Violence between supporters of opposing Syrian groups has killed 6 people and injured 40 in the Lebanese capital Tripoli. Existing sectarian tensions in Lebanon have increased since the escalation of the conflict in Syria. Groups of young men were seen firing machine guns and rocket propelled grenades at each other in the Bab al-Tabbana area. The BBC reported that a group of 14 Lebanese and Palestinian men from the area, who appear to have joined the rebellion, were recently killed by the Syrian army in a Syrian border town.
The opening of Sweden's first genocide trial, where a 54-year-old man faces charges over his role in the Rwandan genocide, has been lauded by Amnesty International. The trial will see the accused, face charges over alleged involvment in leading a Hutu militia in murdering Tutsi civilians. In an interview with Swedish radio, Elisabeth Löfgren from Amnesty International Sweden commented , "The trial demonstrates Sweden's international responsibility... the crimes haven't occurred here but if someone is in Sweden it is important to show that there is no sanctuary here, that justice will catch up...
Representatives of rebels attending peace talks with the Congolese government dodged a crucial meeting, in which the government was to respond to criticism that it was facing. The Ugandan official Cripis Kiyonha, who was chosen to mediate the talks, after speaking to the rebel representatives, said that the M23 had no interest in hearing what the Congolese delegation had to say. The rebel delegation’s absence from the meeting came after, on the first day of talks, the leader of the M23 Rebel delegation, Francois Rucogoza, accused the Congolese government of lacking “visionary leadership” and...
The Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi announced that he would annul his decree that gave him sweeping powers, late on Saturday following days of mass protests and talks at the presidential palace. However, the referendum on the draft constitution, due to be held on 15th December will go on as planned, despite opposition demands to postpone it. Many liberals walked out of the talks at this point, stating that their voices were not being heard.
The South Sudanese army has shot and killed 10 protestors in the northwest of the country. Protestors blocked roads in the town of Wau after local government officials said they would move their offices to another location. A UN spokesperson is reported by the BBC as saying that security personnel had demonstrated “excessive use of force”, whilst breaking up the protest on Saturday, killing four people. Another six died when troops fired on another demonstration on Sunday.
A monk and his nephew have been arrested in Sichuan province for “goading” Tibetans to self-immolate in protest of China’s control over Tibet, reported Xinhua news agency. Lorang Konchok (40) is said to have taken orders from the Dalai Lama and his followers, and recruited his nephew to encourage more protests. "At the requests of the media liaison team, Lorang Konchok took advantage of his position and influence in the monastery and often encouraged others to self-immolate, telling local monks and followers that self-immolation was not against Buddhist doctrines and those who did it were '...
Egypt’s opposition, the National Salvation Front (NSF) has said that it will boycott the referendum on the new draft constitution. Despite President Mursi’s decision to annul most of a controversial decree giving him sweeping powers, protests against him and the draft constitution have not receded. Sameh Ashour, the head of the Lawyers Syndicate, in a statement on behalf of the NSF coalition, said: "The referendum will cause further division and polarisation and the Front [NSF] refuses the draft constitution which cements presidential oppression and tramples freedoms and liberties," "To have...
Russia has attacked the EU’s failure to address human rights abuses in member states. In a foreign ministry report , all 27 members of the EU are scrutinised using publications by the EU and NGOs. A spokesman from the Russian foreign ministry said human rights and democratic freedoms were "continuing to deteriorate". "At the level of institutions, the European Union is not taking adequate steps.” said Konstantin Dolgov. "We think that time has come for our European partners to change the situation to ensure the observance of international obligations by all the EU members." "We believe that...
The Syrian opposition have chosen a new military commander to lead the fight against the Assad regime. Brigadier Selim Idris is a former officer in the army, who defected during the uprising. Idris was elected on Saturday by 30 military and civilian members of the military command at talks taking place in Antalya in Turkey. The talks have been attended by Western and Arab security officials.
The exiled Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, visited Gaza for the first time today, via the Egyptian border crossing, after his safety was assured. Travelling with a convoy of masked Hamas fighters from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades - Hamas' military wing, Meshaal visited the charred remains of Ahmed al-Jaabari's car, the military commander of Hamas who was killed by an Israeli airstrike last month. Meshaal was appointed leader after Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was assassinated by Israel in 2004. Speaking later that day, Meshaal said: “I hope God will make me a martyr on the land of Palestine in Gaza...