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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)…

Manus Island refugees to be deported 'within weeks’

The prime minister of Papua New Guinea said most of the refugees being held at the Australian-run detention centre in Manus Island are not genuine asylum seekers and are to be deported “within weeks”.

Describing most of the refugees as “economic migrants”, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told ABC,

"Most of the other people who are in the processing centre: we're now talking to their governments and we will start repatriating many of them in a very short time."

Protests involving hundreds of asylum seekers erupted at the detention centre earlier this month, with many stating their asylum claims have not yet been processed.

Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition told the BBC "[Mr O'Neill] is in no place to know whether they are [economic refugees] or not… There has been no determination assessment."

He went on to add that the news of deportation "undermines confidence that there is any respect for refugee law".

Violent clashes at UN base in Mali

Clashes between peacekeepers and protestors at a UN base in Mali have left at least two people dead and several injured, including two UN officers.

Protestors had gathered to voice their opposition to reports of a UN plan to create a buffer zone in the region around Gao, claiming it would favour separatist Tuareg militants.

Local radio journalist Aboubacrine Abouhayata and witness Attouyoube Maiga told AP news agency that UN officers fired live rounds of ammunition.

"Here in the morgue in Gao we have at least three dead protesters, some killed by gunshot wounds... There are also several serious injuries," a hospital official is quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

Auschwitz survivors mark 70th anniversary of camp liberation

Survivors from the Auschwitz concentration camp marked the 70th anniversary of its liberation by calling on the international community to never be bystanders in the face of genocide, as world leaders paid tribute on Tuesday.

At a ceremony in Auschwitz to mark the occasion, Holocaust survivors spoke in front of dozens of world leaders urging them to ensure such atrocities that took place at the concentration camp, occur never again.

“You should never be a bystander”, said Holocaust survivor Roman Kent at the site in Poland. "We survivors do not want our past to be our children's future.”

Approximately 1.1 million were killed at the camp between 1940 and 1945, before Soviet troops loiberated it. The overwhelming majority of those killed were Jewish.

“A minute in Auschwitz was like an entire day, a day was like a year, and a month an eternity,” continued Kent. “How many eternities can one person have in a single lifetime?”

Tributes came from leaders across the world with US President Barack Obama saying,

“Honouring the victims and survivors begins with our renewed recognition of the value and dignity of each person. It demands from us the courage to protect the persecuted and speak out against bigotry and hatred. This anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made confronting this terrible chapter in human history and on our continuing efforts to end genocide.”

Attack on Libyan hotel kills 9 civilians including foreign citizens

Nine civilians including five foreigners were killed after militants attacked a hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Tuesday.

Officials have said that the dead include one US and one French citizen.

The Corinthia Hotel is used by foreign diplomats and government officials. The UN Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil) has hosted various workshops at the venue.

A twitter account linked to the Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

ICC backers reject calls to cut funding

Leading funders of the International Criminal Court will reject calls from Israel to cut funding officials told Reuters.

The second largest donor of the ICC, German government said it “couldn’t imagine” cutting funding.

Officials from France, Britain and Italy, told Reuters that their governments, who are the third, fourth and fifth largest funders of the ICC, would not change policy.

Rocket attacks targeting Ukrainian civilians amount to war crimes says UN

Rocket attacks on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol by pro-Russian militants that targeted civilians violated international could be considered as war crimes, said the UN political chief on Monday.

Speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Jeffrey Feltman, said, that the attacks “knowingly targeted civilians,” adding that, “the perpetrators must be held accountable and brought to justice.”

Kurdish forces ‘liberate Kobane’

Fighters from the Syrian-Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) have declared Kobani as liberated from Islamic State.

Officials said they had driven out the militants, ending four months of intensive fighting in the strategic town on the border with Turkey.

YPG spokesperson Polat Jan said on Twitter: "Congratulations to humanity, Kurdistan, and the people of Kobane on the liberation of Kobane."

Syrian opposition arrives in Moscow for internatonally monitored talks

Members of the Syrian opposition aimed to work out common demands to present to the Syrian government which is due to arrive in Moscow for negotiations later this week.

Expectations for a breakthrough in negotiations are low as several opposition members refused to attend the talks, citing Russia’s history of backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, reports Reuters.

US agrees nuclear supply terms with India

India and the US reached an agreement over monitoring of India’s nuclear suppliers during the first morning of the US president’s visit for bilateral talks in India.

Photograph: Reuters/Jim Bourg


The US President, Barack Obama, agreed to ease pressure that called on India to sign up to a legislation that held suppliers liable for the materials, reports Reuters.

Indian official sources told the Times of India, that the US had agreed to “withdraw its highly intrusive” demand for tracking nuclear material sourced  from countries for use by US companies.

Boko Haram attacks strategic Nigerian city

Militants from Boko Haram launched an attack on the key city of Maiduguri in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state.

The attack comes during US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Lagos, for talks with President Goodluck Jonathan and the main opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

Residents on the outskirts of Maiduguri told the BBC that "hundreds of thousands of people" were fleeing and that the military was keeping a low profile.