WORLD NEWS

World News

Suspected IS bomb attack in Istanbul leaves 10 dead

Jan 11, 2016

Ten people were killed in Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday from a suicide bomb attack by a man believed to be Syrian.

Turkish officials believe he was a member of Islamic State.

The majority of the victims are believed to be German citizens who were visiting the country as tourists.

The president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack which took place in Sultanahmet Square.

Guatemala’s genocide trial restarts behind closed doors

Jan 10, 2016

The retrial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt for charges of genocide and crimes against humanity restarted behind closed doors on Monday, after years of legal battles over the sentencing.

An initial conviction in 2013, where Mr Montt was found guilty of genocide, was overturned just days later by the country’s constitutional court. Years of legal wrangling took place after the original trial, which faced delays after Mr Montt was diagnosed with dementia.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said the trial would be a major test of Guatemala’s justice system. “Tens of thousands of Guatemalans who fell victim to the heinous crimes committed under Ríos Montt’s rule have been waiting three decades to see justice done – they must not be forced to wait one second longer,” he said.

Catalan parties elect new regional head to take movement forward

Jan 8, 2016

Catalan’s pro-independence parties agreed on a new leader that would create a regional government following the step-down of previous leader Artur Mas, who faced a political deadlock with Madrid over Catalan autonomy.

Carlos Puigdemot was selected to lead the Catalan region after months of disagreements between pro-dindpendence parties over whether Artur Mas should serve another term.

Puigdemot is seen as a politician that will take a firmer approach with Madrid whilst being able to bring all the Catalan parties together, reports Reuters.

Wall Street down as Chinese markets suspended

Jan 6, 2016

Shares on Wall Street were down on Thursday after China suspending trading on its market for the second time this week after stocks fell by over 7 percent.

China's decision to suspend the circuit breaker system, only increased concern among investors about the health of the country's currency and economy.

See here, here and here.

Syrian govt agrees to allow aid into Madaya says UN

Jan 6, 2016

The Syrian government has to allow aid into the town of Madaya after residents were reported to have died of starvation, the UN said.

The rebel held town has been under siege by government forces. Photographs released over recent days depicted severely emaciated children.

“The UN welcomes today’s approval from the government of Syria to access Madaya, Fua and Kefraya and is preparing to deliver humanitarian assistance in the coming days,” the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said on Thursday.

CAR UN peacekeepers face new sexual abuse charges

Jan 4, 2016

UN peacekeepers in Central African Republic were accused once again of sexual abuse after fresh allegations emerged this week, Reuters reported.

CAR's UN mission, known as MINUSCA said on Tuesday that it was "investigating fresh allegations concerning both sexual exploitation and abuse and other misconduct by U.N. Peacekeepers and international forces in Bangui."

The new reports come only weeks after the UN was accused of failing to act on previous allegations of child sexual abuse in 2013 and 2014.

Vatican officially recognises Palestine

Jan 2, 2016

An agreement singed last year to make the Vatican’s preliminary recognition of Palestine in 2012 official came into effect on Saturday, reports Reuters.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Vatican said,

“The Holy See and the State of Palestine have notified each other that the procedural requirements for (the accord’s) entry into force have been fulfilled,” the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday.

U.S. 'deeply disappointed' that Rwandan president will seek third term

Jan 2, 2016

The United States is “deeply disappointed” by Rwandan President Paul Kagame New Year’s announcement that he would seek a third term 2017, reports Reuters.

The spokesperson for the US State Department,

“The United States is deeply disappointed the President Paul Kagame has announced his intention to run for a third term in office. The United States believes constitutional transitions of power are essential for strong democracies and that efforts by incumbents to change rules to stay in power weaken democratic institutions.”

Afghan president seeks to restore Taliban peace process in new year

Dec 30, 2015

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that international meetings next month to lay the foundation of peace talks with Taliban would seek an approach that ended terrorism.

Officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are due to meet in Islamabad in less than 2 weeks in attempts to restore the peace process with Taliban which fell apart last year.

Speaking to press, Afghan President Ashraaf Ghani, said,

“The fundamental issue here is the choice: choose peace or terrorism. There will be no tolerance for terrorism."

US expresses concern over arrest of journalists using anti-terror legislation in Ethiopia

Dec 29, 2015

The White House expressed concern regarding the arrest of journalists in Ethiopia using anti-terror legislation in a statement on Wednesday.

The National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price said,

“We are deeply concerned by the recent arrests of other journalists. We urge the Ethiopian government to release journalists and all others imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression, to refrain from using its Anti-Terrorism Proclamation as a mechanism to silence dissent.”

LATEST NEWS

NAVIGATION

FOLLOW US