WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

  Three United Nations (UN) experts called for a full and independent investigation into the killing of three Lebanese journalists by Israel last week, which they described as ‘another attack on press freedom by Israeli forces.’ On March 28, Israeli forces killed Al Mayadeen reporter Fatima Ftouni, her brother and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni, and Al Manar TV reporter Ali Shoeib as they were…

Rwanda refused to assist prosecution of genocide suspects - UK

Rwandan authorities refused to assist the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to investigate genocide suspects living in the UK, reported the BBC.

In 2009 Rwanda sought to extradite 4 genocide suspects from the UK for trial in Rwanda, a request that was turned down by the UK High Court. When the UK sought to investigate the suspects themselves, and requested “mutual legal assistance” from Rwanda, the request was turned down.

Catalan parties agree on referendum despite government opposition

Catalan parties seeking the right to self-determination in the Spain’s  north-eastern Catalonia region, today, agreed on the wording of an independence referendum that is proposed for November 2014 despite staunch opposition from the Spanish government.

Outlining the purpose of the referendum the Catalan regional government head, Artur Mas, described the main questions referendum looked to ask, stating

DRC signs peace deal with M23 rebels

The Democratic Republic of Congo has signed a peace deal with M23 rebels, after defeating the group based in the east of the country, with the help of UN forces.

The deal was signed in Nairobi and did not include an amnesty for war crimes, said the DRC's spokesperson Lambert Mende to the BBC.

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Military action 'necessary to avoid carnage' – Hollande

French President Francois Hollande has stated French military intervention in the Central African Republic was 'necessary', after two French soldiers were killed in a clash with armed militias.

On Tuesday, Hollande stated the French military action was "necessary if one wants to avoid carnage".

Speaking in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic where the French soldiers were killed in combat, Hollande added,

US and UK suspend aid to Syrian opposition over warehouse seizure

The US and UK have suspended 'non-lethal' aid to the Syrian opposition after warehouses storing resources were seized by the Islamic Front, which quit the Free Syrian Army last week, reports the Reuters news agency.

The US embassy spokesperson in Ankara said the suspension was to "to inventory the status of US equipment and supplies provided to the SMC".

"As a result of this situation the United States has suspended all further deliveries of non-lethal assistance into northern Syria," he added.

Echoing his comments, his British counterpart said,

Iran's commander slams Western influence over govt

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, condemned what he said was the Iranian government's undue acceptance of Western influence.

The Fars news agency quoted Major General Mohammad Jaffari as saying on Tuesday yesterday,

India reinstates gay sex ban

India’s Supreme Court has upheld a colonial law which outlaws gay sex.

The court overturned a ruling by the Delhi High Court in 2009, which decriminalised homosexual acts.

A 153-year-old colonial-era law classed homosexual acts as an "unnatural offence" and punishable by a 10-year prison sentence.

G Ananthapadmanabhan of Amnesty India criticised the decision in a statement.

French soldiers die in the Central African Republic

Two French soldiers have died in clashes in the Central African Republic, the first French to die since last week’s deployment of 1,600 troops.

The soldiers were reported to be involved in a clash with armed militias near the capital Bangui’s airport.

"They were injured and very quickly taken to the surgical unit, but unfortunately they could not be saved," said Claude Bartolone, speaker of France's National Assembly.

ICC welcomes international intervention in CAR

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, today, released a statement on the heightening ethnic violence in the Central African Republic.

Welcoming international military intervention to halt crimes against humanity and efforts to set up an international commission of inquiry, the statement read,

UN officials re-affirm commitment to preventing and punishing genocide

United Nations officials and international experts convened in New York today to mark the 65th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Addressing the United Nations Headquarters on behalf of  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, deputy, Jan Eliasson said,

 “Today we have to move beyond early warning to early action. We have to strengthen the capacity of our institutions to respond in a timely and effective way to potential conflicts and to the threat of grave and massive human rights violations. Even the best system of early warning will be less helpful unless States are able and willing to take action when the warning is received.

“We can no longer afford to be blind to this grim dynamic, nor should we imagine that appeals to morality, without credible threat of action, will have much effect on people who have adopted a deliberate strategy of killing and forcible expulsion.

“Anyone who embarks on genocide commits a crime against humanity. It is therefore important that humanity must respond by taking action in its own defence. It is our collective obligation to stand firm and provide a shield to the defenceless.

“Genocide does not happen overnight. There are almost always many warning signs usually over a period of years. Very often these are violations of human rights against one particular group or entity within a population.

“We must be vigilant, courageous and persistent. We live in a troubled world, but it is within the power of all of us to make a difference. We must not be passive bystanders. We must always stand up for human rights, the rule of law and a life of dignity for all.”