Investment bank JPMorgan Chase has urged share holders to vote against proposals calling on the bank to stop investing in firms that "substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity." JPMorgan has a big stake in Chinese oil firm PetroChina, which has been condemned for financing genocide in Sudan. Investors against Genocide, a non-profit organisation, said the $1.8 billion investment by JPMorgan in PetroChina “works against the spirit” of US sanctions on the Sudanese regime. However the bank says it its business practices already "reflect our support and respect for the...
The former commander of the Dutchbat peacekeeping forces in Bosnia may be prosecuted for the massacre in Srebrenica in 1995. Colonel Thom Karremans was in charge of the troops responsible for the protection of a Muslim enclave in a Serb-Christian region. However the peacekeepers allowed Serb soldiers to take control of the town who then went on to massacres of over 8000 Muslim men and boys. The National Reflection Committee has now advised Dutch prosecutors to bring charges against the colonel, although prosecutors do not have to follow the advice. Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander...
The UN has published global guidelines on ‘land grabbing’, the purchase of land by rich nations and foreign companies in developing countries. The guidelines, which are non-binding, call on governments to safeguard the rights of the indigenous population which uses the land. 200m hectares, an area eight times the size of Britain, are estimated to have been bought or leased over the past ten years. “Giving poor and vulnerable people secure and equitable rights to access land and other natural resources is a key condition in the fight against hunger and poverty,” said the Director-General of...
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, condemned Sudan's "indisciminate" aerial bombing of South Sudan on Friday, and warned that such actions could be considered "an international crime". Speaking to reporters during a visit to South Sudan this week, Pillay said, "I am saddened and outraged to learn that such attacks which place civilians at great risk - and have already killed and injured some and caused many thousands of others to flee - have been taking place again in recent days." " Deliberate or reckless attacks on civilian areas can, depending on the circumstances,...
A bank has become the first Chinese firm to be given approval by the US to acquire a US bank. State owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s (ICBC) plans to take over the US subsidiary of the Bank of East Asia have been approved by the US Federal Reserve . "It is a pretty significant step. There has been a lot of backlash about Chinese state-run companies acquiring overseas assets," Stephen Joske of Australia Super, an institutional investor in Beijing, told the BBC . "The permission [given] to ICBC is a clear message that things may be returning to normal and that fears about Chinese...
Recordings of phone calls made during the first few days of the Libyan unrest provide evidence of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi ordering the killings of suspected opposition activists. Over 12,000 messages were picked up in intercepted messages between the former Libyan Prime Minister, Al Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, and a loyalist Tayeb al-Safi. According to one transcript, released by Al Jazeera, Saif al-Islam can be heard instructing al-Safi to "take care of the Gamal Abdel Nasser base in Tobruk". Al-Safi responds saying, "the commander is a traitor and they have places be careful." Saif al-Islam replies...
Bomb blasts in the Syrian capital Damascus, which have killed at least 55 people and wounded another 400, have drawn international condemnation. The UN Security Council condemned the attacks and urged all sides to 'immediately and comprehensively' implement UN Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan for Syria. Syrian officials blamed the car bombs near a military intelligence office on ‘foreign-backed terrorists’. The Ministry of Interior said the attacks were perpetrated by suicide bombers, who drove cars laden with explosives near the government building, which houses one of the most...
Al-Jazeera's English news channel closed after the Chinese government expelled a correspondent, refusing to renew her press credentials. Melissa Chan, an American citizen and political journalist, left China on Monday night. According to Al-Jazeera, the government has refused to allow a replacement correspondent too, however, the channel's Arabic service remains unaffected. Hong Lei, a spokesperson at China's Foreign Ministry, said, “China addressed this problem in accordance with laws and regulations,” “The media concerned know in their heart what they did wrong.”
Ukrainian officials announced that Friday's summit of EU state leaders would be postponed, after a widespread boycott by leaders across Europe in protest at the treatment of Ukraine's opposition leader, Yulia Tymoshenko. Thirteen leaders across the EU have pulled out including from Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy. See related articles: Pressure increases on Ukraine over Euro 2012 boycott (03 May 2012) German President cancels visit to Ukraine over treatment of ex-Premier (26 Apr 2012)
Official figures obtained by the Yorkshire Post show that the UK Border Agency has recommended ‘adverse immigration action’ against 207 individuals in Britain, suspected of committing war crimes in their native countries. Individuals from countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are accused of torture, genocide and crimes against humanity. Last year the UK repealed a law, allowing private individuals to initiate prosecution against foreign war crimes suspects. It is unknown whether police are investigating any of the suspects. Human rights group Redress said: “A...