The former Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, Momčilo Perišić, is appealing against a 27-year prison sentence, after being found guilty of war crimes in September last year. Perišić’s appeal is due to start on Wednesday, with the former General arguing that he was not aware of or responsible for any atrocities. In his trial last year, Bakone Justice Moloto, the president judge ruled that, “Momcilo Perisic was found criminally responsible for aiding and abetting murder, inhumane acts, attacks on civilians and persecution on political, racial or religious grounds in Sarajevo and...
The Bahraini government has banned all protests and public gatherings as violence between anti-government protesters and police intensifies. The interior minister, Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifah, said protests would only be permitted once secuirty and stability were returned, and "repeated abuse" of the rights of freedom of speech and expression (ie. the protests), could not be tolerated. Claiming that the protests were "devoid of respect and intended to humiliate", Al Khalifah said the protests "jeopardised civil peace and disturbed security and general order". He added , "The interior ministry...
The Vietnamese government has jailed two song writers for criticising government policy in their songs. Tran Vu Anh Binh and Vo Minh Tri were jailed for six and four years respectively by a court in Ho Chi Minh City. Their songs criticised China over the South China Sea dispute and Vietnam’s handling of the crisis. Amnesty International called for the release of the musicians in a statement released on Monday. Amnesty’s Vietnam researcher, Rupert Abbott, said the men were “prisoners of conscience”. "This is a ludicrous way to treat people just for writing songs, ''These men are prisoners of...
Tensions between the Greek media and government escalated following the interruption of state television , ERT, broadcasts by a journalists’ union announcement. A morning chat show was interrupted by an announcement condemning the recent suspension of two presenters who were seen as critical of the government. The union called for the reinstatement of the presenters, warning, “Employees will proceed with continuous 24-hour strikes and other actions to preserve the prestige of ERT… which the management is undermining.” The earlier prosecution of a critiquing magazine editor, Kostas Vacevanis,...
A commander within the Basque separatist organisation, Eta, was arrested by French police 70km north of Lyon this weekend. Izaskun Lesaka, who is believed to be the military commander of Eta, was arrested along side her boyfriend, Joseba Iturbe Otxoteka. The operation was a joint venture by RAID, an elite French police unit, and the Spanish Civil Guard. Just over a year ago, Eta declared a "definitive" ceasefire, however refused to surrender arms, or formally dissolve. Twenty-four members of Eta have been arrested by Spanish and French forces this year.
The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reshuffled his cabinet on Sunday, said to be the 'last reshuffle' of his term before the 2014 general elections. Promoting younger members of the Congress Party that have been supported by Rahul Gandhi, the move has been seen as heavily influenced by Rahul, prompting speculation that he could be Congress' next working president or secretary general. See here for analysis by Times of India. Following SM Krishna's sudden departure on Friday from his role in the minister of external affairs, Salman Khurshid will take up the role. In its editorial, The Hindu commented , 'The biggest upheavals have been in the ministries of External Affairs and Petroleum and Natural Gas. Salman Khurshid is a natural choice to fill the vacuum created by S.M. Krishna’s exit. Mr. Krishna may have been slow to get off the block but he leaves behind a Ministry that is focused and efficient and in whose performance he played no small role.
The United Nation has warned that their figure of 28,000 displaced is likely to rise, as refugees in several areas along the western coast are yet to be counted. The UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Ashok Nigam, said that around 27,300 of the displaced are Muslim. The latest violence in Arakan state has killed at least 84 people according to government figures, but human rights groups have claimed that the toll is likely to be much higher. The Burmese government said on Monday that it has increased security in Arakan state. Arakanese Buddhist mobs have been attacking Rohingya...
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Algeria for their backing in ousting Islamic militants out of northern Mali, when meeting with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The meeting follows a UN Security Council resolution earlier this month which paved the way for international intervention in Mali. An American official reportedly said , “There is a strong recognition that Algeria has to be a central part of the solution”. Another official talking to AFP reportedly said that Algeria was "warming to the idea" of intervention, commenting , "One of the things that we'll be talking...
The bombing of a church in northern Nigeria on Sunday, has sparked reprisal attacks by angry Christian youths. Eight people were killed, and over 100 people wounded, when a car packed with explosives was driven into St Rita's church in the Malali area of Kaduna. Following the attack, Christian youths armed with sticks and knives took to the streets. Reuters reported pools of blood and two dead bodies at the scene, with one youth shouting, "We killed them, and we'll do more". The police spokesperson, Aminu Lawai, later said the violence had settled. Speaking to the press, he said, "all the...
A plan to expand a petrochemical plant in China’s Zhejiang province has been scrapped after protesting crowds gathered in Ningbo over several days. Crowds opposed to the expansion clashed with police and thousands of protestors were dispersed by security forces on Saturday. Protestors again marched on the district government office on Sunday, calling for a stop to the project. "There is very little public confidence in the government," protester Liu Li told the Associated Press. "Who knows if they are saying this just to make us leave and then keep on doing the project," On Sunday evening the...