WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Baloch activists accuse state-backed death squads of new killings
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)…

France arrests priest accused of involvement in Rwandan genocide

Jun 15, 2015
French authorities have arrested a Rwandan priest on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The 61 year old man was arrested in Trappes, northern France, executing an international arrest warrant issued by Rwanda’s prosecutor.

It is claimed the individual, an ethnic Hutu, was involved in the killing of up to 1,000 university students after pointing them out to men armed with machetes. He is also accused of personally interrogating and tracking down ethnic Tutsis.

Filipino separatists decommission arms as part of peace deal

Jun 15, 2015
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines handed over a batch of weapons to be decommissioned, marking the first step of a peace process agreement with the government.

Seventy-five weapons will be decommissioned, as part of what MILF said is a gesture of their commitment to the peace deal, which will see the establishment of a Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said the weapons, and the decommissioning of 145 fighters, however, was not a sign of surrender.

"As I look at the faces of each of our 145 brothers here this morning, I see 145 stories of struggle, of pain, of hopelessness and even of death,” he said. “Yet I also see 145 stories of hope and faith that indeed peace is near and that all the sacrifices have been worth it."

"I see not only their stories but my story as well and the stories of all the mujahideen that have given their lives, their intelligence, their talents to the struggle to protect the Bangsamoro people,” added Mr Ebrahim. “What we have today are not the stories of only 145 fighters. What we have today are the stories of the whole Bangsamoro: oppression, tyranny, and yes, liberation."

Kenya wrongly detaining individuals based on ethnicity warns Human Rights Watch

Jun 14, 2015

Kenyan security forces were too slow to respond to attacks on villages and beat Muslims and ethnic Somalis in police custody, found Human Rights Watch,

The Kenya Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the government to increase its oversight of police and military investigations.

South Africa allows suspected war criminal al-Bashir to leave, despite court order

Jun 14, 2015

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has landed in Khartoum, unhindered by South African authorities, despite a high court order preventing his departure.

Mr Bashir, prevented from leaving South Africa on Sunday due to the charges of war crimes and genocide he faces at the International Criminal Court.

An ICC official said the failure to arrest the president was "disappointing".

German industry leaders support calls for asylum seeker employment

Jun 14, 2015

German industry leaders have called for asylum seekers to be allowed to work, reports the Telegraph.

Legislation in Germany currently prohibits asylum seekers from working whilst their application is being processed.

Israel defends Gaza conflict as ‘lawful’ and ‘moral’

Jun 13, 2015

The Israeli government has released  report concluding that action taken in the Gaza Strip last summer was "lawful" and "legitimate", ahead of a forthcoming United Nations report on the conflict.

The Israeli report largely blames Palestinian militants – namely Hamas – for violations of international law, stating that action taken by Israeli troops was an “imperative necessity”.

ICC urges South Africa to arrest Sudan's President Bashir

Jun 13, 2015
The International Criminal Court (ICC) called on South Africa to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir who is attending the African union summit in Johannesburg.

The ICC president Sidiki Kaba in a statement acknowledging South Africa’s contribution to “strengthening the Court,” called on the government to “spare no effort in ensuring the execution of arrest warrants.”

South Africa court order bars Sudan's President from leaving country

Jun 13, 2015
A South African judge barred Sudan’s indicted president form leaving the country on Sunday, amidst calls from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

A judge is expected to hear an application calling for the arrest of President Bashir on Monday.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party responded to the court order, alleging that the ICC was targeting African nations.

US and China discuss strengthening military ties

Jun 11, 2015
US President Barack Obama’s senior national security adviser met with a senior Chinese general and stressed the need to reaffirm the two nations commitment to strengthen coordination and develop a “sustained and productive military-to-military relationship.”

A meeting at the White House, between Susan Rice and General Fan Changlong, discussed methods of minimising disagreements on maritime and cyber security issues,

Turkish election gains hailed as ‘milestone for Kurdish people’

Jun 11, 2015
The former prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region hailed the gains made by the Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the Turkish elections as “a milestone for Kurdish people”.

The Kurdish party has for the first time won enough votes to enter the Turkish parliament and is being hailed as a watershed moment in Turkish politics.

Barham Salih, the former premier of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, said “not long ago, Kurds were officially nonexistent, at best identified as mountain Turks”. “After decades of denial and persecution, the time for the Kurds has arrived,” he added.

The victory comes as HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas accusedthe government of having links to the violence that erupted across Kurdish regions this week.

Relations have remained strained with the Turkish government, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accusing Western nations of backing the Kurdish “terrorists”, whilst bombing Turkmen and Arabs in Syria.

"The West, which has shot Arabs and Turkmens, is unfortunately placing the PYD (the political wing of the YPG) and PKK in lieu of them," said Mr Erdogan in a speech.

France arrests priest accused of involvement in Rwandan genocide
Filipino separatists decommission arms as part of peace deal
Kenya wrongly detaining individuals based on ethnicity warns Human Rights Watch
South Africa allows suspected war criminal al-Bashir to leave, despite court order
German industry leaders support calls for asylum seeker employment
Israel defends Gaza conflict as ‘lawful’ and ‘moral’
ICC urges South Africa to arrest Sudan's President Bashir
South Africa court order bars Sudan's President from leaving country
US and China discuss strengthening military ties
Turkish election gains hailed as ‘milestone for Kurdish people’