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Latest news from and about the homeland

Photograph: Screenshot/ BLA video A fresh wave of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances has been documented across Balochistan this month, as Baloch rights groups recorded the recovery of several bodies of men who had earlier been forcibly taken, and appealed once more to international institutions that have largely ignored the province. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC)…

Vice journalists charged with aiding terrorists

Turkey has charged three journalists, working for Vice News, with "aiding a terrorist organisation".

Jake Hanrahan and cameraman Philip Pendlebury, who are British, and their Iraqi translator and a driver, who wished to be unnamed, were taken into custody on Thursday while working in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir where they were covering clashes between the Turkish army and the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement, the youth wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

According to their lawyer, police were tipped off by an anonymous caller, who claimed the journalists were “working with the Islamic State”.

“This is an entirely baseless accusation,” lawyer Ahmet Ay said. “And none of the questions asked during their interrogation at the police station had anything to do with Isis. Nobody asked them about ties to the Islamist group.”

Al Shabab overrun African Union base

Militants form the Al Shabab group have attacked an African Union base in the south of Somalia, the BBC reports.

The AU mission in Somalia said they made a tactical withdrawal from the Janale base, but are now back in control.

Al Shabab say they killed 70 soldiers of the AU contingent in the country.

Residents told the BBC Somali service that AU forces were seen leaving the base, which is run by the Ugandan troops.

Wall Street and oil prices drop as data reveals contraction in China manufacturing market

Wall Street opened with a sharp downturn on Tuesday after newly released official data revealed that China’s manufacturing sector had shrank at its fastest pace in three years, reports Reuters.

The International Monetry Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde, commenting after the release of data on China’s shrinking manufacturing market, said global economic growth was now likely to be weaker than had been expected.

Oil prices also fell sharply in response to China’s newly released data.
 

UN says satellite imagery confirms Palmyra temple destruction

Satellite imagery released today of the Syrian city of Palmyra confirms the destruction of the ancient Temple of Bel by Islamic State fighters, said the UN.

"We can confirm the destruction of the main building of the Temple of Bel as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity," UNESCO said in an email, reported Reuters.

See images and video footage here.

At the weekend locals had reported a large explosion near the temple site, however such reports had been initially contested by Syria's head of antiquities who had suggested that the Temple of the Bel remained intact.

Myanmar passes controversial race tension aggravating bill

Myanmar’s president signed of four bills that had been championed by radical Buddhist organisations and criticised by several rights groups as discriminatory to the Islamic community.

The last week saw the president sign bills on restricting polygamy, interfaith marriage and certain aspects of religious conversation reports Reuters.

Ukraine parliament passes 'special status' bill for eastern regions

Ukraine’s parliament on Monday voted for constitution al changes that decentralised powers to its eastern regions through a ‘special status’ in hopes of dampening separatist sentiment in Russian speaking parts of the country.

A “de-centralisation” bill that was backed by President Petro Poroshenko’ political bloc and his government with over 39 more votes than the required majority.

Colombian president says talks with Farc advancing significantly

The Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos said the talks with Farc, which have been ongoing since 2012, had advanced significantly than in the past.

"In these last two or three weeks, we have advanced much more than we had advanced in nearly the last six months, in the last year," President Santos was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Bashir should not be welcome to travel until he faces justice - US

The United States criticised China's decision to welcome the Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir into the country, whilst he remains accused of alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.

The US State Department spokesperson, Mark Toner, said on Monday that Bashir should not be welcome to travel until he faces justice, reports AFP.  

"As you know, he's been charged by the ICC with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide," the spokesperson said.

UN to investigate human rights abuse under British welfare reform

The UN will visit the UK to investigate whether recent welfare reforms by the British government have caused “grave or systematic violations” of disabled people’s human rights, “ reports The Independent.

Egypt summons British ambassador over Al-Jazeera journalist comments

Britain’s ambassador to Egypt John Casson has been summoned by the Egyptian foreign ministry, after accusing him of interference due to comments made on the sentencing three Al-Jazeera journalists.

An Egyptian court had found the three journalists, Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste, guilty of “spreading false news” and sentenced to three years imprisonment – a ruling that has been widely criticised by human rights and press freedom groups.

Speaking in Arabic outside the court, Mr Casson said the court's decision would "undermine confidence in Egypt's stability".

Egypt's foreign ministry said his words were "unacceptable intervention in Egyptian judicial rulings” and had summoned him “to express its strong objection” to his comments.

“Egypt does not need lessons from anyone,” the foreign ministry statement added.