• Qatar to host Taliban ‘embassy’

    Afghanistan has agreed to a US plan to allow the Taliban to open an office in Doha.

    President Karzai previously rejected the idea, accusing the US and Germany of discussing the plan with Qataris, without informing the Afghan government of the full plan.

    But in a statement on Tuesday, President Karzai said he would agree to Qatar hosting the office.

  • Sudan pushes for Chinese yuan over US dollars

    Sudan has requested China to trade in yuan and Sudanese pounds instead of US dollars, the central bank governor, Mohamed Khair al-Zubair, announced Wednesday.

    Khair al-Zubair told reporters,

  • Afghanistan to award oil contract to China

    China is due to sign a deal with Afghanistan on Wednesday, paving the way for the first foreign company to produce oil in the country.

    China's state owned National Petroleum Corporation will sign a contract allowing it to conduct explorations in an area thought to hold over 87 billion barrels of oil.

  • Bosnian war crimes suspect extradited from US

    A Bosnian Muslim woman has been extradited from the United States to face allegations of war crimes.

    Rasema Handanovic, 38, is accused of killing Bosnian Croat civilians during the 1990’s, along with Edin Dzeko, her alleged comrade, who was extradited from the US last week.

  • Justice for Rwanda genocide provides justice to world - US

    Welcoming the recent conviction and sentencing of two former Rwandan politicians for the 1994 genocide, the US State Department described the ruling as an "important step in providing justice and accountability", not just to the victims, but to the international community.

  • Israel debates Armenian Genocide recognition

    The Israeli parliament today discussed the recognition of the killings of Armenians in 1915 as genocide.

    Members of the Education and Culture Committee failed to make a decision, amidst warnings by the foreign ministry about damaging the already tense relationship with Turkey.

  • Genocide in Syria - Arab League observer

    One of the fifty Arab League observers visiting Damascus called the Assad regime's killings a genocide.

    Speaking to Al Arabiya broadcaster on Monday, Mostashar Mahgoub said,

    "what's happening in Syria is genocide."

  • Another 'Dirty War' suspect to face justice - Argentina

    An ex-military officer in Argentina's 'Dirty War' has been arrested by authorities in Boliva, on charges of human rights violations.

    The officer, Luis Enrique Baraldini, was extradited to Argentina, after Bolivian Interior Minister, Wilfredo Chavez, presented a handcuffed Baraldini at a press conference in La Paz.

  • Tens of thousands protest against election fraud in Moscow

    Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday, condemning election fraud and demanding a repeat election.

    Wearing white ribbons and chanting slogans such as "We are the Power!" and "Russia without Putin", protesters called for an end to Putin's 12-year rule.

  • First observers arrive in Syria as hundreds more are killed

    A delegation from members of the Arab League has arrived in Syria in order to prepare for the arrival of 20 foreign observers over the weekend, a number that will eventually increase to 500.

    The observers will judge whether Syria is implementing a peace plan it agreed to after pressure by the Arab League and Turkey.

  • Turkey cuts ties as France passes Genocide bill

    The French National Assembly has passed a bill outlawing the denial of Genocide and war crimes that are accepted as such by the French government.

    The bill has to go before the Senate next year, before becoming law; however it is thought to be unlikely to be passed by the senate.

    The Turkish government has reacted by cutting all ties with France after Thursday’s vote.

  • ‘I am sorry for the role I played in Fallujah’ – U.S. Marine
    "It has been seven years since the end of the second siege of Fallujah – the US assault that left the city in ruins, killed thousands of civilians, and displaced hundreds of thousands more; the assault that poisoned a generation, plaguing the people who live there with cancers and their children with birth defects.
  • Sweden 'no safe haven' - chief war crimes investigator

    Swedish police have arrested a man, of both Swedish and Rwandan citizenship, who is accused of involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

    The arrest took place on Thursday, at Bromma Airport, by Stockholm, and is the third such case since a special war crimes commission was initiated.

    Chief investigator, Anders Wretling, said,

  • Baluchistan solution to Pakistan problem – US former diplomat

    The permanent solution to the Pakistan problem … lies in 20th-century history. ... The answer to the current Pakistani train wreck is to continue this natural process [of Bangladesh gaining independence from Pakistan] by recognizing Baluchistan’s legitimate claim to independence.”

    - M. Chris Mason, a retired diplomat and a senior fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in Washington DC.

  • Hidden from the world
    “Kim Jong-il, the enigmatic North Korean leader, died on a train at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in his country. Forty-eight hours later, officials in South Korea still did not know anything about it — to say nothing of Washington, where the State Department acknowledged “press reporting” of Mr. Kim’s death well after North Korean state media had already announced it.”
Subscribe to International Affairs