WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Al-Shabab fighters are claiming to have seized control of Adan Yabaal, a town in central Somalia, on Wednesday.  Adan Yabaal is situated about 220 kilometres north of Mogadishu and serves as the logistical hub for government forces. Raids were launched by al-Shabab fighters before dawn on Wednesday, forcing the army to retreat after fierce battles, according to a security officer quoted…

Activists call out British complicity in Israeli war crimes

Photo: Palestine Action 

Members of Palestine Action – a network formed last week to raise awareness about the Palestinian struggle – stormed the central London office of Israel’s biggest private arms company to protest and highlight Britain’s complicit role in the Israeli apartheid.

“We are tired of being ignored.” said the group.

Brazil’s frontline health workers pursue ICC probe of government’s COVID-19 response

An umbrella group representing more than one million Brazilian medical professionals, filed a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) last week, citing Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's government of being “criminally negligent in its management of the COVID-19 pandemic” and “risking the lives of healthcare professionals and of members of the Brazilian society.”

Former Malaysian PM sentenced to 12 years in jail for corruption

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was sentenced to 12 years in jail last week, after a Malaysia High Court found him guilty on all seven counts in the first of many multi-million-dollar corruption trials.

The case was centred around his involvement in the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) – a sovereign wealth fund set up in 2009 when Najib Razak was prime minister. Razak, who was in office from 2009 to 2018, pleaded not guilty to the charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power.

EU denies funding to six Polish towns that declared themselves ‘LGBT-free zones’

The European Union has blocked funding to six Polish cities, making up nearly a third of Poland, because of their attitude toward the LGBTQ community.

According to a statement from the EU’s commissioner for Equality, six towns in Poland have adopted homophobic policies, calling themselves ‘LGBT-free zones,’ directly contradicting the EU’s belief in equity for all people.

Thai Royalists rally against 'largest' anti-government protests

A small group of Thai Royalists held a rally in response to the largest anti-government demonstration since Thailand imposed a state of emergency to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The rally, which was held on Thursday, was mainly attended by mainly senior citizens with a few college-aged students. They were acting in response to a set of protests led by the student movement known as Liberation Youth Group, who had organised a series of anti-government protests in recent weeks.

The Guardian reports, that the student protests were attended by over 2,000 and were the largest since the government-imposed lockdown restrictions in March. In terms of size, the Royalist rally, which was organised by a group known as “The Vocational School Students protecting the Nation”, was only attended by 75 demonstrators. Most of these were senior citizens with a few college-aged students.

China urges EU to ‘stop meddling’ in Hong Kong

Photo of a spokesman of China's foreign ministry, Wang Wendin

China has demanded that the European Union “stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and Chin’s internal affairs”; after the Union decided to limit the sale of technology for use in Hong Kong, over concerns about its controversial new security law.

UK High Court examines evidence of ‘rogue SAS Afghanistan execution squad’

Recent documents in the British High Court reveal allegations of a “rogue” British SAS (Special Air Service) unit carrying out night-time executions of civilians in Afghanistan.

A collection of files, previously withheld from the UK court, have brought to light communications between high ranking officials of the special forces discussing the murder of over 33 Afghan civilians in 11-night raids carried out by a SAS unit over the course of 3 months.

Hong Kong elections delayed by a year

The Hong Kong government announced that elections scheduled for September would be postponed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Pro-democracy opposition candidates argue that this is another in a series of attempts to weaken their chances and slow the momentum growing around their platform.

The move to postpone elections comes soon after twelve pro-democracy candidates reported being barred from running as candidates, due to their opposition to a new security law and what have been perceived as “subversive intentions.”

Zimbabwe security forces clear streets ahead of anti-government protests

Zimbabwe’s security forces have forced a lockdown in Harare, on Thursday, clearing people off the streets and forcing businesses to close a day before planned anti-government protests.

In Harare, the capital, armed soldiers and anti-riot police manned checkpoints, telling people to leave.

The Zimbabwe police released a statement saying;

EU relocates close to 100 vulnerable asylum seekers from Cyprus camps

Around 100 vulnerable asylum seekers, including minors, have been relocated to Finland and Germany from Greece and Cyprus refugee camps, according to the EU’s asylum coordination agency.