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. "We haven't uprooted any settlements, we have expanded them, "Nobody has any lessons to give me about love for the Land of Israel or commitment to Zionism and the settlements." According to the BBC, the new government is expected to be one of the most right wing in Israel’s history, with the ultra-nationalist...
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. Fidan Dogan, Leyla Söylemez and Sakine Cansız, one of the founders of the separatist Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), were killed by execution-style shootings last week. Their three coffins, draped in red, green and yellow flags of the PKK, were carried in procession to the main square, as a massive crowd...
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."
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. The military's commander-in-chief had agreed to the president's command “not to carry out offensive attacks except in self-defence”, the government said in a statement. Described by the Financial Times as an "unprecedented call", the statement reflected concern that the conflict would undermine Burma's...
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, “Since the beginning of the armed conflict in January 2012, the people of Northern Mali have been living in profound turmoil,” “At each stage during the conflict, different armed groups have caused havoc and human suffering through a range of alleged...
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”. "We call upon the Lao government to pursue a transparent investigation of this incident and to do everything in its power to bring about an immediate and safe return home to his family," Clinton said in a statement. Human rights groups in the country said they fear he was abducted by pro-government forces. Mr Somphone was a social activist who campaigned for fair land rights for farmers, which may...
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's ruling military has imposed new rules on political parties, raising further concerns regarding the country's move away from democracy. According to the new rules, trade union executives and other 'public officials' are to be banned from creating political parties, and political parties are banned from accepting donations from foreign governments, companies, inter-government or non-government organisations. Parties have been instructed to reach a membership threshold in order to register as a political party, which means that the current 16 parties will have 28 days to increase their...
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. The trio are all on trial, facing charges of genocide and war crimes. However the health of the suspects, all of whom are over 80, threaten to cut...
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. The agreement comes after a rise in tensions that saw a spate of killings across the Line of Control that divides Kashmir. At least 3 Pakistani soldiers and Indian soldiers have been killed in the violence, according to reports. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on his troops to be “aggressive...