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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)…

US offers $5m reward for Uganda’s Kony

A reward of up to $5 million will be awarded by the US for information that leads to the arrest of wanted Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, under the War Crimes Rewards Program.

The US and Uganda suspended the search for Kony in the Central African Republic after last month’s coup.

UN envoy visits Western Sahara

The UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, who is currently on tour of the region met with the Algerian Foreign minister on Monday.

Following his earlier visit of Sahrawi refugee camps, Ross said he would be "seeking solutions to the Western Sahara issue in line with the Security Council's resolutions."

He added,

Chad accused in CAR coup

The ousted president of the Central African Republic, Francois Bozize, has accused neighbouring Chad of supporting the rebels who led a coup against him.

Bozize told the BBC that it was Chadian Special Forces who led the offensive and were involved in the attack on South African soldiers, which left 13 troops dead.

France arrests Rwandan genocide suspect

French authorities have arrested a Rwandan fugitive in Toulose, who has been wanted by Rwandan authorities over his role in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis.

Among the charges that Tite Barahira will now face is conspiracy to commit genocide.

His arrest comes as France faces increasing criticism from Rwandan authorities for their failure to arrest and prosecute genocide suspects, thought to be sheltering in the country.

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Ban Ki Moon: N Korea crisis 'gone too far'

The UN chief Ban Ki Moon said the North Korea "crisis had gone too far" after Pyongyang announced plans to restart its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.

Speaking at a news conference Ban said:

"Things must begin to calm down, there is no need for the DPRK [North Korea] to be on a collision course with the international community. Nuclear threats are not a game."

UN General Assembly passes historic arms trade treaty

The United Nations General Assembly in New York has passed the world’s first global arms trade treaty, seeking to regulate the industry thought to be worth over $70 billion.

The treaty, passed earlier on Tuesday, regulates conventional weapons, ranging from small arms and light weapons to warships, missiles and combat aircraft. It prohibits sales of weapons in violation of arms embargoes or if those weapons were to be used for acts of terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity or genocide.

The resolution was approved by a vote of 154 to 3 with 23 abstentions.

The United States, the world’s largest arms supplier, voted for the resolution. Other major arms producers such as Russia and China abstained, along with other mainly Latin American countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua.

The 3 countries who voted against the resolution were Iran, Syria and North Korea.

DRC rebels reject UN force

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have rejected the decision by the UN to deploy a special attack force to dismantle armed groups in the east of the country.

The political leader of the M23 Bertrand Bisimwa said that the option taken by the UN is not promoting dialogue to end the conflict.

The United Nations Security Council last week approved the deployment of a 2,000 strong Intervention Brigade with an offensive mandate to “neutralise” armed groups.

Former ‘separatist’ flag adopted in Aceh

Thousands of people have rallied in Banda Aceh to support the adoption of the flag of the now defunct Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as the official flag of the Indonesian province.

The Indonesian government is opposing the flag, which is prohibited, and has given local authorities seven days to change it.

Private daily papers printed in Burma

Privately owned daily newspapers have been printed in Burma for the first time in 50 years. Four private daily papers went on sale on 1 April, a date which coincides with the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's election to parliament.

US concerned at Egypt's stifling of freedom of expression

The United States has expressed concern at the state of freedom of expression in Egypt, after the cuontry's top prosecutor recently issued an arrest warrant for a popular TV satirist.

Speaking at a press briefing, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said,