Pakistan has ordered foreign staff from Save the Children out of the country according to the charity, over fallout from a CIA raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. The raid by the USA in Pakistani territory embarrassed Pakistan, who have since sentenced Dr Shakil Afridi to 30 years in jail, for running a fake vaccination program which gathered information for the CIA. According to media reports, Dr Afridi was linked to Save the Children. Justin Forsyth, the charity's chief executive however denied these allegations, saying, "There have been allegations in the Pakistani media that Dr Afridi was somehow linked to Save the Children. It is absolutely untrue. He has never worked for us, we have never paid him, we have never run a vaccination programme in Abbottabad. The charity, which has operated in Pakistan for over 30 years, has only 6 foreign staff out of an estimated 2,000 employees in the country.
Mauritanian state media has announced that former Gaddafi-aide Abdullah al-Senussi has been extradited to Libya. "He was extradited to Libya on the basis of guarantees given by Libyan authorities," a Mauritanian government source told Reuters news agency. Al-Senussi fled Libya during the uprising and was arrested for entering Mauritania illegally. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for committing crimes against humanity during his time as spy-chief for Col Gaddafi’s regime, but his extradition to Libya will make a trial at The Hague less likely. Libya wants to try Al-Senussi for...
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Syria as a “terrorist state” on Wednesday, as recently elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi also joined the criticism of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan accused Syria of committing “mass murders” and Assad of being "up to his neck in blood", saying, " The regime in Syria has become a terrorist state… Syria is not an ordinary country to us. We do not have the luxury to remain indifferent to what's happening there. " His statement comes as Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi warned his Assad to “learn from...
A gunman killed one and injured another in Montreal, as the separatist government was delivering its victory speech, after it was voted into Quebec, the French-speaking region of Canada, for the first time in nine years. As he was taken away by police, the gunman, speaking in French, vowed the English would fight back. The Parti Quebecois (PQ) won 54 of the provincial legislature’s 125 seats, beating the outgoing Liberal government by just 4 seats. The shortfall in the PQ’s majority means that the party will not have the backing it needs to push for radical reforms and will have to water down...
The Indian Defence Minister AK Anthony announced on Tuesday that joint military exercises with China will resume after a four year gap, after meeting with his Chinese counterpart General Liang Guanglie in Delhi. "We have decided that (to restart military exercises)," Mr Anthony told reporters. "We covered a lot about the situation in the South Asia, Asia-Pacific region," Antony said. "We had a very frank and heart-to-heart discussion on all the issues... including in the border areas." The neighbours also agreed to strengthen border security cooperation between the two countries’ forces. "We...
Buddhist monks in Burma have raised the concerns of human rights groups by protesting for the deportation of the Muslim minority Rohingya, for a third consecutive day. Burma saw its largest Buddhist monk led demonstrations since the pro-democracy uprisings in 2007. Hundreds of traditionally dressed Monks marched through Burma’s second largest city, Mandalay, supporting President Thein Sein’s calls for the segregation and deportation of the Rohingya minority. Human Rights Watch (HRW) Deputy Director For Asia, Phil Robertson, noted that the Monk’s prevalent moral authority was likely to...
The UK government announced on Tuesday that it would unblock about half of its £15million aid to Rwanda, following progress on solving a conflict in Congo. Along with states such as the US, Sweden and the Netherlands, Britain had suspended support to Rwanda after a June report by the United Nations accused Rwandan officials of supporting armed rebels in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A spokesperson for Congo’s government described the decision as “disastrous” with rights groups blaming Rwanda for fuelling bloodshed in the Congo. The UK’s outgoing International Development...
The Colombian government has confirmed that peace talks with Farc rebels will begin in Oslo in October, in a bid to end one of Latin America's longest-running armed conflicts. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos made the announcement that both sides had agreed to the talks, which are scheduled to move to Cuba after Norway. He called the talks a path to "a definitive peace", adding , "I ask the Colombian people for patience and strength…There's no doubt it's time to turn the page." "There are people like me that don't know a single day of peace… We have to take the dream of living in peace...
Hundreds of British troops are set to be questioned by the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) regarding the alleged torture of civilians in Iraq. According to The Telegraph , the number is expected to increase as two public enquiries into war crimes in Iraq by British troops are reviewed by investigators. One such inquiry, the al-Sweady inquiry has already identified more than 500 troops that will be questioned. The Telegraph also reported earlier that the three inquiries by Britain is projected to cost the country £100 million. Lawyers representing British troops have dismissed evidence...
France's Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, warned of a "massive and blistering" response if the Assad regime was to cross the "red line" and use of biological or chemical weapons. Speaking to RMC radio on Monday, Fabius said, "we are discussing this notably with our American and English partners." Adding that Russia and China are "of the same position" on this particular issue. Related articles: UK echoes US warning on Syria’s chemical weapons (23 Aug 2012) US chemical weapon threat 'excuse' to attack Syria (22 Aug 2012)