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)…

Bahraini activist detained at memorial protest

The vice-president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BHCR), Sayed Yousif al-Muhafdha has been detained at a protest commemorating the death of two Bahraini protestors.

Prosecutors ordered that Muhafdha was to be detained for a week due to a pending investigation that claimed Muhafdha had broadcast false information on Twitter.

Muhafdha, who has campaigned for the release of the detained BCHR president, Nabeel Rajab, has also been detained on several occasions by Bahrani authorities.

Congo militia leader acquitted by ICC

The former leader of a Congolese militia has been acquitted By the International Criminal Court, who had charged him with 7 counts of war crimes and 3 counts of crimes against humanities.

Judge Bruno Cotte told the court that Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui will be acquitted of all charges, as the prosecution had "not proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui was responsible" for the massacre of 200 villagers in 2003.

He said the decision was unanimous, and that witness testimony had been "too contradictory and too hazy".

Rwandan genocide convicts granted early release

Two men convicted for their roles in the Rwandan genocide have been granted early release from their imprisonment in Mali by the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT).

The MICT was established in 2010 to handle assist both the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Protests against constitution continue in Cairo

Protests continued in Cairo on Tuesday against the draft constitution proposed by the Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi.

Calling for "revolution, revolution, for the sake of the constitution", protesters called on Mursi to "leave, leave you coward!"

 

Egypt's state media said that Mursi obtained 57 percent "yes" vote for the constitution in last weekend's referendum.

Kurdish and Iraqi military close to war over oil

Leaders of Iraq and the semiautonomous region of Kurdistan warned that they were close to civil war, due to Exxon Mobil’s attempt to drill for oil, amidst negotiations between the two opposing armies. 

Commenting on the situation, a confidant of Iraqi Prime Minister, Sami Alaskary said,

Syrian opposition capture second Assad army base

A faction of the Syrian opposition has captured an infantry base in Aleppo, the second key army base in a week.

According to a post on al-Tawheed Brigade's website today, the army base known as Hanano Barracks was taken yesterday, with the rebel brigade's commander, Colonel Youseff al-Jader being killed during the battle.

 

The group's website said: “the hero and martyr who was killed on the day of liberating the infantry school.”

Papuan activists killed by police

Indonesian police have shot dead two members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), a separatist group, campaigning for West Papuan independence.

Hubertus Mabel, 30, and Natalis Alua were killed, bringing the toal of KNPB members killed this year to 22.

A police post was later burnt down by unidentified men, which saw retaliation by police who attacked a house used as a tribal council and burnt it to the ground.

Neither side can win war – Syrian Vice President

Syrian Vice-President Farouq al-Sharaa has told Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar that without a settlement, neither side can win the war in Syria.

See here for full interview on al-Akhbar.

Quotes from al-Sharaa reproduced below:

“The drop in the number of peaceful protesters led one way or another to the rise in militants,”

Morsi’s appointed public prosecutor resigns

Egypt’s public prosecutor, appointed by President Mohamed Morsi, resigned from his post on Monday, in a move that was seen by Morsi’s opponents as a victory for the independence of the judiciary.

The public prosecutor, Talaat Ibrahim, stepped down after unrest among the judges, who described President Morsi’s decision to sack the former public prosecutor and appoint Ibrahim as an assault on the independence of the judiciary.

France criticised for sheltering Rwandan genocide suspects

The French government has come under fire for being a haven for Rwandan genocide suspects after a controversial court ruling earlier this week.

A French court decided to grant residence to Agathe Habyarimana (also known as Agathe Kanziga), widow of former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, who is wanted in Rwanda under charges of genocide.

The decision by the  Versailles Court of Appeal followed a long legal battle that saw Kanziga arrested by French authorities and extradition requests by the Rwandan government turned down.