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,…

Al Jazeera journalists freed on bail by Egyptian court

A court in Cairo has agreed to release two Al Jazeera journalists on bail after being held for more than 400 days on charges of aiding terrorism.

The charges against the two men are still pending, with the next hearing set for February 23.

The release of the two men, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed was hailed by their relatives.

Commenting on the release, an Al-Jazeera spokesman said,

Following his release, Baher Mohamed sent this tweet from his Twitter account.

All night talks lead to Ukrainian ceasefire deal

Talks between the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine which extended throughout the night in Belarus, have led to an agreed ceasefire deal, aimed at halting fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The ceasefire is due to come into force on 15 February, with the deal also including prisoner exchanges, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and the lifting of restrictions on separatist held areas of Ukraine.

However, Russian president Vladimir Putin said that there were still issues that needed resolving. “The first thing is constitutional reform that should take into consideration the legitimate rights of people who live in Donbass,” said Mr Putin. “There are also border issues. Finally there are a whole range of economic and humanitarian issues.”

Petro Poroshenko, Ukraine's president said the negotiations were “not easy”, stating “all sorts of unacceptable conditions were put forth to us”.

Australian detention of refugee children a 'clear violation of international human rights law'

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) called for a judicial inquiry into the detention of children of asylum seekers in a report condemning the practise, stating that it violates international law.

The report, The Forgotten Children, published this week by the president of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs, found that more than 300 children had either committed or threatened self harm during a 15-month period that also saw over 200 assaults and 30 reported sexual assaults.


Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott however criticised the report saying the AHRC was engaged in “transparent stitch-ups”. He went on to say the report was a “blatantly partisan exercise” and that the commission “should be ashamed of itself”.

The “prolonged detention is having profoundly negative impacts on the mental and emotional health and development of children”, states the report, noting that “at the time of writing this report, children and adults had been detained for over a year on average.”

Myanmar withdraws Rohingya right to vote after Buddhists protest

The government in Myanmar withdrew temporary voting rights given to Rohingya, after widespread protests by Buddhists.

The move means the over one million strong Rohingya population in Myanmar will not be able to vote in the forthcoming constitutional referendum.

The temporary voting cards, known as white papers, were introduced in 2010 to allow ethnic minorities to vote in elections.

"White card holders are not citizens and those who are non-citizens don't have the right to vote in other countries," said Shin Thumana, a Buddhist monk who took part in the protest.

"This is just a ploy by politicians to win votes."

Buddhist monks have been at the forefront of protests against the Rohingya, including when violent clashes erupted in 2012.

Algeria and Benin pledge support for Sahrawi self determination

Algeria and Benin reaffirmed their support for the self determination of the Sahrawi people in a joint statement published as Beninese president Thomas Boni Yayi concludes his visit to Algeria this week.

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika signed the statement which said both countries,
"reaffirmed their support to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy Christopher Ross, in finding a political and mutually acceptable solution, which provides for the self-determination of Western Sahara people, in line with the Resolutions of UN Security Council and General Assembly."

Hundreds of migrants feared dead as boats capsize

More than 200 migrants are thought to be dead after their boats carrying them across the Mediterranean Sea capsized on Wednesday.

The migrants had reportedly left the Libyan coast in four dinghy boats on Saturday. The Italian coastguard rescued 9 men, all of whom are thought to be from West Africa. “The other 203 were swallowed by the waves”, said UNHCR spokeswoman in Italy Carlotta Sami.

The UNHCR regional director Vincent Cochetel said the incident is a "tragedy on an enormous scale", adding it is "a stark reminder that more lives could be lost if those seeking safety are left at the mercy of the sea."

UN withdraws from offensive on DRC rebels over violations

UN peacekeeping troops will not take part in an offensive against FDLR rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after the Congolese government refused to dismiss two generals who stand accused of human rights violations, according to a spokesperson.

The leader of the operation to disarm the rebels, Gen Bruno Mandevu, is on a UN "red list" over 121 alleged human rights violations, including rapes and summary executions, Reuters reported.

"The U.N. Mission in the DRC has raised concerns linking two FARDC (Congolese army) generals to human rights violations, and therefore we have paused our support to FARDC on anti-FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) operations," a senior UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Nigeria to probe refugee camp abuse allegations

The Nigerian government said it will investigate allegations of rape, child trafficking and other abuses, alleged to have happened in camps for refugees fleeing from Boko Haram.

A spokesperson for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) told the BBC an investigation team would visit every camp for the displaced.

US calls for 'full, frank and just acknowledgement' of massacres of Armenians

The United States called on Turkey to acknowledge the massacre of Armenians, as preparations were underway to mark 100 years since the killing of almost 1.5 million people.

Speaking on Turkish television, United States’ Ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, said,
“Our policy is that we believe that a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts surrounding those terrible massacres and tragedies in 1915 is in the interest of the citizens of Turkey, it is in the interest of the citizens of Armenia and it is in the interest of the descendants of people who suffered in that period.”
The US Senate recognised the killings by Ottoman forces as genocide last year, however Turkey has refused to do so.

US closes embassy in Yemen

The United States closed its embassy in Yemen, confirmed officials in Washington.

The announcement comes as Shi’ite Houthi militants captured the capital in September whilst forcing the incumbent President, Abd-Rabuu Mansour Hadi to resign.

A further source told Reuters that 100 US marines were protecting the embassy in Yemen.

The Pentagon spokesman, on Tuesday, said,