US President Obama, has signed a secret order authorising 'intelligence finding' assistance by the CIA and other agencies to the Syrian rebels, reports the Reuters news agency. According Reuters the exact extent of assistance remains unclear, however, it will not include giving the rebels arms. White House spokesperson, Tommy Vietor reportedly declined to comment. A US government source, told Reuters, that the US was colloborating with a 'secret command centre' in Turkey. The report comes as the US State Department set aside $25 million for 'non-lethal assistance' to the Syrian rebels.
US officials earlier dismissed reports that claimed US President Barack Obama had signed a secret order to send aid to Syrian rebels, currently fighting against President Assad’s regime. Whilst White House Press Secretary Jay Carney did not deny that aid was being supplied to the rebels, he stressed that the only assistance being provided was non lethal, stating , “We do not believe that adding to the number of weapons in Syria is what is needed to help bring about a peaceful transition,” The State Department also confirmed that $25 million was allocated for non-lethal assistance, mainly...
The Indian government has announced it will allow investment from Pakistani citizens and companies in India. A press release by the commerce ministry said all foreign direct investment from Pakistan will need to be approved by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. Investments cannot be made in defence, space or atomic energy. "It is a great decision... Now Pakistan should also implement the most favoured nation (MFN) trading status to India," Rajiv Kumar of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) told the state-run Doordarshan news channel. India has already...
A report by Human Rights Watch released earlier on Wednesday found that Myanmar troops shot at Muslims, committed rape and failed to protect Muslims from mobs during deadly ethnic clashes in June. Labelling the figure of around 80 dead from the violence as “grossly underestimated”, the New York-based human rights organisation also concluded that the forces "unleashed a campaign of violence and mass roundups against the Rohingya". The report, entitled “ The Government Could Have Stopped This ”, is based on 57 interviews with Rakhine Buddhists, Rohingya Muslims and others in both Myanmar and...
The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on Iran’s energy sector and some financial companies. President Obama said the existing sanctions had been made more difficult to evade “by making sanctionable the purchase or acquisition of Iranian petrochemical products". Iran has been trying to get around sanctions, including by using gold instead of cash as payment. Mr Obama added that the US remains committed to find a diplomatic solution but that it is Iran’s responsibility to meet international obligations. He said that firms dealing with the National Iranian Oil Company, the Naftiran...
South Sudan and Sudan are unlikely to reach an agreement before the UN deadline ends on Thursday. Despite recent talks, the two states failed to find common ground on key issues such as security and oil. Speaking to the Financial Times, Sabir Hassan, head of Sudan's economic negotiating team said, “We have made some progress on oil and other issues, but I don’t think we will reach conclusion or agreement before August 2.” The UN Security Council had warned of sanctions should the two states fail to follow a roadmap drawn out by the African Union. Hassan said, “We are wanting to see how they’...
Amnesty International held the Syrian government responsible for crimes against humanity in the largest city, Allepo and surrounding areas, in a report - ‘ All-Out Repression ’ - released on Wednesday. Despite the obstacles imposed by the Syrian authorities the report outlined that Amnesty had been able to independently investigate the allegations of human rights violations on the ground in Syria and had established that, “the Syrian government is responsible for widespread, as well as systematic violations amounting to crimes against humanity.” The report concluded: “it is manifestly evident that the Syrian government has no intention of ending, let alone investigating, these crimes.”
The United Nations has sent a human rights envoy to western Myanmar on Tuesday to investigate the recent bouts of ethnic violence that has claimed the lives of 78 people and left tens of thousands displaced, whilst Myanmar rejected concerns of abuse by security forces. UN Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana, went to visit the northwestern Rakhine state, labelling the violence as one of the “challenges” for the country in a pre-trip statement. The UN will be taking special interest in this case after 6 of their workers were arrested by Burmese authorities in connection with the violence,...
A criminal court in Switzerland has ruled that former Algerian military chief Khaled Nezzar cannot claim immunity and can be tried outside Algeria for war crimes committed while he was in power in the early 90s. The court ruled that "it would be both contradictory and futile to, on the one hand, fight against these gross violations to the most fundamental human values and, on the other hand, to accept a large interpretation of the immunity rules [...]". Mr Nezzar was arrested last October under a Swiss law which allows prosecution of some violations of international law. TRIAL , an...
A high court in Kenya has lifted the ban on the Mombassa Republican Council (MRC) - a group fighting for independence from Nairobi, and autonomy for Mombassa along with a strip of coastline - prompting celebrations along the streets of the city. Stating there was no evidence of criminal activity, Justice Francis Tuiyot ordered that the group register as a political party, and ensure they do not incite violence or hatred. The government, which has said it will appeal against the ruling, banned the group in 2010 as an "organised criminal group". International diplomats have previously urged...