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)…

Russia warns against US intervention in Syria

Aug 20, 2012
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned the US against any military intervention in Syria, after US President Barack Obama warned the Syrian regime on the use of chemical weapons.

Speaking after a meeting in Moscow with China's top diplomat, State Councillor Dai Bingguo and representatives from the Syrian government, Lavrov said there was a need to
"strictly adhere to the norms of international law and the principles contained in the UN Charter, and not to allow their violation… I think this is the only correct path in today's conditions".
Lavrov went on to state that only the UN Security Council can sanction the use of force, and warned against “democracy by bombs”.

Meanwhile, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil dismissed Mr Obama's statements as "propagandistic threats" and blamed external interference for "hindering efforts for Syrians themselves to resolve this problem".

See President Obama's statement on Syria's chemical weapons below. Comments on Syria at 18:30.

HRW: Ugandan government is intimidating rights groups

Aug 20, 2012
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report that rights groups were facing increased harassment and intimidation from government officials, consequently making it difficult for civil society groups to freely conduct their work in Uganda.

Describing the intimidation the HRW noted that closure of meetings, reprimands, demands for apologies or retractions, threats, harassment and physical violence were prevalent tactics that government officials had been using to interfere with the work of civil society groups.

The HRW recognised that civil society actors working on governance, human rights, land and oil were most susceptible to intimidation, because the regime perceived them “as threatening to undermine the regime’s political and financial interests.”

The executive director of the Uganda government media centre, Fred Opolot, who had not read the HRW report, told Reuters that the report’s claims of intimidation were unsubstantiated and that the civil society were allowed to work freely, “as long as they did the right things”.

Life sentence sought for Bosnian commander

Aug 20, 2012
UN prosecutors acting in the case of a former Bosnian Serb general have called for a life sentence to be imposed, at a trial in The Hague.

Speaking at the case of former intelligence chief Zdravko Tolimir, who faces charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, prosecutor Peter McCloskey stated,
"There is only one sentence for this crime and that is life in prison"
Tolimir, who was under the command of the infamous Ratko Mladic, is accused of carrying out “the slow strangling of the Srebrenica and Zepa enclave” to create conditions that would force the Muslim population "to give up hope of survival."

Burma’ government abolishes media censorship

Aug 19, 2012

The Burmese government has abolished pre-publication checks of the country’s media, according to the information ministry.

The Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD) announced that reporters are not required to submit material to state censors before publication.

"Censorship began on 6 August 1964 and ended 48 years and two weeks later," Tint Swe, head of the PSRD, told AFP news agency on Monday.

"Any publication inside the country will not have to get prior permission from us before they are published.

"From now on, our department will just carry out registering publications for keeping them at the national archives and issuing a license to printers and publishers," he said.

German intelligence ‘proud’ of Syrian contribution

Aug 19, 2012
Germany’s foreign intelligence service has been aiding Syrian rebels in their battle against President Assad’s regime, reported a German newspaper this week.

Obama warns Assad on chemical weapon use

Aug 19, 2012
US President Barack Obama has warned of possible action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, referring to any potential use of chemical or biological weapons by the regime as a “red line” for the United States.

Although reluctant to involve the nation in another Middle East conflict, President Obama said,

International criminal court stays firm

Aug 19, 2012
International Criminal Court judges have rejected arguments by former Ivory Coast President, Laurent Gbagbo, that they lack the jurisdiction to try him for charges of crimes  against humanity.

Gbagbo's charges are partly a result alleged murder and rape committed by his supporters in 2010, whilst he was clinging onto power following controversial elections. The former leader still claims that he is innocent.

Protests erupt in China over Japan row

Aug 18, 2012
Angry protests have broken out across China this weekend, as a group of activists raised the Japanese flag on a disputed island earlier on Sunday, rapidly escalating tensions between the two countries.

Thousands of protestors are thought to have taken to the streets in dozens of cities, with sushi restaurants and other perceived Japanese-linked businesses reportedly attacked and Japanese cars left smashed and overturned.

Banners held by the crowds read “Defend the Diaoyu Islands to the death,” and “Even if China is covered with graves, we must kill all Japanese”.

Chinese Major General Luo Yuan, also called for a fleet of 100 boats to be sent to defend the islands, commenting,
“If necessary, we could make the Diaoyu Islands a target range for China’s air force and plant mines around them.”
The dispute over the contested island was heightened after a group of Japanese activists landed on the island earlier on Sunday, unfurling the Japanese flag. Days earlier, japan arrested and deported a group of Chinese activists who attempted to land on the island.

British intelligence aiding Syrian rebels

Aug 18, 2012

Confirming what has long been suspected, a Syrian opposition official, disclosed that British intelligence was enabling rebels to launch attacks against Assad forces, reported The Sunday Times.

The Official said that Britain "know about and approve 100%" signals intelligence, using bases in Cyprus that are then passed through Turkey to the Free Syrian Army.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, the official said,

“British intelligence is observing things closely from Cyprus. It’s very useful because they find out a great deal,”

“The British are giving the information to the Turks and the Americans and we are getting it from the Turks.”

South American bloc unite against UK's embassy threat

Aug 18, 2012

The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) unamimously adopted a resolution endorsing Ecuador's right to grant asylum to Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange.

Foreign ministers of the 12 nations met in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and agreed seven key points, highlighting the right of any sovereign country to grant asylum, the "inviolability of embassies" and the importance of protecting human rights.

Russia warns against US intervention in Syria
HRW: Ugandan government is intimidating rights groups
Life sentence sought for Bosnian commander
Burma’ government abolishes media censorship
German intelligence ‘proud’ of Syrian contribution
Obama warns Assad on chemical weapon use
International criminal court stays firm
Protests erupt in China over Japan row
British intelligence aiding Syrian rebels
South American bloc unite against UK's embassy threat