WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Rwandan genocide memorial in Nyamata (Fanny Schertzer) German prosecutors have arrested a German-Rwandan national on suspicion of complicity in genocide and 25 counts of murder during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. The suspect, identified only as Innocent S. under German privacy rules, was arrested in the central German state of Hesse on Wednesday. According to Reuters,…

Libya summons French ambassador after secret mission deaths

The Libyan government has summoned the French ambassador after Paris confirmed the deaths of three of its soldiers on a secret mission near Benghazi last week.

French president François Hollande confirmed the deaths last Wednesday, saying France was “carrying out dangerous intelligence operations there”. “Three of our soldiers who were taking part in those operations have lost their lives,” he said.

Thailand activists charged with ‘defamation’ after releasing torture report

Thailand has charged three human rights activists with “criminal defamation” after the release of a report documenting torture by the Thai military in the south of the country.

The three activists Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Anchana Heemmina and Somchai Homlaor published their report based on 54 survivor accounts of torture whilst in military custody. They now face prison sentences.

Khongkachonkiet also serves as the chairperson of Amnesty International in Thailand.~

Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty said the charges were "a cruel paradox that they are harassing activists for exposing the abhorrent practice".

Islamic State claim attack in France

The Islamic state has claimed responsiblity over an attack in Rouen, France on Tuesday, which left an elderly priest dead and another individual severely injured.

Two men attacked the priest with a knife a church in the northern French town, whilst taking another 5 people hostage. Both attackers were later shot dead by French police.

The French president Francois Hollande condemned the attack stating the country would "use all its means" to defeat IS.

"We are put to the test yet again," Mr Hollande said. "The threat remains very high."

Polish MPs label massacres by Ukrainian nationalists a genocide

Poland's parliament passed a resolution on Friday, determining that the massacre of over 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II was a genocide.

“The victims of the crimes committed in the 1940s by Ukrainian nationalists were not duly commemorated, and the mass murder was not defined as genocide in accordance with the historical truth," said the resolution, which was passed by a vote of 432-1.

The move immediately drew a reaction from Kiev, with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressing "regret" over the resolution. He went on to invoke Christian teachings, calling for people to “forgive and ask for forgiveness” whilst saying more was needed to be done in order to “determine all the facts of this tragic page of our joint history”.

Karadzic appeals genocide conviction

The former Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic appealed his 40 year sentence for genocide and war crimes committed during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

Claiming he "was subjected to a political trial that was simply designed to confirm the demonization of him and the Bosnian Serb people" by the UN war crimes court, Mr Karadzic made his appeal on Friday.

"Having spent eight years in a UN prison and gone through a five-year trial... Karadzic is convinced that international justice is a failed project," his lawyer, Peter Robsinson said on Friday.

Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul bombing

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a bombing in the Afghan capital of Kabul, which killed at least 61 people and wounded more than 200 on Saturday.

The attack targeted a protest march by ethnic Hazara Shiites, who were demonstrating against discrimination that they face.

It was condemned by Afghan President Ashrag Ghani and by the Taliban, who denied any involvement in the bombing.

The IS-linked Amaq news agency though claimed that two IS fighters were responsible for the explosions.
 

EU slams Turkey's 'unacceptable' mass round up

The European Union (EU) has criticised the Turkish government's mass arrests in the wake of a failed coup last week, calling the moves “unacceptable”.

A statement by High Representative Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn said the whilst the EU condemned the attempted coup, it was following developments in the country “very closely and with concern”.

More than 50,000 Turkish state employees have been arrested or sacked, including members of the judiciary, media and academia, as President Erdogan rounded up those he accused of being complicit with the coup plotters.

Turkey's parliament also approved a state of emergency bill, which deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmuş said will lead his government to “derogate the European convention on human rights insofar as it does not conflict with its international obligations”.

African Union agrees to deploy forces in South Sudan

Leaders from the African Union have backed plans to deploy 12,000 troops in South Sudan, after weeks of fighting in the country between rival factions.

Representatives from the African Union agreed to have troops from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda deployed in the country – a move that South Sudan has opposed.

Speaking to the BBC, South Sudan's Information Minister, Michael Makuei Lueth said his government was “not ready for a deployment of even a single additional soldier”. "That does not solve the problem," he continued, adding "As a sovereign state… this thing cannot be imposed on us without our consent".

Serbia set benchmarks on war crimes prosecutions to join EU

The EU told Serbia on Monday that it must meet certain benchmarks around the prosecution of war crimes in order to work towards membership of the European Union.

In a document which laid out the terms on which further chapters in Serbia's negotiations around EU membership are set out, the EU said, "Serbia needs to engage “in meaningful regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations in handling of war crimes by avoiding conflicts of jurisdictions and ensuring that war crimes are prosecuted without any discrimination."

“All outstanding issues in this regard must be fully resolved,” the document added.

US-led airstrikes kill civilians in Syria claim activists

Airstrikes by a US-led coalition on territory held by the Islamic State (IS) have resulted in the deaths of at least 56 civilians on Tuesday according to Syrian opposition activists.

The villages of Tokhar and Hoshariyeh in the IS stronghold of Manbij has been the subject of an offensive by Kurdish militants backed by a US-led coalition for several weeks, reports the New York Times.