Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has met with the UN and Arab League’s international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who was in Damascus hoping to secure a truce between the Syrian government and rebel fighters. Meeting with the Syrian President in Damascus, Brahimi hoped that both sides would agree to a ceasefire during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha which begins on Friday. He stated , "All the opposition members we met outside the country as well as the officials in the neighbouring countries said that it is a good idea," "If we achieve this ceasefire during the al-Adha holiday and...
The British High Commissioner to India, James Bevan, has met with Gujarat’s chief minister, Narendra Modi, ending a 10-year boycott of the controversial minister. Modi was accused of complicity in riots that killed over 1,000 Muslims in 2002, with several Western governments suspending ties with him. The UK has now changed this policy and said its interests are better served by engagement. Britain has one of the largest expatriate Gujarati populations and several British companies are investing in the north-western state, wihch is one of the economically more successful states of India. Human...
Protests have left at least 20 people injured in the Kosovan capital of Pristina, after protestors demonstrated against Kosovan talks with Serbia, launched last week. Tear gas was fired by police at the rally, organised by Kosovo's Self-Determination party, whilst protestors chanted, Shame!" and "No bargain with Serbia!", outside Kosovan Prime Minister Hashim Thaci’s office. He met with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dacic last week as the two countries look to improve relations. At Dacic’s swearing in as Serbian Prime Minister he announced that he would refuse to recognise Kosovo’s 2008...
Human Rights Watch (HRW) have accused Yemeni state security forces of threatening health care in the southern port city of Aden by forcibly removing wounded patients, allegedly militants, from hospitals. Exchanges of gunfire and beating of medical staff has resulted in one hospital in Aden suspending operations. While state security forces claim that the patients they have sought to arrest are suspects of serious crimes, sources have linked most of the patients to Herak, a coalition of groups seeking increased autonomy or independence for former South Yemen. It is reported that the violence...
The local elections in the Basque Country have resulted in a win for nationalist parties, according to exit polls. The conservative Basque National Party is expected to win most seats in the regional parliament, with Euskal Herria Bildu, a left-leaning alliance of separatist parties, came a close second. Analysts have described the outcome as a landmark and the result is expected to strengthen calls for Basque independence from Spain. Local elections in Catalonia are a few weeks away. Calls for an independence referendum in the region have been growing in recent months.
The prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia have met for the first time in Brussels. The talks, facilitated by the EU, focused on normalising relations between the neighbours. EU foreign affairs chief Barioness Catherine Ashton chaired the meeting and said they would "meet again soon... to improve the lives of people and help solve problems and, in so doing, bring Serbia and Kosovo closer" to the EU. Belgrade has been moving closer to be considered for EU membership and was granted “candidate status” in June. Serbia has not recognised Kosovo’s independence, but most EU states have full...
The United Nations Security Council released a statement reiterating its condemnation of external support being provided to armed groups which have been destabilising the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala, who currently holds the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of October, demanded that support to the M23 rebel groups cease immediately. “The Security Council calls upon all countries in the region to condemn the M23, as well as other armed groups, and to cooperate actively with the Congolese authorities in disarming an demobilising...
The Emir of Qatar is to visit the blockaded Gaza strip on Tuesday, becoming the first head of state to do so since Hamas took over power in 2007. The Emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani is to inaugurate reconstruction projects worth over $250 million. Confirming the visit, Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh said , "our people to express their good hospitality in welcoming the great visitor of Gaza".
A senior United nations official has called for stronger political will to help eradicate sexual violence in conflict, stating that the issue is one that needs to be treated with greater concern. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Bangura, told reporters in Geneva, “ Sexual violence in conflict needs to be treated as the war crime that it is… It can no longer be written off or treated as an unfortunate collateral damage of war or unavoidable byproduct of political strife.” “As daunting as the road ahead is, I do not think eradicating...
The former spokesperson of Muammar Gaddafi, Moussa Ibrahim has been captured, said the office of Libya's Prime Minister. The office said he was arrest on Saturday in Tarhouna and was being transferred to Tripoli. In a statement, the office said : "Moussa Ibrahim has been arrested by forces belonging to the Libyan government in the town of Tarhouna and he is being transferred to Tripoli to begin interrogation." Previous reports of Ibrahim's arrest have been proven false.