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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 calls for quick transfer of Ntaganda to ICC

The US has been working with Kigali and the ICC to transfer Bosco Ntaganda to the The Hague “as quickly as possible”.

US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnny Carson, said Rwanda was cooperating and would not interfere with the transfer of the man, also known as “The Terminator”.

"The timeline is uncertain but the need for rapid and quick action is clear," Mr Carson said, according to AFP.

Palestinians unimpressed by Obama visit

US President Barack Obama is reportedly set to receive a cold reception when he visits the West Bank on Thursday.

Obama has angered Palestinians by significantly diluting his ambitions with regards to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict, as he told news reporters:

Former Guatemalan dictator on genocide trial

The former military ruler of Guatemala, Efrain Rios Montt, has begun his trial for charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The trial was hailed by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay who said,

"This is the first time, anywhere in the world, that a former head of State is being put on trial for genocide by a national tribunal”

China and US "enormous shared interests"

The new Chinese president Xi Jinping has hailed the “enormous shared interests” between China and the US, calling for stronger ties between the two countries.

Speaking during talks with US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Xi said the relationship should be approached "from a strategic and long-term perspective".

"In the China-US relationship, we have enormous shared interests, but of course, unavoidably, we have some differences," Mr Xi said.

White House 'deeply sceptical' of Syria chemical weapon claims

The White House has said they were “deeply sceptical” of claims by the Syrian government that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian opposition, in a rocket attack in Aleppo.

Sana news agency reported that,

"Terrorists launched a missile containing chemical products into the region of Khan al-Assal in the province of Aleppo, killing 15 people, mainly civilians".

Suspected spies arrested across Saudi Arabia

Eighteen people were arrested in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on suspicion of spying.

The group consisted of sixteen Saudi Arabians, an Iranian and a Lebanese.

Saudia Arabia's interior ministry claimed that the alleged spies were working for a foreign country, which it did not name.

See AFP for full report.

Kenyatta challenges ICC case

Kenya's President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta is to challenge a case against him at the International Criminal Court today, where he stands accused of crimes against humanity.

Kenyatta's lawyers are currently at a hearing scheduled at The Hague, where they will request a case due to be held in July to be scrapped. The hearing comes just a week after Kenyatta's co-accused, top civil servant Francis Muthaura, had his case dropped.

Italy India spat escalates

Italy has accused India of violating international laws on diplomatic immunity after it barred Ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving the country.

India’s Supreme Court said that Mancini had waived his right to diplomatic immunity and ruled he was not to leave the country “until further orders”.

“The Terminator” hands himself over to US embassy

The suspected Congolese war criminal Bosco Ntaganda, also known as “The Terminator”, has handed himself in at the US embassy in Kigali.

Ntaganda is wanted by the ICC for conscripting child soldiers, rape, ethnic persecution and murder.

"I can confirm that Bosco Ntaganda... walked into the US embassy in Kigali this [Monday] morning," US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told media.

"He specifically asked to be transferred to the ICC in The Hague."

Somali journalist freed

A Somalian journalist jailed last month for interviewing an alleged rape victim was freed by a Somali judge on Sunday.

The case sparked international outrage over issues of the treatment of victims of sexual violence as well as press freedom.

See Reuters for full report.