide that occurred in Srebrenica and Zepa, and other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was conducted by Serbian aggressors while blasting this song as they raped, murdered, and ethnically cleansed the non-Serb population".
    Ban’s spokesman Martin Nesirky has since said,
    "We sincerely regret that people were offended by this song… The Secretary-General obviously was not aware what the song was about or the use that has been made of it in the past."
  • Burmese military to stop offensive against rebels

    The Burmese military has announced that it will end attacks on rebels in the northern state of Kachin after thousands of civilians were displaced by a recent intensification of conflict.

    The decision was announced hours after Burma's parliament passed a resolution on Friday to end the fighting.

  • ICC to investigate Mali war crimes

    The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court has formally opened a case into war crimes in Mali from January 2012, it was annoucned earlier today.

    Stating that she believes there is a "reasonable basis" that crimes such as murder, rape, torture and intentionally directing attacks against protected objects, prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said,

  • Clinton concerned over Laos activist

    US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the disappearance of Laotian civil society activist Sombath Somphone and has urged Laos to conduct a “transparent investigation”.

  • Somalian govt recognised by US after 21 years

    For the first time since 1991, the US has decided to recognise the Government of Somalia.

    The decision came during a visit by the Somalian president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to the US State Department on Thursday.

    Making the announcement, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said the decision was made in response to efforts made by the government towards stability over the past year.

    In a statement, the US State Dept, said:

    "In 2012, after more than a decade of transitional governments, Somalia completed its political transition process. This culminated in a new provisional constitution, a new parliament, and the election by that parliament of Mr. Hassan Sheikh as Somalia's president. In recognizing the Government of Somalia, the United States is committing to sustained diplomatic engagement with the Somali authorities. While we maintain responsibility for U.S. engagement in Somalia through our personnel in the Somalia Unit, led by Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, and co-located with the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, we have increased our travel to Somalia over the last six months and plan to establish an even more robust presence there as security permits. In addition, recognition removes an obstacle to Somali participation in certain foreign assistance programs, including security sector programs like International Military and Education Training and Foreign Military Financing.

  • Fiji rulers impose new election rules

    Fiji's ruling military has imposed new rules on political parties, raising further concerns regarding the country's move away from democracy.

  • Second Khmer Rouge leader hospitalised during genocide trial
    Former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan has been admitted to hospital during his trial on Wednesday, making him the second leader facing trial to be taken ill and hospitalised this week.

    81-year old Khieu Samphan, also known as Brother Number 2, joins 86-year old Nuon Chea, at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh. Former regime Foreign Minister Ieng Sary also stayed at the same hospital last year after he also fell ill during trial.
  • India and Pakistan agree to “de-escalate” tensions
    Both India and Pakistan have agreed to ease military tensions in Kashmir, after a recent fighting has left at least 5 soldiers dead from both sides.

    A 10-minute phone call between commanders from both armies reportedly saw an agreement that tensions would not continue to rise between the two.
  • Somali government to be recognised by US

    A US official has told reporters that the US will officially recognise the Somali government, for the first time in over 20 years.

    Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said that the news will be made official at a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tomorrow.

  • Mali extremists take hostages in Algeria

    Two people were killed and 41 taken hostage by Islamist militants at a gas plant in Algeria on Wednesday.

    The hostages were described as 'Western' and included British, French, Japanese and American citizens.

  • Israeli soldiers kill teenager on West Bank

    A Palestinian teenager was shot and killed by Israeli troops on the West Bank reports AFP.

    The shooting occured near a school in the village of Budrus, where a group of students had thrown stones at the soldiers after finishing their exams.

    The soldiers caught and tried to arrest 17-year-old Samir Ahmed Awad, firing six bullets when he tried to flee.

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