Over a dozen peaceful reform activists have been arrested in Jordan over the past week says Human Rights Watch (HRW). The wave of arrests indicates a reinforcement of intolerance towards calls for political demands in the kingdom. At least seventeen activists and peaceful protesters have been arrested across the country and remain in detention under terrorism charges. Senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch, Christoph Wilcke said: “The arrests show how shallow promises of political freedoms in Jordan are. It is deeply worrying that Jordan is using laws against terrorism to...
US President Barack Obama has said that the US does not consider Egypt to be an ally nor an enemy. His comments came after clashes and demonstrations outside US consulates across the Middle East, which spread after a movie that was deemed blasphemous by some was made in the US. "I don't think we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy. They are a new government that is trying to find its way," Mr Obama said in a television interview with Telemundo .
The UN nuclear agency has rebuked Iran over its nuclear program after a resolution expressing "serious concern" was overwhelmingly voted forward. 31 out of the 35 member states of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted for the resolution condemning Iran. The resolution was proposed by the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Among those who abstained were Ecuador, Tunisia and Egypt abstained with only Cuba voting against it. The United States envoy to the agency, Robert Wood, said , "What we are hoping is that this resolution will keep ... diplomatic...
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found at least four politicians responsible for violent clashes in the Tana River County in August and early September. A Kenyan MP, Dhadho Godhana was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the violence which is reported to have claimed the lives of at least 110 people and left 6000 displaced. HRW research implicates at least three other politicians in organising the violence, as well as pointing out the failure of police to take preventative measures despite warnings. Deputy Africa director for HRW, Leslie Lefkow said: “For decades the Kenya police have failed...
Cambodia’s long running Khmer Rouge war crimes court has ordered the release of the “first lady” who has been declared unfit to stand trial. The UN backed court ruled that there was no prospect that Ieng Thirith, who is 80 years old, could stand trial due to a degenerative illness that she suffers from. Ieng Thirith, stands accused of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity for her role in the Khmer Regime which, some estimates suggest, resulted in the death of over 2 million people. The court emphasised that that the release did not pardon Thirth of her crimes, stating that the...
Some 1.5 million people took part in Catalonia's annual independence rally in Barcelona on Saturday, the BBC reports , citing police. Catalonia has a population of 7.6 million. The size of the turnout for the rally, which is held annually on 11 September to mark the Siege of Barcelona 300 years ago, forced organisers to change its route. Alfred Bosch, an MP from the Republican left of Catalonia, told the BBC: "All the flags I can see are the pro-independence flags of Catalonia with the lonely star right in the middle of the triangle. "And everybody is wearing these flags. I have never seen so...
The US Ambassador to Libya has been killed during an attack by protestors on the US embassy in Benghazi, according to government officials. Al-Jazeera reported that the ambassador came under rocket fire whilst in a car and died from smoke inhalation with three other staff of the embassy. An armed mob attacked the compound on Tuesday after a film critical of Islam was made in the US and released on YouTube. Wanis al-Sharif, the Libyan deputy interior minister, confirmed the deaths to the AFP news agency. Mustafa Abu Shagur, the Libyan deputy prime minister, condemned the "cowardly act of attacking the US consulate and the killing of [the ambassador] and the other diplomats".
The president of Libya’s national assembly Mohammed Magarief has apologised for the killing of the US Ambassador Christopher Stevens, which has drawn widespread condemnation, including from the Muslim Brotherhood. "We apologise to the United States, the people and to the whole world for what happened," he told a news conference broadcast live on Al Jazeera television. US President Obama has praised the courage of the Ambassador and while condemning the attacks, noted that it was Libyans who carried the ambassador to a hospital. "While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants," Obama said in a White House statement.
Kosovo has gained “full sovereignty” after the International Steering Group (ISG) announced on September 10 that it will end its supervision of the country. The International Steering Group (ISG) is comprised of 23 European Union members, United States and Turkey which had monitored Kosovo since its independence in 2008 from Serbia. US President Barack Obama described the end of supervision as a “historic milestone”. In a written statement he added, “Kosovo has made significant progress in solidifying the gains of independence and in building the institutions of a modern, multiethnic,...
British Foreign Secretary William Hague has offered to send a lawyer into Egypt, to help probe claims that former President Hosni Mubarak supporters have stolen and deposited several assets in Britain. Hague made the offer when he met Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi for the first time, after a 6 month investigation by BBC Arabic, the Guardian and al-Hayat newspaper revealed that millions of pounds worth of assets of former Mubarak officials had yet to be frozen in Britain. These included luxury houses and registered companies in wealthy London areas of Chelsea and Knightbridge, as well as...