WORLD NEWS

World News

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)…

Rwandan woman jailed in US over genocide

A woman who lied on her refugee application in the United states over her role in the Rwandan genocide has been jailed for 10 years.

43-year-old Beatrice Munyenyezi commanded road blocks in Rwanda, where Hutu militias would murder Tutsi civilians ruled the US court, making her reportedly the first person in the US to be convicted over the genocide of Tutsis.

She was handed down a maximum term, a 10-year jail sentence,  after which she will be deported to Rwanda, where genocide charges potentially await her.

Judge McAuliffe said,

Israel to free Palestinian prisoners prior to talks

Israel has agreed to release some Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement made to resume the peace talks.

The Minister for International Relations, Yuval Steinits, said the release would include "heavyweight prisoners in jail for decades", and that initial talks would be held in Washington "next week or so".

The number of prisoners to be released has not been disclosed.

The Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, says 4817 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli jails.

CIA fugitive detained in Panama

The former chief of a CIA unit based in Milan has been arrested in Panama.

Robert Seldon Lady was convicted in absentia by an Italian court for the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in 2003.

The cleric, known as Abu Omar, was then reportedly flown to Egypt and tortured.

Read more here.

Arab League supports Kerry peace plan

The Arab League has expressed its support for a plan to recommence peace talks between Palestine and Israel.

US Secretary of State John Kerry proposed his plan to the league in Jordan and said he was hopeful both countries "would soon be able to come and sit at the same table".

The Arab League issued a statement saying they "believe Kerry's ideas proposed to the committee today constitute a good ground and suitable environment for restarting the negotiations, especially the new and important political, economic and security elements".

Witnesses withdraw from Kenyatta case

The International Criminal Court has said that two witnesses have withdrawn from testifying at President Uhuru Kenyatta’s case over security concerns.

ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah told the BBC: "The prosecutor might seek to add other witnesses in the future if suitable replacements for these witnesses are forthcoming."

Kenyatta has been charged over election violence in 2007 which left over 1,000 people dead.

The ICC has previously accused Kenya of not doing enough to protect witnesses.

ICC demands handover of Seif Gadhafi

The International Criminal Court told Libya today, that it must hand over the son of Moammar Gadhafi so he can face charges of crimes against humanity.

Colombian president meets rebels after arms surrender

President Juan Manuel Santos has met with members of the rebel ELN after they surrendered their arms. The second largest rebel force in the country has around 1,500 members and this is the largest ELN group to lay down their arms.

"This is what the [peace] process is about. So every member of the ELN and the Farc should fight for their ideals, but without violence nor arms,” Santos said during the meeting in the south-eastern region of Cauca.

Vietnam is lovin' it

The US burger chain McDonald’s, one of the largest and most instantly recognisable brands in the world, is due to open their first branch in Vietnam in 2014.

Henry Nguyễn, the son-in-law of the leader of the Communist Party Nguyễn Phú Trọng, was awarded the franchise and the branch will open in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, which was the main base of the US military during the war, before it fell to the VietCong.

Mr Nguyen said to the BBC:

Panama seizes North Korean vessel with weapons

The president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli has said that a ship, sailing under the North Korean flag, was found to be carrying military equipment when stopped on the Panama Canal.

The 35-member crew is reported to have resisted the boarding of the ship and the captain attempted to commit suicide.