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)…

Kosovan rebel alleges organs sold on black market

A former Kosovan Albanian rebel has testified “in detail” on how Serb prisoners had organs removed for sale in the black market during the Kosovan war, according to Serb psoecutors.

Serbia's War Crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic stated that,
"We have a witness who testified about a medical procedure, done in northern Albania, that consisted of harvesting organs from Serbs kidnapped during the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo"

Hopes for UN backed ‘Neutral International Force’ to ensure peace in Congo

The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), hosted by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, to address the conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, ended without the creation of a concrete plan to establish peace in the area.

However, the ICGLR did make some progress on working towards the implementation of a ‘Neutral International Force’.

Haqqani network designated as ‘terrorist organisation’ by USA

The US has decided to designate the Pakistan-based Haqqani network as a terrorist organisation on Friday, in a move that will be seen as a test to US-Pakistan relations.

The decision will mean that the now blacklisted group will now be subject to sanctions, a freezing of assets and will prevent any US individuals or companies from having ties to the group.

The move, announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, comes after the US Congress set a deadline for the Obama administration to make a decision on the group in July.

Burma heading towards 'xenophobic' Sri Lanka warns HRW

This week saw the second largest City in Burma, Mandalay, experience Buddhist monk-led demonstrations against the Muslim Rohingya, receiving criticism from many observers.

Commenting on the situation, Phil Robertson, the Deputy Director for Asia Human Rights Watch said,
If more people fail to speak up, Burma could be headed towards Buddhist xenophobia similar to the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka.

And that’s the concern that we see today in Burma that if this continues, if the Burmese monkhood continues to come out and press against the Rohingya in this way, we will be on the road to a kind of Sri Lanka situation with the Rohingya, where you have the Buddhists across Burma raising their hands against Rohingya.

EU ministers threaten Iran with more sanctions

Members of the European Union have warned Iran of fresh sanctions over its controversial nuclear programme.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said sanctions are already impacting Iran, but that it was "necessary to increase the pressure on Iran, to intensify sanctions, to add further to the EU sanctions," he said to reporters after informal talks with other EU foreign ministers.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed frustration over the lack of progress and said Iran has made no “substantial offer" to make clear the intentions of its nuclear programme.

Russia rejects US pressure on Syria

Russia has rebuffed calls by the US to increase pressure on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to step down.

Secretayr of State Hillary Clinton urged Russia to support the UN in taking action to end the conflict, saying that Congress may abolish trade restrictions still in place since the Cold War.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists that the Kremlin is against sanctions against Syria and Iran, after talks with Clinton on Saturday.

UK restoration of aid to Rwanda criticised

Britain's decision to unfreeze half of its aid to Rwanda after the African state engaged in constructive peace talks faced criticism from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Human Rights Watch.

Rwanda recently had all their British aid cut, after a UN report accused them of fuelling the bloodshed in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but the decision to partly restore it was made earlier this week.

Myanmar’s parliament ousts judges

Nine presidentially appointed constitutional judges have been forced to resign after Myanmar’s parliament voted for their impeachment.

More than two-thirds of Myanmar’s lower house backed the impeachment, after it was approved by the upper house last month and has now been accepted by President Thein Sein.

Canada closes embassy in Iran and expels diplomats

The Canadian government has decided to close its embassy in Tehran and kick out all remaining Iranian diplomats from Canada.

A statement by Foreign Minister John Baird said that Canada had suspended all diplomatic relations with Iran, due to its continued and increasing military support for the Assad regime in Syria, its noncompliance with UN resolutions in relation to its nuclear programme and its incitement to genocide and anti-Semitic rhetoric against Israel.

Colombia rejects Farc ceasefire call

The offer of a ceasefire in Colombia by Farc rebels has been rejected by the Colombian government, as the two sides look to peace talks to be held in Oslo in October.

Leaders from the Farc rebels stated that negotiating a ceasefire would be their top priority at the upcoming talks with spokesman Mauricio Jaramillo saying,
"We will propose a ceasefire the moment we sit down at the table… We are going to discuss it."