The UK and US have recalled ambassadors from Syria, further increasing pressure on the Assad regime. Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, said in a statement Monday, "While we meet, the gravest of crimes are being committed in Syria. Responsibility for those crimes lies overwhelmingly at the door of the Syrian authorities ... We should unite behind the Arab League plan, and that is what I urge all members of the council to do, this week." "With each day that passes, finding a way back from the brink will be harder and innocent lives will be needlessly and wrongfully lost, deaths which...
Over 120,000 protesters, calling for political reform in Russia, marched through the streets of Moscow. Chanting "Russia without Putin" and "Putin leave", protesters braved temperatures as low as -18 degrees. The protest was the most recent in a string of protests over past few months expressing outrage at allegations of vote-rigging during the parliamentary poll in December.
France intends to push for further sanctions against the Assad regime, after Russia and China vetoed the UN Security Council resolution on Saturday. France's foreign minister, Alain Juppe, said, "The president will take initiatives in the next few days to try to gather everyone who thinks the situation in Syria is completely unacceptable," "It's a scandal what is happening today." "We will get together all countries that want to join us to put maximum pressure on Syria," "We will first help the Syrian opposition structure itself, strengthen European sanctions against the Syrian regime, raise...
The United Nations Security Council is to vote on a resolution regarding Syria on Saturday, with all eyes on Russia, Syria’s strongest ally on the council. Russia initially rejected parts of the latest draft, but it remains unclear which way they will vote on Saturday, as hope remains that the resolution could still be passed. Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon told reporters that the council was “very close… two words away" from an accord. Whilst the latest text does not explicitly mention sanctions, parts of the resolution are still opposed by Russia, including warnings of “...
A UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria’s government for the violence it is committing against anti-regime protestors has been vetoed by Russia and China. The resolution called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and a "Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system", a call first made by the Arab League. The resolution had already been watered-down, in anticipation of a Russian veto. There are no calls for sanctions and no military action would have been authorised. The other 13 members of the Security Council, including India and South Africa,...
The most senior Khmer Rouge official yet to face charges has been jailed for life. Duch, formerly known as Kaing Guek Eav was found guilty of crimes against humanity and jailed in 2010 for 35 years. He appealed the decision, claiming he was a junior official following orders and would have been killed if he didn’t obey the commands. However his appeal was rejected and judges increased his sentence to a life term. The appeal court judges held that the initial sentence of 35 years did not "reflect the gravity of the crimes". "The crimes by Kaing Guek Eav were undoubtedly among the worst in...
China's prime minister, Wen Jiabao, said that China would consider liaising with the International Monetary Fund, in order to help the European Union in tackling its debt crisis. Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, shortly after meeting the German Chancellor, Angela Merkal, Wen stated that “China supports Europe in safeguarding the stability of the euro,”, and confirmed that Chinese officials were examining the possibility of "involving itself more" in the EU debt crisis through investing in the regions' two large rescue plans - the European Financial Stability Facility, and the...
Leon Mugesera was charged with plotting genocide, incitement and distribution of arms on Thursday, for his part in the 1994 genocide. Mugesera was recently deported , after losing his fight against deportation, which started over 16 years ago. Speaking at court in Kigali, he said, "I'm not ready to begin," "I need more time to find a lawyer. I've asked the prosecutor to wait. Within one or two months I will know who my lawyer will be." In 1992, Mugesera made an infamous speech where he called on the Hutu community to kill the Tutsis, calling the Tutsis "cockroaches" and "scum".
Stating that the Syrian president's fall was "inevitable", the White House urged countries to consider carefully their stance on Syria, as a draft resolution was debated at the UN Security Council. The White House's spokesperson, Jay Carney, speaking Monday, said , " We believe that the Security Council must not permit the Assad regime to assault the Syrian people , while it rejects the Arab League's proposal to a political solution. We do support the Arab League's role in this process. Governments that act to prop up Assad's regime will find themselves in a small minority and criticised for...
The UN Security Council debated a draft resolution on Syria and the Assad regime's repression on Monday. The resolution calls for member states to take steps to prevent the flow of arms in Syria, to demand an immediate end to all violence and to call on President Assad to hand power over to a deputy. Commending the Arab League's proposed plan for the transfer of power as the "the best effects and efforts of Syria's neighbours to chart a way forward", the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said, "The alternative - spurning the Arab League, abandoning the Syrian people, emboldening the...