WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

German police arrest Rwanda genocide suspect accused of ordering killings
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,…

China's president to visit US on Sept 25

Sep 15, 2015
China's president, Xi Jingping is to visit the United States later this month on an official state trip where he will be hosted by the US president, Barack Obama.

The visit will take place on September 25 the White House said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

"President Xi's visit will present an opportunity to expand U.S.-China cooperation on a range of global, regional, and bilateral issues of mutual interest, while also enabling President Obama and President Xi to address areas of disagreement constructively," the White House added in a statement.

South Africa invites Bashir to enter again

Sep 14, 2015
South Africa welcomed the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who faces a warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, to enter the country again, despite widespread criticism of Mr Bashir's visit to South Africa in June.

The South African president, Jacob Zuma, told diplomats that Sudan was likely to participate in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which is due to take place in Johannesburg in December.

"It is expected that the Sudanese government will participate in FOCAC," Mr Zuma was quoted by AFP as saying.

In June, despite numerous calls for Mr Bashir to be arrested and handed over to the ICC on arrival in South Africa, the South African government said that he was granted immunity as he was attending an African Union summit.

French court stops extradition of Rwandan genocide suspect

Sep 14, 2015
A court in France on Tuesday stopped the extradition of a Rwandan genocide suspect, Joseph Habyarimana, who is accused of inciting the murder of monks in a monastery in 1994, reports Le Monde.

A judge in a Toulouse court, where Mr Habyarimana now resides did not grant the extradition request stating that the crimes were not deemed a criminal offence at the time and therefore the law could not be enacted retrospectively.

The ruling was met with anger by a group representing the victims, the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda (CPCR).

December 9th welcomed as International Day to honour genocide victims

Sep 13, 2015
The marking of December 9th as 'International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime' by the UN General Assembly last Friday was welcomed on Monday by the UN's Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng.

“Remembering the events of the past and paying tribute to those who perished should strengthen our resolve to prevent such events from ever happening again,” Mr Dieng said statement today.

“We have a collective responsibility to prevent genocide – and by commemorating the victims of the crime of genocide, we can dignify them and show that we are not indifferent, that we care about what happened to them and will never forget them.”

US urges calm on both sides in Jerusalem

Sep 13, 2015
The United States urged both sides to restrain from escalating violence, following clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces by the Al-Asqa mosque or Temple Mount.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the increase in violence and escalating tensions surrounding the (al-)Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount," the US State Department spokesperson, John Kirby, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"We strongly condemn all acts of violence. It is absolutely critical that all sides exercise restraint, refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric and preserve unchanged the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount."

Northern Ireland's disappeared buried 43 years on

Sep 13, 2015
One of Northern Ireland's 'disappeared', Kevin McKee was buried today in Belfast, 43 years after he went missing just before his 17th birthday.

Speaking at the funeral, the priest Father Michael Murtagh was quoted by the Belfast Telegraph as saying:

"We acknowledge 43 years of pain, of wondering, of uncertainty and not knowing what had happened."

Yemeni govt drops out of UN peace talks

Sep 12, 2015
The Yemeni government pulled out of UN mediated peace talks on Sunday, stating that they would not take part until the armed groups accepted and implemented resolution 2216.

"[Yemen's government] confirmed it would not take part in any meeting until the coup militia recognize international resolution 2216 and accepts to implement it unconditionally," the official state news agency Saba was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The government is currently in exile in Saudi Arabia following escalating violence between government forces and Houthi fighters.

Corbyn elected as UK's opposition leader

Sep 12, 2015

Updated 1300 GMT

Corbyn addresses Mullivaikkal memorial event on May 18th, 2011

Jeremy Corbyn, the veteran anti-Apartheid campaigner won the UK opposition party's leadership contest on Saturday with a sweeping victory.

Winning 59.5% of the vote, Mr Corbyn's victory exceeded the poll predictions and came despite a number of key Labour figures expressing concern about the party's chances at the next election if he was elected as leader.

Germany re-imposes border controls on refugees

Sep 12, 2015
Germany announced today that it was temporarily re-imposing border controls to slow the flow of refugees into the country. Trains travelling to Germany from Austria were suspended for 12 hours ending Monday morning.

This comes just over a week after Germany and Austria effectively opened their borders to refugees by choosing to stop enforcing the EU’s “Dublin” rules where asylum seekers are required to register in the first member state they arrive in.

Russia to continue military support to Syrian government

Sep 12, 2015

Russia’s will continue to provide military supplies to the Syrian government, reports Reuters.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying that Russian aid would be offered with supervision.

Speaking to a Russian news agency on Sunday, Mr Lavrov said,

China's president to visit US on Sept 25
South Africa invites Bashir to enter again
French court stops extradition of Rwandan genocide suspect
December 9th welcomed as International Day to honour genocide victims
US urges calm on both sides in Jerusalem
Northern Ireland's disappeared buried 43 years on
Yemeni govt drops out of UN peace talks
Corbyn elected as UK's opposition leader
Germany re-imposes border controls on refugees
Russia to continue military support to Syrian government