A 14-year-old Pakistani rights activist, Malala Yousafzai, was shot and injured in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. Malala rose to fame in 2009 for keeping a diary on BBC Urdu about life in the Swat Valley under Taliban rule. She was internationally recognised for criticising Taliban policies, especially the shutting of schools for girls, and was awarded the first National Peace Prize by the Pakistani government in 2011. The BBC reports conflicting accounts of how the shooting, which happened on Malala’s way home from school, unfolded but she is now reportedly out of danger. Ehsanullah Ehsan,...
A group of Northern Christian leaders - the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NORSEF) demanded that the 2015 presidency be allocated to a Christian, citing marginalisation, reported The Guardian Nigeria. The NORSEF chairman, Mathew Owojaiye and Secretary Illiya Yusuf said that Northern Christians would protest against Muslim politicians putting themselves forward for the contest. In a statement, NORSEF said: “The Federal Government must understand that Christian leaders are being put in a very difficult position. Why must we keep apologising to our people on behalf of the Federal Government? Why must we keep telling our people to be calm in the face of such provocations, slaughter and terrorist acts? Why is the Federal Government making us cowards, inactive and incapable leaders to protect our people and fight for their interest? Our youths are becoming restless and furious. We urge the Federal Government to show that they are truly in control. This nation is fast becoming a failed state”. Owojaiye said: “We the Christians boldly affirm that the next person to be president of this country from the north must be a Christian”
Hugo Chávez won the presidential vote on Sunday, securing another six year term in office. Chávez's socialist part, polled 54.66% compared to 44.73% for the opposition leader Henrique Capriles of the Movement for Democratic Unity (MUD). Addressing cheering crowds from the balcony of Miraflores Palace, Chávez said people had "voted for socialism" and exclaimed, "the revolution has triumphed!" Celebrating the victory, President Fernandez of Argentina tweeted: "Your victory is our victory! And the victory of South America and the Caribbean!"
The former president of the Maldives, Mohamad Nasheed, has been arrested for failing to turn up at his trial for illegally arresting a judge. A spokesman for Mr Nasheed's party, Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, tweeted that Nasheed was "grabbed from protesting supporters" before being arrested and "taken away" from the southern atoll of Fares Mathoda. "I also fear for his safety given the brutality shown by armed and covered police. We do not know where he is being taken," he told the BBC. Nasheed resigned earlier this year, after which he claimed he was threatened to do so by rebellious security forces.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged Nepal to proceed with plans to investigate its 10-year-civil war which saw abuses committed by both sides. Pillay outlined that, “Perpetrators of serious violations on both sides have not been held accountable, (and) in some cases have been promoted and may now even be offered an amnesty”, in the introduction to an online report documenting the violations. The report , linked to a database of 30,000 documents detailing atrocities in the conflict, was compiled to help the Nepalese official bodies and non-government...
Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has decreed that all political prisoners detained from last year’s uprising be pardoned on Monday. According to the President’s Facebook page, an amnesty was declared for all acts "committed with the aim of supporting the revolution and bringing about its objectives, in the period January 25, 2011 to June 30, 2012, with the exception of crimes of first-degree murder." It applies from those arrested from the first day of protests that forced former President Mubarak to leave, 25th of January 2011 until June 2012. All those who have been convicted and currently...
The Philippine government has agreed a peace deal with the largest rebel group in the country, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). After lengthy negotiations between MILF and the government, the new agreement creates a larger autonomous region in the Muslim south of the majority-Catholic country. The MILF's vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar told AFP news agency: "We are very happy. We thank the president for this." The president Benigno Aquino said in a speech that the framework can create an "enduring peace" in the region. “This Framework Agreement paves the way for a...
On Saturday a drone was spotted over Israeli territory of Yatir forest, with it's origin and full purpose in crossing into Israeli airspace uncertain. According to Israeli military, the drone was not carrying explosives and within twenty minutes of crossing into Israeli territory, it was shot down by Israeli air force. The Israeli military has ruled out Hamas as the origin and has instead blamed Hezbollah in Lebanon with the backing of Iran as the potential culprit. Hezbollah has in the past used unmanned aerial drones in 2004 and 2006 over Israel during its confrontation. Many have...
Libya’s first elected prime minister since the fall of Gaddafi, Mustafa Abu Shagur has been dismissed after failing to win a parliamentary vote on a new cabinet. The prime minister wanted to establish an “emergency government” with just 10 ministries. "In face of the dangers threatening the country, I present to you a crisis government restricted to 10 ministers, rejecting all geographical considerations," Mr Shagur told the General National Congress before the vote. He lost the vote 44 to 125 while seventeen members abstained. The GNC has to elect a new premier in three to four weeks.
The Nepali government's decision to promote an army colonel accused of war crimes has come under criticism by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists earlier this week. Raju Basnet is accused of commanding troops who used systematic torture and enforced disappearances in 2003, with evidence compiled by the UN and Nepali National Human Rights Commission. This included allegations that Basnet himself was personally involved in acts of torture. Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said , “Nepal’s cabinet has thrown the entire idea of...