WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old nursing graduate and rickshaw driver from Somalia, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after being convicted of insulting government institutions over comments she made on social media. Ali, who had posted on Facebook and TikTok, was sentenced on 25 June in a case that has sparked outrage in Somalia and renewed concern over the shrinking space for…

More protests at Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square became the site of public anger once more on Friday, as tens of thousands of protesters returned to denounce Egypt's military rulers.

Condemning what they state is effectively a military coup, protesters vowed to continue their protests until democracy was achieved.

The results of last weekend's, much disputed, presidential election are due to be announced on Sunday.

Serbia to investigate genocide fugitive aides

Serbia has announced that they will investigate 13 persons accused of aiding genocide fugitives from evading justice, after criticism from a UN tribunal last month.

Following condemnation from the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Serbia announced that 13 people, including a high ranking military official, would be amongst those investigated for aiding genocide suspects Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic before their eventual capture.

US blocking DR Congo human rights report – HRW

New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch has said the US is blocking the publication of a UN inquiry into rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UN report includes details of Rwandan funding for the rebels in the neighbouring country.

The rebels are led by General Bosco Ntaganda, also known as ‘Terminator’, who is wanted for committing war crimes.

Rebels in the region operate rackets under which precious minerals are extracted.

Saudi Arabia to fund Syrian rebels

Saudi officials are to pay the Free Syria Army wages in a bid to encourage mass defections, reports The Guardian on Friday.

Following on from a recent wave of weapons, sent to the rebels by Saudi Arabia and Qatar across the Turkish border, this latest move was discussed last month between US and Arab officials.

According to The Guardian, the rebels will be paid in either US dollars or euros, in view of the Syrian pounds sharp decline.

Suu Kyi addresses Houses of Parliament

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has addressed both Houses of Parliament during her visit to Great Britain.

Ms Suu Kyi met Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron at No 10.

At a joint press conference the prime minister paid tribute to Ms Suu Kyi.

He said: "Over these years you have been a symbol of courage and of hope for our people and for your people and around the world.

World Refugee Day 2012

More than one million people around the world took part in marking World Refugee Day  on 20th June, remembering the 42 million people who are currently displaced from their homes.

In his keynote speech, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that many more millions had been displaced in the past 18 months from Cote d’lvoire, Libya, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Syria.

Ban Ki-Moon said,

Syrian air force pilot defects to Jordan

A Syrian air force pilot, Colonel Hassan Hamada, defected to Jordan on Thursday, flying his MiG-21 fighter plane over the border to the King Hussein military air base in Jordan.

According to Jordanian officials the defecting pilot was seeking aslyum.

Jordan's Minister of State for Information, Samih al-Maaytah, said to the Reuters news agency:

"The cabinet has decided to grant the Syrian pilot political asylum upon his request."

Syrian UN team was targeted by gunfire – Gen Mood

The head of the observer mission to Syria, General Robert Mood, has told the Security Council that the UN team was targeted by gun fire and hostile crowds, ahead of his decision to suspend the mission.

Diplomats say Gen Mood described how his 300 unarmed monitors were targeted at least 10 times by direct fire and nine UN vehicles were struck in the past week alone.

Gen Mood earlier called on both sides to allow the evacuation of trapped civilians; however the Syrian government blamed opposition fighters of ‘obstructing’ their attempts.

Iran warned of tougher sanctions

France has warned Iran of tougher sanctions if it doesn’t negotiate seriously over its nuclear program.

Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, said the EU should implement an agreed oil embargo from July 1.

Recent talks between Iran and the US, China, Russia, Germany, France, and the UK, also known as the P5+1, left ‘significant gaps’ according to EU foreign policy head, Catherine Ashton.

UK ministers boycott Euro 2012 quarter finals in Ukraine

The UK government ministers have decided to boycott England’s Euro 2012 quarter-final on Sunday due to concerns over human rights in Ukraine.

The sports minister, Hugh Robertson, will not travel to the game on Sunday. The Foreign office have defended the decision given the questionable justice and human rights record in Ukraine.

When asked why ministers would not be there, a Downing Street spokeswoman said,