WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

In recent weeks Yemen’s Houthi armed group has shot down seven US Reaper drones worth over $200m. The drones destroyed between 31 March and 22 April mark Washington's most significant material loss.  Three of the drones were destroyed in the past week, suggesting an improvement in the Houthis’ ability to strike high-altitude US aircraft.  The drones were conducting surveillance or…

Indonesia post-election protests kills six and injures hundreds

<p>Six people have been killed and 200 injured during protests in Jakarta, Indonesia, against the official election results of last month’s election which declared Joko Widodo as president.</p> <p>National Police spokesperson, Dedi Prasetyo, said that police were checking reports of casualties but stressed that the police and military personnel present at the protests were not equipped with live bullets.</p> <p>Protesters are mainly supporters of unsuccessful presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto and claimed that widespread fraud took place.</p>

Mordaunt to give amnesty to veterans for battle crimes

<p>Penny Mordaunt, the new defence secretary, has promised to introduce an amnesty against prosecution of British soldiers for alleged offences committed in the course of duty more than ten years ago covering wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and aorund the world&nbsp;but not in Northern Ireland.</p> <p>“It is high time that we change the system and provide the right legal protections to make sure the decisions our service personnel take in the battlefield will not lead to repeated or unfair investigations down the line,” Mordaunt said.</p>

FARC accuses Colombia of 'dirty war' of assassinations as it transitions into politics

<p>Colombia’s Revolutionary Alternative Common Force (FARC) accused the far right of assassinating its members, whilst pledging to continue the process of peace and integration into politics.</p> <p>The statement came after, the FARC’s most senior commander Jorge Enrique Corredor was shot dead, on Tuesday.</p> <p>“We won’t hesitate to point the finger at the right-wing and paramilitary sectors closely linked to the state security agencies, who are behind these murders, “ FARC Senator Pablo Catatumbo told press.</p>

Sudan military and opposition agree to three year transition period

<p>Sudan’s military council and opposition groups have agreed to a three-year transition period to transfer power to a fully civilian administration.</p> <p>“We vow to our people that the agreement will be completed fully within 24 hours in a way that meets the people’s aspirations,” Lieutenant General Yasser al Atta said.</p> <p>He said that the Parliament will have 300 members with the Alliance for Freedom and Change making up 67 per cent of it while the rest will be made up of other political groups.</p>

ICC prosecutor calls for UN member states to pressure for arrest of Libya war criminals

<p>The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda called on the need for governments to act on arrest warrants for Libyan’s accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.</p> <p>Speaking at the United Nations Security Council in New York, Bensouda said the ICC has issued multiple warrants for Sail Al-Islam Gaddafi, Al-Tuhamy Mohamed Khaled and Mahmoud Mustafa Al-Werfalli for crimes ranging from unlawful imprisonment, torture and mass murder.</p>

US seizes North Korean ship for violating international sancitons

<p>The Untied States has seized a North Korean shipping vessel that violated American law and international sanctions.</p> <p>IN an announcement released by the US Justice Department on Thursday, prosecutors said a carrier ship that was being used to export sanctioned North Korean coal , was seized.</p> <p>In what was the first time the United States had seized a North Korean cargo vessel for violating international sanctions, the head of the Justice Department John Demers, said,</p> <p>“This sanctions busting ship is now out of service.”</p>

Singapore fake news law will have a chilling effect on internet freedom

<p>Singapore has passed a bill that forces media to correct and remove content that the government considers to be false, a move which will have a “chilling effect on internet freedom” according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).</p> <p>The bill has been criticised by rights groups, journalists and tech firms as it could be used to clamp down on freedom of speech.</p> <p>“The absence of clear protection for expression pose real risks that it will be misused to clamp down on the free exchange and expression of opinions and information,” Frederick Rawski said, the Asia Pacific director for International Commission of Jurists.</p>

Two Reuters journalists freed in Myanmar

<p>Two Reuters journalists have been freed in Myanmar after spending over 500 days in jail after being convicted of breaching the Official Secrets Act.</p> <p>Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were charged on September 3 2018 and sentenced to seven years in prison. &nbsp;</p> <p>The journalists were released under a presidential amnesty for 6,520 prisoners. Mass amnesties take place annually around the new year in Myanmar. &nbsp;</p> <p>“I’m really happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues. I can’t wait to go to my newsroom,” Lone told reporters.</p>

UN Security Council extends mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)

The United Nations Security council, last week, extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), reiterating the right of the Sahrawi people to self determination.

The resolution extending the MINURSO mandate until 31 October 2019 was passed with 13 votes in favour with 2 abstentions from Russia and South Africa, reports Sahara Press Service.

South Africa abstained from the vote in protest of the resolution failing to mention ongoing rights abuses by Morocco against the Sahrawi people.

Pope urges Bulgaria “don’t close your heart” to migrants

<p>Pope Francis visited a refugee centre in Sofia and a Roman Catholic Church in Rakovski in Bulgaria where he advocated on behalf of migrants and refugees describing their suffering as&nbsp;“the cross of humanity”.&nbsp;</p> <p>The pope’s defence of migrants is a central point of his pontificate and he also hopes that his visit will heal divisions between the Eastern and Western Orthodox Churches which split in 1054.&nbsp;</p> <p>Rakovski is a majority Roman Catholic town in the overwhelming&nbsp; Eastern Orthodox country. The population of Roman Catholic's is less than one per cent.&nbsp;</p>