UK reluctant to host Ahmadinejad at Olympics

The UK is reluctant to host Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the London Olympics, reported the IRNA news agency on Thursday. Ahmadinejad, who would reportedly like to be "beside the Iranian athletes", has faced increasing international isolation over the country's nuclear program, with an oil embargo, sanctions, and embassy closures. Officials at the British Foreign Office and the International Olympic Committee delined to comment.

Court shown footage of Mladic in Srebenica

Former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic, on trial for genocide, has been confronted of video evidence that shows him entering the town of Srebenica in July 1995, where he stands accused of personally ordering the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys. The 70-year old denies being at the town, claiming to have been attending a wedding in Belgrade instead. However, the video footage played to the court appears to demonstrate that Mladic was in Srebenica from July 11th to 14th, the time during which the massacre took place. In the video Mladic tells an interviewer, "We give this town to the...

US appoints ambassador to Burma after 22 years

The US has announced the appointment of Derek Mitchell as the first ambassador to Burma in 22 years. In a statement, President Obama hailed the beginning of a ‘new chapter’’ in US-Burmese relations. The president told the US Congress the administration continues "to have concerns, including remaining political prisoners, ongoing conflict and serious human rights abuses in ethnic areas". Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday announced the relaxing of some of the sanctions on investment and diplomatic relations, after a meeting with Burma's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin. "Today we...

Police ordered to 'liquidate' anti-Putin protests

A court in Moscow has ordered police to "liquidate" the anti-Putin demonstration, known as 'Occupy Abai', at the central Chistiye Prudy park. Currently in its second week following the re-election of Vladamir Putin as the Russian president, Occupy Abai has seen widespread support with thousands of protesters gathering in the evening after work. Having set up camp, the protest movement has set up a makeshift kitchen, wifi for incessant social networking, and even itsvery own Occupy Abai library, which issues books and an Abai newsletter. Condemning Occupy Abai as "illegal", President Putin's...

Mladic genocide trial begins

The former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic was accused of intending to ‘ethnically cleanse’ Bosnia of Bosniaks and Croats, the court heard on the first day of his trial. Mladic is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide. The former army general is accused of commanding Serb troops who killed over 8000 Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995 and in connection with the 44-month siege of Sarajevo during which over 10,000 people died. "Four days ago marked two decades since Ratko Mladic became the commander of the main staff of the army of Republika...

Brazil truth commission inaugurated by president

The Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff has inaugurated a truth commission to investigate human rights abuses from 1946-1988, including those committed during military rule. However, an amnesty law, passed by the military regime in 1979, means that no one can face prosecution for crimes committed during military rule. "Brazil deserves the truth, new generations deserve the truth, and - above all - those who lost friends and relatives and who continue to suffer as if they were dying again each day deserve the truth," President Rousseff said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay...

ICC seeks arrests of Congolese rebel leaders

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two rebel leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he is seeking the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda and Sylvestre Mudacumura, both of whom are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes. “When impunity prevails, persons like Bosco Ntaganda are encouraged to continue committing crimes. They increase their power through violence... Now more than ever is the time to arrest him," an ICC statement says. General Ntaganda, also known as ‘The Terminator’, a former member of the armed forces,...

EU forces raid Somali pirate bases

File Photo (EUNAVFOR) Naval forces of the European Union have conducted raids on Somali territory for the first time. Several boats were destroyed when EU helicopters and two warships attacked pirate bases near the town of Haradhere. A statement released by the European Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) said no injuries were sustained by either side during the raid. “The focused, precise and proportionate action was conducted from the air and all forces returned safely to EU warships on completion. Whilst assessment is on-going, surveillance of the area during the action indicates that no Somalis were...

UN convoy comes under attack by Assad forces in Syria

A UN convoy, escorting unarmed UN monitors, came under attack during a government crackdown on protesters in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria on Monday. According to eye witnesses tensions were running high after a crowd of protesters arrived to mourn at the funeral of a fellow protester who had been killed by government forces. As the demonstration intensified, government forces opened fire at the protesters. Twenty people were killed, and three UN vehicles were damaged. Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesperson for the UN special envoy to Syria Kofi Annan, said, “The UN mission in Syria reports that,...

India's opposition party leader tells UK to withdraw aid

India's former foreign minister and leader of the opposition BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), Yashwant Sinha, called on the UK to withdraw its aid money stating that India did not need "that kind of assistance or advice". Welcoming the Indian finance minister's comments that UK aid was "peanuts" relative to India's overall budget, Sinha said, “You can tell the British public from our side that they can keep their money, use it for their own welfare, or divert it to some other country which is in greater need.” “[Aid] gives an opportunity to those countries who are giving us small sums of money...

Pages