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,…

Ukrainian vote to forge closer ties with NATO angers Russia

Dec 22, 2014
Ukraine's parliament has voted to drop the country's “non-aligned” status and stated that it will work towards eventually joining NATO, in a move that has angered the Russian government.

The vote on Tuesday received 303 votes – 77 more than the minimum needed to pass the amendment into law.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko told foreign diplomats before the vote on Monday night that “Ukraine's fight for its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty has turned into a decisive factor in our relations with the world.”

After the vote he tweeted "European and Euro-Atlantic integrations -- that is Ukraine's XX course."

The move has angered Russia with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, saying “it will only escalate the confrontation and creates the illusion that it is possible to resolve Ukraine’s deep internal crisis by passing such laws.”

Lavrov went on to demand Ukraine "put an end to confrontation" and stop passing "absolutely counterproductive" measures.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in a Facebook post that "in essence, an application for NATO membership will turn Ukraine into a potential military opponent for Russia."

Egypt receives 10 US attack helicopters

Dec 21, 2014
The Egyptian army has received 10 Apache attack helicopters from the United States, following the US decision to reverse an imposed hold on military aid.

State-run Al-Ahram Gate quoted a military source confirming the arrival of the helicopters, whilst a US senior administration official also told AFP "they got there a few weeks ago."

The US, which allocates $1.5bn in aid to Egypt, including $1.3bn in military assistance, froze aid to the country in October 2013 after the military overthrew the then elected president Mohamed Morsi.

Renewed calls for prosecution of those responsible for torture in CIA interrogation program

Dec 21, 2014
Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union wrote to the US attorney general Eric Holder with calls for a criminal investigation into torture and other serious abuses revealed in a recent report on the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) interrogation and detention program.

Citing findings from the Senate Intelligence Committee report on the CIA, the organisations, on Monday, called for a special prosecutor to investigate crimes including, torture, conspiracy, sexual assault and homicide, with a view to prosecute.

"The Senate torture report shows that CIA officials knew their methods were illegal and tried hard to cover them up. A full investigation is necessary to show that torture in the name of national security is still a criminal offense," said the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth.

The New York Times editorial board, on Sunday, called for a credible investigation into the torture allegations, that held US officials accountable.

North Korea threatens US over Sony hacking

Dec 21, 2014
North Korea has threatened to confront the United States in retaliation for White House claims that Pyongyang was behind the recent cyber attack on Sony.

In a statement, North Korea said "the army and people of the DPRK are fully ready to stand in confrontation with the US in all war spaces including cyber warfare space."

"Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House, the Pentagon and the whole US mainland, the cesspool of terrorism, by far surpassing the 'symmetric counteraction' declared by Obama."

The North Korean statement went on to accuse US President Barack Obama of "recklessly making the rumour" that North Korea was responsible for the Sony attack, which leaked a Hollywood comedy film on the fictional assassination of North Korea's leader.

Obama said on Sunday that the United States would respond "proportionately" to the cyber-attack. "I'll wait to review what the findings are," he said in an interview to CNN, stating however, that the cyberattack was not "an act of war". He went on to say that fresh sanctions were being considered, including putting North Korea on the list of states that sponsor terrorism.

Germany votes to send troops to support Kurdish Peshmerga forces

Dec 20, 2014
The German government voted in favour of sending military experts to the Kurdistan region as part of Berlin’s commitment to support Peshmerga forces in a war against Islamic State militants.

“We have had excellent relations with Peshmerga forces. They are reliable and very much concerned, but they need guns and training,” said the German defence minister, Ursula Von Der Leyen, on Thursday.

The deployment of roughly 100 troops is expected to happen in January 2015, reports Rudaw news.

The Peshmerga, known for their devout commitment to the Kurdish nationalist cause and regarded as well-trained, well-armed and capable, are the Iraqi Kurdish military force of the Kurdish struggle for self-determination. The term Peshmerga translates to ‘those who follow death.’

US seeks China's help to combat North Korean hackers

Dec 20, 2014
The US has sought China’s help to curb North Korea’s ability to launch Cyberattacks, as first steps of a proportional response to recent Cyberattacks that pressured Sony into dropping a film, senior administration officials told the New York Times.

Obama has also asked the US military’s Cyber Command, which is led by the National Security Agency, to produce a range of offensive options that could be directed at North Korea.

“What we are looking for is a blocking action, something that would cripple their efforts to carry out attacks. There are a lot of constraints on us, because we live in a giant glass house,” an official said.

Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza

Dec 19, 2014
The Israeli military launched airstrikes in Gaza in response to rocket fire on Saturday, the first time such action has been taken since hostilities in August ended in a truce.

A Hamas cement factory was reportedly the target of the strike, taking place in retaliation for a rocket attack from Gaza into southern Israel on Friday. Local hospital officials reported no casualties from the airstrike.

The rocket attack, which landed in an open field and caused no injuries, was the third instance of fire from Gaza since the August 26 truce.

Commenting on the strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said,
“Israel's safety comes first. I won't allow even one rocket, and that is why the IAF responded to the rocket and destroyed a cement factory that was making cement to repair tunnels that were hit during Operation Protective Edge. Hamas will be held responsible for every escalation.”

US imposes sanctions on Venezuelan government officials

Dec 18, 2014
President Barack Obama signed a new legislation to impose sanctions on Venezuelan government officials accused of violating protesters’ rights during demonstrations earlier this year.

The new legislation, signed on Thursday, will deny visas and freeze assets of officials involved in a crackdown on political opponents during three months of street protests in Venezuela, reports Reuters.

Commenting on the sanctions, a US embassy official said,

Kurds break IS siege at Sinjar

Dec 18, 2014
Kurdish peshmerga fighters are reported to have beaten back Islamic State (IS) forces at Mount Sinjar, recapturing a large area of territory and opening a pathway to free hundreds of trapped Yazidis.

"Peshmerga forces have reached Mount Sinjar, the siege on the mountain has been lifted," Masrour Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurdish region's national security council, said on Thursday.

The Kurdish security council said,
“In under 48 hours, peshmerga forces have succeeded in retaking 700 square kilometres of Isis-held territory... This corridor . . . has enabled the peshmerga to gain direct access to the displaced people trapped on Mt Sinjar, to provide humanitarian support and evacuation where necessary.”
Kurdish fighters were backed by US-led airstrikes, with reports of 45 strikes in total, a figure described as “unprecedented” by the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut. He also said the Kurdish attack as the “biggest offensive ever mounted by anybody against IS”.

Colonel Nawruz Majid Mohammed, a Kurdish commander, acknowledged the role the strikes played, saying, “We couldn’t have done any of this without the help of coalition airstrikes”.

Now is the moment to act' on Syria says David Miliband

Dec 18, 2014
Former British Foreign Minister and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband has highlighted the urgent need for a step-change in international engagement with Syria in an opinion piece co-authored with Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children UK and Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Writing in the Guardian, the opinion piece said “obligations enshrined in international law hold no purchase” in Syria, noting that schools and hospitals were continually subjected to attacks. “Murder, torture and sexual violence are part of daily life,” it continued.
Ukrainian vote to forge closer ties with NATO angers Russia
Egypt receives 10 US attack helicopters
Renewed calls for prosecution of those responsible for torture in CIA interrogation program
North Korea threatens US over Sony hacking
Germany votes to send troops to support Kurdish Peshmerga forces
US seeks China's help to combat North Korean hackers
Israel launches airstrikes in Gaza
US imposes sanctions on Venezuelan government officials
Kurds break IS siege at Sinjar
Now is the moment to act' on Syria says David Miliband