Belarus denies supplying Syrian arms after US sanctions

Belarus has denied accusations from the United States that they were attempting to supply weapons to Syria, after the US Treasury imposed sanctions on state-owned Belarusian company earlier this week. The state-owned arms company Belvneshpromservice was accused by the US Treasury of supplying fuses for bombs used by the Syrian military via Syria’s Army Supply Bureau and had sanctions placed on it earlier this week. Commenting on the decision, David Cohen, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement , "Today's actions seek to disrupt the flow of...

Free Syrian Army move HQ to Syria

The Free Syrian Army moved its main comman centre from Turkey to Syria, the group announced on Saturday. In a video entitled, 'Free Syrian Army Communique Number 1 from Inside' the leader Riad al-Assad, said, "The Free Syrian Army command has moved into liberated areas of Syria following arrangements made with battalions and brigades to secure these zones,” and they would "start the plan to liberate Damascus soon, God willing”. According to Brigadier General Mustafa al-Sheikh, in charge of the group's military council, the move have actually take place over a week ago, and was intended to...

Benghazi militias expelled by protestors

Protestors in the Libyan city of Benghazi have stormed the base of a militia suspected to be behind the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens. The headquarters of the Ansar al-Sharia group were stormed by police and protestors. According to witnesses, armed supporters of the group gathered outside the building and fired shots into the air to disperse the protestors, but fled after the base was flooded with people shouting slogans against the group. The main base of the Sahaty Brigade was also targeted and ensuing clashes killed at least nine people. The Sahaty Brigade is thought to...

M23 rebels set up de facto administration, denies separatism

The rebellion in Congo’s east, known as the M23, has reinforced its power over the territory it has controlled for over five months, by setting up, what a U.N chief has described as, a parallel government. U.N peace keeping chief, Herve Ladsous, denounced what he called a parallel government , warning of the risk of escalating the conflict and stating that “the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo has to be respected.” Describing the situation to reporters in New York, Ladsous said “They are already establishing a sort of de facto administration controlling population, taking ‘...

Serbia sentences 11 Albanians for war crimes

A Serbian court sentenced 11 ethnic Albanians to a total of 116 years in prison on Wednesday, after finding them guilty of committing war crimes. The men were found guilty of illegally detaining and torturing at least 147 people, according to the verdict, during the war in Kosovo. Of the 17 charged with the offences, 6 were acquitted. Prosecutors said that the Albanian men were part of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s 138th brigade, dubbed the "Gnjilane Group". Ethnic Albanians make up over 90% of Kosovo, which split off from Serbia in 2008. The country was granted “full sovereignty” by the...

Iranian opposition group to be removed from US terror list

Senior officials in the White House have said that the State Department is going to remove the Iranian dissident organisation, Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MeK) from the US list of terrorist organisations. The officials said the decision would be announced formally next week. The group has renounced violence, while still calling for regime change, and is thought to have provided the US with intelligence on Iran's nuclear programme. US Iranians spent millions of dollars to enlist a wide range of US politicians to support the deproscription of the organisation, but only three years ago the US arrested several pro-MeK activists for raising funds for a banned terrorist organisation. Now members of congress 'openly praise' the organisation.

Libyans protest ambassador killing

The killing of US Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya has caused a public backlash against Islamist militias, reports the Associated Press. Tens of thousands of Libyans are reported to have marched in protest against the killing, demanding the disbanding of Ansar al-Shariah, one of the strongest armed Islamic extremist groups in the country. According to officials and witnesses, the September 11 attack on the Benghazi consulate is believed to have been led by fighters from Ansar al-Shariah. Read the full report on Washington Post here .

Palestine to request ‘observer state’ position at UN

Palestine is set to push for the status of “observer state” at the UN allowing them to pursue cases against Israel at the International criminal Court, commented a senior Palestinian official. The move would grant Palestine the same ranking as states such as the Vatican, and would require a majority backing in the 193-member UN General Assembly. Palestine’s earlier attempt to achieve “full statehood” through the UN Security Council last year failed in the face of fierce lobbying from Israel and their long time ally, the United States. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat indicated that the move...

US lifts sanctions on Burma 

The US lifted sanctions on Burma, as the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned, that yet more needed to be done. “Political prisoners remain in detention", she said. Ongoing ethnic and sectarian violence continues to undermine progress toward national reconciliation, stability and lasting peace. And further reforms are required to strengthen the rule of law, increase transparency and address constitutional challenges.”

Wen calls for end of EU arms embargo

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has urged the EU to lift an arms embargo, in place since the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings. "The solution has been elusive over the past 10 years. I deeply regret this" said Wen, speaking in Brussels after meeting senior EU officials. Ahead of the talks, EU sources said that they will not be lifting the embargo and both sides have "agreed to disagree" on this issue. China and the EU however did agree on a deal to strengthen cooperation, aimed at "restoring market confidence and fostering financial stability". "The EU reaffirmed its support for China's peaceful...

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