The US has imposed sanction on a key official in Turkey’s Presidency of Defence Industries, Turkey’s military procurement agency, following the procurement of S-400 defence missiles from Russia.

The ban targets Ismail Demir, chief of the Presidency of Defence industry, and three other senior Turkish officials. The sanctions will block any assets held by the officials in the US and impose a travel ban on them. There is a further ban on most export licences, loans and credits to the agency.

 

The US has become the first country to recognise Morocco’s claims over West Sahara, in exchange, Morocco has become the Arab nation to establish diplomatic ties with Israel since August.

Morocco has occupied the resource-rich territories of West Sahara since 1975, in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Democracy Now highlights that during this occupation “thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation”.

Marking International Human Rights Day, the US and UK announced a new round of sanctions targeting 31 human rights violators from across the globe.

This is the third announcement of sanctions under the UK’s sanctions regime and includes travel bans and asset freezes for human rights violators from Russia, Venezuela, Gambia, and Pakistan. The US sanctions targeted officials from China, El Salvador, Haiti, Liberia, Jamaica, Kyrgyz Republic, and Russia.  

<p>More than 70 farmers from Zabarmari, a village in north-eastern Nigeria, after the Islamist militant group, known as Boko Haram, accused the farmers of betraying them.</p> <p>On 28 November, 50 farmers were approached by Boko Haram militants and led to the nearby village of Koshebe. Presuming that they protected under the peace deal, they were slaughtered en masse in a building. When 20 more villagers went in search for these farmers they were also killed.</p>

Thousands of Rohingya are being shipped to a remote island by the Bangladesh government says refugees and humanitarian workers, despite government assurances that no one is being forced to leave. 

More than 1,600 Rohingya refugees were sent to Bhasan Char, a flood prone island today, despite the government asserting that they were only moving the Rohingya who were willing to go as a measure to relieve overcrowing in camps. The camps have become home to over a million Rohingya as they fled Myanmar following a military crackdown. 

Punjab Haryana border near Ambala

Indian farmers have maintained that they will intensify protests and hold a nationwide strike on Tuesday after negotiations with the Indian government broke down.

Farmers Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are continuing to block key highways on the outskirts of New Delhi as they demand a total repeal of the farming bill which seeks to deregulate crop pricing.

China is considering drafting a blacklist of “die-hard” supporters of Taiwan’s independence as Beijing may take legal steps against democratically-elected President Tsai Ing-wen. 

Reuters reported that Taiwan condemned the plan after pro-Beijing newspaper Ta Kung Pao first reported it this month. China’s Global Times tabloid alleged that the list could include senior Taiwanese government officials. 

France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, ordered an internal police investigation after officers were filmed throwing migrants out of tents while evacuating a protest camp in Paris on Tuesday. 

The police were caught by journalists and activists shaking migrants inside tents until they tumbled out and resistors were abused by batons, according to the head of aid group Doctors Without Borders, Corinne Torre. 

The protestors were calling attention to the hundreds of migrants who were kicked out of another camp last week and have been sleeping on the streets out of desperation. Most of these migrants are from Afghanistan, Somalia, and Eritrea.

At least 600 people have been killed in Mai Kadara massacre in Ethiopia, in the Tigray region, forcing tens of thousands to cross the Tekeze River and seek shelter in Sudan.

An estimated 30,000 refugees have decided to make this journey. 

“It took twelve days to get here,” said one relieved looking refugee. “We had to live in a forest, a forest, but now we have reached Sudan.”

A barrage of rocket attacks in residential areas in Kabulon Saturday, killed at least eight and wounded more than 30 people, according to Afghan officials. 

The interior ministry reported that over a dozen rockets were launched from a pickup truck inside the city which the regional Islamic State group confessed to organising. 

The Islamic State group has been behind other attacks that have happened recently in Kabul., including two assaults on education institutions that killed nearly 50 people.