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,…

Strong opposition to Palestine-Israel peacetalks

Leaders of a Palestinian movement to boycott Israel have outlined their intention to oppose any peace talks, even if they include a conversations relating to the freezing of Jewish settlements.  

The Boycott Divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, lobbies worldwide for the economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel.

Farc resumes peace talks

The Colombian rebel group Farc, has resumed peace talks with the Colombian government in Havana.

This phase of the discussions will focus on the disarmament of the rebels and their transition to a political entity.

The government's lead negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, said that they would be "establishing rules which will allow the transition of the Farc to an unarmed political force".

Turkish PM warns no more tolerance, as protest continue

The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday that he will not show "any more tolerance" towards the protesters.

Pledging to put an end to the demonstrations, Erdogan said that protesters had 'infringed on other people's freedom'.

Protests have been on-going since 31st May. Here are some photographs of the protests last week sent to Tamil Guardian by Ismail Okan Ukav, a journalism student at Istanbul Aydin University in Turkey:


SL strengthens relations in the EU

Sri Lanka and Slovenia have agreed to further strengthen the bilateral trade and economic ties between the two countries at the conclusion of an official visit to the country by Sri Lanka’s Minister of External Affairs G.L Peiris.

Peiris, who met with several Slovenian officials, emphasised that continued visits by business leaders from Sri Lanka to Slovenia would serve to mutually benefit trade and investment opportunities in both countries.

UN expert calls for Israel torture inquiry

UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk has called for an international investigation into allegations of torture and other abuses of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

Falk said in a report that Israeli violations were happening on a “massive scale” and the blockade on Gaza was “collective punishment” of the Palestinian people.

"The treatment of thousands of Palestinians detained or imprisoned by Israel continues to be extremely worrisome," he said.

Turkish government to meet with protesters

The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first conciliatory gesture towards protestors, agreeing to meet with them this week, amid mass demonstrations against government policies, that have been criticised of restricting lifestyles.

Sudan's Bashir 'mobilising for war' says South Sudan

The South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir, accused Sudan's President, Omar al-Bashir, of "mobilising for war" on Monday, after Bashir threatened to cut off South Sudan's oil flow.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kiir said:
"The people of South Sudan should remain calm and patient as we work with the African Union to resolve this impasse with Sudan."
Criticising the "aggressive attitude" of Sudan, Kiir also raised concerns about the African Union's ability to mediate.

Kiir said:

China-US leaders aim for cooperation at 2 day summit

US President Barack Obama described the two day summit between himself and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as "terrific" as the summit drew to a close on Saturday.

Held in California, the two leaders discussed cyber crime, North Korea's nuclear programme and other issues including the economy and environment.

China's senior foreign policy adviser, Yang Jiechi, told reporters "cyber-security should not become the root cause of mutual suspicion and friction, rather it should be a new bright spot in our co-operation."

Asylum boat sinks off Australian coast

A boat carying migrants has sunk off the coast of Australia, with at least 13 people confirmed dead.

Searches are still ongoing, however no survivors have yet been found. The boat sunk around 120km off Christmas Island and is thought to have had 55 people on board.

The Australian air force spotted the boat on Wednesday but it had disappeared by the next day. A search was launched for the boat, and bodies were found on Friday and Saturday.

Talks agreed between South and North Korea

South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold the first high-level meeting in five years, after months of rising tension between the two states.

The agreement, aimed at rebuilding trust between the two Koreas, comes after hours of preliminary talks in the truce village of Panmunjom.

The talks are due to take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Seoul.

See the BBC for full report.