Condemnations have focused, in particular, on the application of the death penalty by stoning for offences such as blasphemy and illicit sex acts such as sodomy, rape and extra-marital sex; whipping and amputations for "less serious crimes". According to the United Nations, Brunei's adoption of the penal code violates international law as "stoning people to death constitutes torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment and is thus clearly prohibited". Amnesty International also warned that the move threatened to send the country back to the "dark ages".
Brunei: When Sharia serves the sultan and US media - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
Saturday 31 May 2014
Syrian refugees seek sanctuary in Morocco - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
For many, Morocco is seen as a major jumping-off point to reach European shores. Many families attempt to enter the Spanish-occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco, looking for ways to reach Europe.
Syrian refugees seek sanctuary in Morocco - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Friday 30 May 2014
Legacy at risk, Obama struggles to redefine foreign policy
The best outcome Obama can hope for may be for Moscow to refrain from taking over more of eastern Ukraine, which might be a credit to the impact of U.S.-led sanctions but hardly an accomplishment of historic proportions for his second term.
The image of Obama as a passive world leader has been fed by perceptions he has allowed the civil war in Syria to fester. His failure to strike Syrian forces last year after they crossed a U.S. "red line" on the use of chemical weapons left doubts about Obama’s willingness to use force in other world crises.
Though Obama used his speech to graduating cadets at West Point on Wednesday to announce increased support for Syrian rebels, he made clear U.S. involvement would remain limited.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/30/us-usa-obama-foreign-analysis-idUSKBN0EA01P20140530
Wednesday 28 May 2014
Missing from Obama’s foreign policy speech: the peace process and the fire in his belly
According to Chemi Shalev, the critics that Obama confronted at West
Point are also Israel’s strongest allies: Those who see international
diplomacy as weakness and military intervention as the only sign of
strength.
Syria, as always, is the bane of Obama’s life, his Achilles’ heel. It was the retreat last year from his clear-cut commitment to punish Syria for using chemical weapons that placed support for his foreign policy on such a slippery slope; it was his failure to intervene in the ongoing mass murder of Syrians that distanced him from his interventionist liberal wing, and it is in Syria, as he said Wednesday, where the next great threat of anti-American terror is breeding. But it was Syria that was the undoing of the speech as well, when Obama failed to live up to the hype that he would proclaim American training and arms for anti-Assad rebels. Obama tried to set down a third way between isolationists at any costs and interventionists no matter what, though by the standards of his critics he was simply pulling back and surrendering.
Missing from Obama’s foreign policy speech: the peace process and the fire in his belly - Diplomacy and Defense Israel News | Haaretz
Point are also Israel’s strongest allies: Those who see international
diplomacy as weakness and military intervention as the only sign of
strength.
Syria, as always, is the bane of Obama’s life, his Achilles’ heel. It was the retreat last year from his clear-cut commitment to punish Syria for using chemical weapons that placed support for his foreign policy on such a slippery slope; it was his failure to intervene in the ongoing mass murder of Syrians that distanced him from his interventionist liberal wing, and it is in Syria, as he said Wednesday, where the next great threat of anti-American terror is breeding. But it was Syria that was the undoing of the speech as well, when Obama failed to live up to the hype that he would proclaim American training and arms for anti-Assad rebels. Obama tried to set down a third way between isolationists at any costs and interventionists no matter what, though by the standards of his critics he was simply pulling back and surrendering.
Missing from Obama’s foreign policy speech: the peace process and the fire in his belly - Diplomacy and Defense Israel News | Haaretz
Libyan warplanes hit Benghazi bases
Libyan warplanes have bombed bases of armed groups in Benghazi as
part of a self-declared campaign by a renegade former general to purge
the North African country of religious hardline militias.
A Reuters witness and an air force official in Benghazi said two jets
bombed a base belonging to the February 17th Brigade, one of the armed
groups operating in the eastern city, and an Ansar al-Sharia base in the
west of the city.
"Air raids targeted a camp of the February 17 Martyrs Brigades,
hitting it with two missiles," Ahmed al-Jazaoui, a former rebel, also
told the AFP news agency.
February 17 is one of the biggest and most powerful militias in
Benghazi. It had its origin during the uprising against longtime
dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Libyan warplanes hit Benghazi bases - Africa - Al Jazeera English
part of a self-declared campaign by a renegade former general to purge
the North African country of religious hardline militias.
A Reuters witness and an air force official in Benghazi said two jets
bombed a base belonging to the February 17th Brigade, one of the armed
groups operating in the eastern city, and an Ansar al-Sharia base in the
west of the city.
"Air raids targeted a camp of the February 17 Martyrs Brigades,
hitting it with two missiles," Ahmed al-Jazaoui, a former rebel, also
told the AFP news agency.
February 17 is one of the biggest and most powerful militias in
Benghazi. It had its origin during the uprising against longtime
dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Libyan warplanes hit Benghazi bases - Africa - Al Jazeera English
Tunisie : quatre policiers tués dans une tentative d'attentat contre le ministre de l'intérieur
Le ministère de l'intérieur de Tunisie annonce la mort de quatre policiers tunisiens dans une attaque « terroriste » perpétrée dans la nuit du mardi au mercredi 28 mai à Kasserine, ville du centre du pays.
Cette attaque visait le domicile du ministre de l'intérieur, Lotfi Ben Jeddou, qui ne se trouvait pas sur les lieux. Un correspondant de l'AFP, qui s'est rendu sur place, a vu des traces de sang sur les murs externes de la maison ainsi que sur le sol à quelques mètres du bâtiment.
Les assaillants étaient encagoulés et se trouvaient à bord d'un pick-up, a indiqué un habitant de Kasserine qui les a vus après l'attaque. La Tunisie a connu une année noire en 2013 avec deux assassinats politiques et des violences contre les forces de l'ordre, toutes attribuées à la mouvance djihadiste qui a pris de l'essor après la révolution de 2011.
http://www.lemonde.fr/tunisie/article/2014/05/28/tunisie-tentative-d-attentat-contre-le-ministre-de-l-interieur_4427436_1466522.html
A brasilia manifestation violemment dispersee
Les indigènes du Brésil - qui représentent aujourd'hui 0,3% de la population - ont multiplié leurs manifestations dans la capitale fédérale sous le gouvernement de la présidente Dilma Rousseff, qu'ils accusent de freiner la délimitation de leurs terres au bénéfice des grands agriculteurs.
http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2014/05/28/a-brasilia-une-manifestation-d-indiens-et-de-grevistes-violemment-dispersee_4427432_3222.html
http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2014/05/28/a-brasilia-une-manifestation-d-indiens-et-de-grevistes-violemment-dispersee_4427432_3222.html
Tuesday 27 May 2014
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi seeks Hague trial
Saif al-Islam said if he was executed after a trial in Libya then it
would be tantamount to murder, according to documents submitted to the
International Criminal Court.
The 40-year-old is being held by militia in the city of Zintan.
He has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.
Libya's interim government has so far refused to hand him over for trial in the Netherlands, where the international court is based, arguing that he should face justice in his own country.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-19073600
The 40-year-old is being held by militia in the city of Zintan.
He has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.
Libya's interim government has so far refused to hand him over for trial in the Netherlands, where the international court is based, arguing that he should face justice in his own country.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-19073600
Al Shabaab claims responsibility for Djibouti suicide attack
Somali rebel group al Shabaab was behind the restaurant attack in Djibouti by two suicide bombers over the weekend that killed a Turkish national and wounded several Western soldiers, the militants said on Tuesday.
In the first attack of its kind in the tiny Horn-of-Africa state, a man and a woman blew themselves up at the restaurant on Saturday evening when it was filled with Western military personnel.
Djibouti, which hosts military bases for France and the United States, contributes troops to the African Union mission (AMISOM) trying to stabilise neighbouring Somalia to the south.
"The attack was carried out against the French Crusaders for their complicity in the massacres and persecution of our Muslim brothers in the Central African Republic and for their active role in training and equipping the apostate Djiboutian troops in Somalia," al Shabaab said in a statement.
The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has carried out many gun and bomb attacks outside Somalia, including as assault on a Kenyan shopping mall last year that killed 67 people. On Saturday, it attacked the Somali parliament, killing at least 10 security officers.
The European Union said members of the its naval mission EUNAVFOR Atalanta and civilian maritime security mission EUCAP Nestor were wounded in Saturday's Djibouti bombing.
Spain said three of its air force personnel, in Djibouti as part of the EU mission, were hurt, one of whom was seriously wounded by shrapnel. The Pentagon said no U.S. Defense Department personnel were wounded.
The militants and their sympathisers have carried out a series of attacks in Kenya, another contributor to AMISOM, scaring away western tourists.
Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone also have troops in the AMISOM force.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/27/uk-djibouti-attacks-idUSKBN0E72AA20140527
Libyan Islamists to U.S.: Don't interfere or face worse than Iraq
The leader of
Islamist militant group Ansar al-Sharia in Libya's Benghazi city warned
the United States on Tuesday against interference or it would face worse
than the conflicts in Somalia, Iraq, or Afghanistan.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/27/us-libya-usa-idUSKBN0E72CE20140527
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/27/us-libya-usa-idUSKBN0E72CE20140527
Hollande calls for EU to reduce its role
French president calls for European Union to reduce its role after Eurosceptic parties make sweeping electoral gains.
Hollande calls for EU to reduce its role - Europe - Al Jazeera English
Hollande calls for EU to reduce its role - Europe - Al Jazeera English
Is it just money? Or is it power? - Empire–The Rise of the Oligarchs - Al Jazeera English
Eighty-five people have as much money as three and a half billion
other people. Look at it like this: 85 people = 3,500,000,000 people.
Forbes Magazine, which used to gleefully refer to itself as a
“capitalist tool,” creates an annual list of the richest 400 people in
the world. Ten years ago, their combined wealth was $1,000,000,000,000
(one trillion dollars). Now, after a world wide crash and all sort of
bailouts, their combined worth is $2,000,000,000,000. They’ve doubled
their money. How’ve you done?
Did their money come to them because the magic of the market realised
how ultra-special talented they were? Or because of power? Manipulating
laws, buying politicians, even taking over governments. Has the power
of money in the United States grown so great that democracy is just a
charade? A large, frenetic, incredibly expensive one, but still, just
play-acting and a dumb show for the public?
Is it just money? Or is it power? - Empire–The Rise of the Oligarchs - Al Jazeera English
Turkey orders arrests over Gaza flotilla raid
Court asks Interpol to issue arrest warrants for Israeli military chiefs over deadly 2010 raid on Gaza-bound aid ship.
Turkey orders arrests over Gaza flotilla raid - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Turkey orders arrests over Gaza flotilla raid - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Jordan expels Syrian ambassador for insults
Jordan has given the Syrian ambassador to Amman, Bahjat Suleiman, 24 hours to leave the country for insulting the kingdom.
Jordan expels Syrian ambassador for insults - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Jordan expels Syrian ambassador for insults - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Saturday 24 May 2014
Caribbean states demand reparations from European powers for slave trade
A coalition of Caribbean countries has unveiled its demands for reparations
from Britain and other European nations for the enduring legacy of the slave
trade.
The leaders of 15 states adopted a wide-ranging plan, including seeking a
formal apology from former colonial powers, debt cancellation, greater
development aid as well as unspecified financial damages for the persisting
“psychological trauma” from the days of plantation slavery.
The series of demands to be made of former slaving nations such as Britain,
France, Spain, Portugal and The Netherlands were agreed at a closed-door
meeting of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in St Vincent and the
Grenadines.
The Atlantic slave trade took place from the 16th through to the 19th
centuries.
The group hired Leigh Day, the British law firm, to push their claims after
the company secured a £20 million compensation award for Kenyans who were
tortured by colonial authorities during the Mau Mau rebellion in the 1950s.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/10691024/Caribbean-states-demand-reparations-from-European-powers-for-slave-trade.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/10691024/Caribbean-states-demand-reparations-from-European-powers-for-slave-trade.html
14 Caribbean nations sue Britain, Holland and France for slavery reparations that could cost hundreds of billions of pounds
Britain is being sued with France and
the Netherlands by 14 Caribbean countries demanding what could be
hundreds of billions of pounds in reparations for slavery.Around 175 years after Britain freed its last slaves in the West Indies, an alliance of Caribbean nations is demanding to be repaid for the 'awful', lingering legacy of the Atlantic slave trade.
Caricom, a group of 12 former British colonies together with the former French colony Haiti and the Dutch-held Suriname, believes the European governments should pay – and the UK in particular.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2451891/14-Caribbean-nations-sue-Britain-Holland-France-slavery-reparations.html
Al-Shabab attacks Somali parliament complex
The armed group al-Shabab launched an assault on the Somali
parliament in Mogadishu, setting off a car bomb and storming the complex
in an attack which killed at least 10 people.
Fighters on Saturday set off a car bomb outside the main gates and
hit a guard post and with a suicide blast, before launching a gun
assault on the compound.
African Union and Somali forces said the assault lasted four hours
before the area brought under control. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that at
least 10 people were killed.
Abdulaziz Abu Musab, al-Shabab's military spokesman, told the Reuters
news agency: "The so-called Somali parliament is a military zone. Our
fighters are there to carry out a holy operation. We shall issue a
comprehensive report after the conclusion of the operation."
Al-Shabab attacks Somali parliament complex - Africa - Al Jazeera English
Friday 23 May 2014
Twin bomb explosions rock Islamabad
Twin bomb attacks have rocked Pakistan's capital Islamabad, killing one person and injuring two others, officials have said.
The first blast took place around 2am on Saturday at Super Market, an
upmarket shopping area close to the city centre in an area known as F6.
Twin bomb explosions rock Islamabad - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English
Thursday 22 May 2014
One killed, six wounded in bomb attack on Egyptian security vehicle
One Egyptian was
killed and six others were injured in a bomb attack on Wednesday on a
security vehicle in Egypt's lawless Sinai Peninsula, near the border
with Israel, security sources said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/21/us-egypt-attacks-sinai-idUSBREA4K13W20140521
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/21/us-egypt-attacks-sinai-idUSBREA4K13W20140521
Wednesday 21 May 2014
How will Hezbollahs role in Syrian civil war affect Israel?
What impact will Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian civil war have
on a possible future conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army?
The New York Times interviewed analysts and other sources and put forth
several possibilities.
First
the bad news for Israel: It could mean that Hezbollah militants will be
more experienced. "More than a year of continuous military engagement
has allowed a new generation of fighters to gain battlefield
experience," the Times reported, adding that Hezbollah has recruited
many additional fighters and established accelerated training programs,
according to residents of communities where Hezbollah is dominant.
How will Hezbollahs role in Syrian civil war affect Israel? - Diplomacy and Defense Israel News | Haaretz
on a possible future conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army?
The New York Times interviewed analysts and other sources and put forth
several possibilities.
First
the bad news for Israel: It could mean that Hezbollah militants will be
more experienced. "More than a year of continuous military engagement
has allowed a new generation of fighters to gain battlefield
experience," the Times reported, adding that Hezbollah has recruited
many additional fighters and established accelerated training programs,
according to residents of communities where Hezbollah is dominant.
How will Hezbollahs role in Syrian civil war affect Israel? - Diplomacy and Defense Israel News | Haaretz
Russia calls UN Syria vote publicity stunt
Ambassador says his country will veto Security Council resolution to refer Syrian war to International Criminal Court.
Russia calls UN Syria vote publicity stunt - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Russia calls UN Syria vote publicity stunt - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Deadly blast hits Chinas Xinjiang region
An unknown number of people have been killed and injured in an attack
on an open-air market in Urumqi, capital of the restive Chinese region
of Xinjiang which is home to mostly Muslim Uighurs, the official Xinhua
news agency reported.
Two off-road vehicles ploughed into people at the market on Wednesday
and explosives were thrown out of the cars, one of which exploded,
Xinhua said citing witnesses.
Deadly blast hits Chinas Xinjiang region - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English
on an open-air market in Urumqi, capital of the restive Chinese region
of Xinjiang which is home to mostly Muslim Uighurs, the official Xinhua
news agency reported.
Two off-road vehicles ploughed into people at the market on Wednesday
and explosives were thrown out of the cars, one of which exploded,
Xinhua said citing witnesses.
Deadly blast hits Chinas Xinjiang region - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English
Sunday 18 May 2014
Mali at war with Tuareg rebels
Country's defence ministry says at least 36 people killed and 30 others taken hostage following Kidal battle.
Mali at war with Tuareg rebels - Africa - Al Jazeera English
Gunfire erupts outside Libyan parliament
Attackers enter parliament, demanding suspension of congress and handover of power, as Benina airbase comes under fire.
Gunfire erupts outside Libyan parliament - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Gunfire erupts outside Libyan parliament - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Saturday 17 May 2014
Iran recruiting Afghans to help Assad in Syria
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly
offers $500 a month to Afghan refugees, estimated to number 1 million,
and are among the poorest in country.
Iran recruiting Afghans to help Assad in Syria - Middle East Israel News | Haaretz
offers $500 a month to Afghan refugees, estimated to number 1 million,
and are among the poorest in country.
Iran recruiting Afghans to help Assad in Syria - Middle East Israel News | Haaretz
Venezuela to send oil to Palestinian Authority
Abbas arrived in the country Friday to seek backing from President
Nicolas Maduro for observer status in three Latin American regional
organizations: The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the
Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Venezuela to send oil to Palestinian Authority - Middle East Israel News | Haaretz
Nicolas Maduro for observer status in three Latin American regional
organizations: The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the
Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Venezuela to send oil to Palestinian Authority - Middle East Israel News | Haaretz
West Africa leaders vow to wage 'total war' on Boko Haram
West African leaders on Saturday agreed to work together to wage "total war" on Boko Haram saying the Nigerian Islamist group had become a regional al Qaeda that threatened all of them.
Nigeria's neighbors Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, and Western officials, met in Paris to flesh out a plan enabling them for the first time to share intelligence, coordinate action and monitor borders.
Although Boko Haram has been fighting for five years, carrying out bombings and attacks on civilians and the security forces, the kidnapping last month of more than 200 girls from a school in the northeast has focused world attention on them.
"Boko Haram is no longer a local terrorist group, it is operating clearly as an al Qaeda operation, it is an al Qaeda of West Africa," Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan told a news conference in Paris following the meeting.
"We have shown our commitment for a regional approach. Without West African countries coming together we will not be able to crush these terrorists," he said.
Outrage over the mass abduction has prompted Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan - criticized at home and abroad for his government's slow response - to accept U.S., British and French intelligence help in the hunt for the girls.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/17/us-nigerian-violence-summit-idUSBREA4G06120140517
Sudan arrests opposition leader al-Mahdi, could face death penalty
Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi was arrested on Saturday on charges that could lead to the death penalty, a government official said, a move that could hurt efforts to ease political tensions before elections due next year.
Al-Mahdi, a former prime minister in Sudan's last elected civilian government, is the head of the Umma Party, the most prominent party opposing President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who ousted him in 1989.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/17/us-sudan-opposition-idUSBREA4G08220140517
Families evacuate Benghazi as renegade general vows more attacks
The self-declared
Libyan National Army led by a renegade general told civilians on
Saturday to leave parts of Benghazi before it launched a fresh attack on
Islamist militants, a day after dozens were killed in the worst clashes
in the city for months.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/18/us-libya-violence-idUSBREA4G04A20140518
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/18/us-libya-violence-idUSBREA4G04A20140518
EU will not monitor Egypt vote after equipment blocked: official
The European Union will not be able to monitor the Egyptian presidential election this month because Cairo has not given permission for it to bring essential security and safety equipment, an EU official said on Saturday.
"Unfortunately, for administrative reasons, despite our best efforts and repeated requests, it proved impossible to have the telecommunication equipment and medical kits essential to ensure the security and safety of observers released on time," the official said.
The EU had planned to start deploying election monitors in late April, with observers stationed throughout Egypt. It will now only have an "elections assessment team" in the capital, which will have a more limited role in scrutinizing the vote.
"It is now too late for the long-term observers to conduct a meaningful observation," the official said.
Former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely expected to win the presidency, running against only one other candidate, leftist Hamdeen Sabahi, on May 26-27.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/17/us-egypt-election-eu-idUSBREA4G08C20140517
Nigerias president vows to defeat Boko Haram
Nigeria's president has said that his country will win its "war on
terror", despite another attack by Boko Haram fighters in the northeast
that reportedly killed hundreds.
Speaking at the World Ecomomic Forum in Abuja on Thursday, Goodluck
Jonathan thanked foreign nations for their support against Boko Haram,
which is also accused of abducting more than 200 girls and women from a
school.
"As a nation we are facing attacks from terrorists," Jonathan said.
"I believe that the kidnap of these girls will be the beginning of the end of terror in Nigeria."
overshadowed Nigeria's hosting of the forum, an annual gathering of the
rich and powerful that replicates the one in Davos, Switzerland.
Killings reported
Reports on Wednesday said that Boko Haram rebels had killed as many as 300 people in the town of Gamboru Ngala, Chibok.
It is the same area where more than 200 girls and women were abducted from a school last month.
Nigerias president vows to defeat Boko Haram - Africa - Al Jazeera English
terror", despite another attack by Boko Haram fighters in the northeast
that reportedly killed hundreds.
Speaking at the World Ecomomic Forum in Abuja on Thursday, Goodluck
Jonathan thanked foreign nations for their support against Boko Haram,
which is also accused of abducting more than 200 girls and women from a
school.
"As a nation we are facing attacks from terrorists," Jonathan said.
"I believe that the kidnap of these girls will be the beginning of the end of terror in Nigeria."
Jonathan admitted on national television earlier this week that he had no idea where the girls were.
The abductions and numerous other attacks by Boko Haram have overshadowed Nigeria's hosting of the forum, an annual gathering of the
rich and powerful that replicates the one in Davos, Switzerland.
Killings reported
Reports on Wednesday said that Boko Haram rebels had killed as many as 300 people in the town of Gamboru Ngala, Chibok.
It is the same area where more than 200 girls and women were abducted from a school last month.
Nigerias president vows to defeat Boko Haram - Africa - Al Jazeera English
African countries declare war on Boko Haram
Countries neighbouring Nigeria are ready to wage war against the
Nigeria-based, al-Qaeda-linked group, Boko Haram, Chad's president says.
Idriss Deby made the statement after a summit in Paris on Saturday
that also included Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and
representatives from West African countries Cameroon, Benin, Niger plus
the United States, the European Union, Britain and France.
"There is determination to tackle this situation head on...to launch a
war, a total war on Boko Haram," Deby said after the meeting, which
was aimed at finding a common strategy to fight the armed group.
French President Francois Hollande had called the summit following the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria last month.
The leaders who attended the meeting agreed on tightened border
controls, shared intelligence and to take a collaborative approach when
fighting the armed group.
Jonathan said Boko Haram had evolved from a small group to being part of the broader al-Qaeda organisation.
"Boko Haram is no longer the local terror group with some regional
sentiment that started in Nigeria in 2002 to 2009," Jonathan said.
"From 2009 to date, it has changed and is operating clearly as an
al-Qaeda organisation. It can better be described as an al-Qaeda in West
and Central Africa."
Francois Hollande, the French president, said Boko Haram had clearly
established ties with other "terror" groups in Africa, making it a
problem throughout the continent and beyond.
"The message we want to send is that we know the threat. It is
serious, it is serious for the region, for Africa and so for Europe. We
have deployed our military and intelligence system to find these young
girls," Hollande said.
Collaborative approach
Jonathan said West African countries need to take a collaborative approach to fight Boko Haram.
"Without West African countries coming together, we will not be able to crush these terrorists," he said.
Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow, reporting from the Nigerian capital of
Abuja, said there had been little collaboration between African nations
in the fight against the armed group so far.
"There hasn't been much cooperation at the moment and this is maybe
one of the reasons why Boko Haram has managed to flourish across the
Nigerian border," Adow said. "The commitment that has been given by
Cameroon, Chad, Niger and also Benin will go a long way in the fight
against Boko Haram."
"Nigeria has been unable to control the Boko Haram menace within its
borders," Adow said, adding that the armed group had become more
sophisticated.
"It just shows you how incapable the Nigerian forces have been in trying to control Boko Haram and now they need help," he said.
Boko Haram has launched a series of attacks in Nigeria this year.
The 276 schoolgirls and women were kidnapped on April 15 from a
school in Chibok. Most of them are still being held captive, with the
group's leader threatening to sell them into slavery.
In February, another 59 students were killed when fighters attacked a
boarding school in Yobe state, setting several buildings on fire.
Two bombs also exploded in a crowded bus station in Abuja on April 14, killing 88 people and injuring more than 200 others.
On May 7, fighters believed to be from Boko Haram, killed at least 300 people in a village in Gamborou in Borno state.
The same month, a car bomb struck in an Abuja suburb, killing 19 people and injuring more than 60 others.
African countries declare war on Boko Haram - Africa - Al Jazeera English
Argentine court strikes down truth commission deal with Iran on 1994 bombing - Jewish World News Israel News | Haaretz
An Argentine Federal court on Thursday struck down an agreement
between the South American country and Iran to jointly investigate the
deadly 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that local
courts blamed on Tehran.
Alberto
Nisman, a prosecutor who oversaw an investigation of the AMIA center
explosion that killed 85 people, had argued in his appeal to the court
that in negotiating the 2013 deal with Iran, the executive branch had
overstepped into areas reserved for the judiciary.
Thursday's
ruling declared the agreement unconstitutional and ordered Argentina
not to go ahead with it. The deal had been delayed anyway by Iranian
reluctance to move forward in implementing it.
The government said it will appeal the ruling to Argentina's Supreme Court.
"We
have notified the government of Iran of our decision to appeal," said
Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman. "If the lower court's ruling
is allowed to stand, it would close a concrete possibility of making
the inquiries that could lead to a trial."
Argentine court strikes down truth commission deal with Iran on 1994 bombing - Jewish World News Israel News | Haaretz
Thursday 15 May 2014
Syria: Groups Call for ICC Referral
Over one hundred civil society groups from around the world issued the
following statement today to urge the United Nations Security Council to
approve a resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court:
We, the undersigned civil society groups, urge United Nations Security Council members to approve a draft resolution supported by a broad coalition of countries that would refer the situation in Syria to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/15/syria-groups-call-icc-referral
We, the undersigned civil society groups, urge United Nations Security Council members to approve a draft resolution supported by a broad coalition of countries that would refer the situation in Syria to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/15/syria-groups-call-icc-referral
Vietnamese riot in industrial zones in anti-China protest
Rioting broke out at industrial zones in southern Vietnam during protests by thousands of workers angered by Chinese oil drilling in a contested area of the South China Sea, officials said on Wednesday.
Workers smashed gates in the rioting on Tuesday and entered industrial parks housing factories in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces, which are central to Vietnam's sizable manufacturing interests.
The destruction comes amid high tensions between China and Vietnam, which have close trade and political ties despite a history of incursions and territorial battles that are the source of deep resentment among Vietnamese.
Vietnam's state-run newspapers and its television channels reported the rioting on Wednesday, but did not show photographs or any video footage.
"About 19,000 workers were demonstrating against China's violation of Vietnam's territorial waters," Tran Van Nam, vice chairman of Binh Duong people committee, told local reporters.
"Some workers turned angry, destroying companies' gates and entering the compounds and asking other workers to join a strike."
The Council of Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam said the riots on Tuesday had caused big losses to Taiwan firms, among them Formosa Plastics Group, which said its unit's facilities in Dong Nai were damaged by looters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-vietnam-china-riot-idUSBREA4D04N20140514
Egypt seizes bomb-making material near Suez Canal
Fifteen tons of a material used to make explosives have been seized in a town straddling the Suez Canal, the Egyptian army said on Wednesday, one of the biggest such hauls since the start of a campaign against Islamist militants in the nearby Sinai.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-egypt-explosives-idUSBREA4D08N20140514
Islamist group claims China station bombing: SITE
An Islamist
militant group called the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) claimed
responsibility for an attack at a train station in China's western city
of Urumqi in late April that killed one and injured 79 people, the SITE
Monitoring service said.
China had said the attack in its restive Xinjiang region, home to the Muslim Uighur ethnic group, was carried out by two religious extremists who were also killed in the blast.
Xinjiang,
resource-rich and strategically located on the borders of central Asia,
has been beset by violence for years, and a recent series of attacks,
some of which Beijing has called terrorism, have unnerved the country.
SITE, which tracks Islamist militant statements, said TIP had released a 10-minute video in the Uighur language showing the construction of a briefcase bomb it said was used in the station attack.
"A fighter is shown placing the explosive material and shrapnel of bolts inside a box, then inserting the detonation device in a briefcase with the explosive, and leaving the trigger exposed in an outside pocket," SITE said of the video.
It said the video had been produced by the TIP's Islam Awazi Media Center and posted on its website on May 11.
Beijing says it faces a real threat from militant Islamists in Xinjiang who want an independent state called East Turkestan. Authorities say many have links with foreign groups, although rights groups and some foreign experts say there is little evidence to support this.
The TIP, which China equates with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), keeps a low profile in Pakistan. Unlike the Taliban, it rarely posts videos promoting its activities or ideology. Its exact size is unknown and some experts dispute its ability to orchestrate attacks in China, or that it exists at all as a cohesive group.
In a rare but brief interview with Reuters in March, Abdullah Mansour, who says he is the leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party, said it was his holy duty to fight the Chinese.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-china-xinjiang-idUSBREA4D07H20140514
China had said the attack in its restive Xinjiang region, home to the Muslim Uighur ethnic group, was carried out by two religious extremists who were also killed in the blast.
Xinjiang,
resource-rich and strategically located on the borders of central Asia,
has been beset by violence for years, and a recent series of attacks,
some of which Beijing has called terrorism, have unnerved the country.SITE, which tracks Islamist militant statements, said TIP had released a 10-minute video in the Uighur language showing the construction of a briefcase bomb it said was used in the station attack.
"A fighter is shown placing the explosive material and shrapnel of bolts inside a box, then inserting the detonation device in a briefcase with the explosive, and leaving the trigger exposed in an outside pocket," SITE said of the video.
It said the video had been produced by the TIP's Islam Awazi Media Center and posted on its website on May 11.
Beijing says it faces a real threat from militant Islamists in Xinjiang who want an independent state called East Turkestan. Authorities say many have links with foreign groups, although rights groups and some foreign experts say there is little evidence to support this.
The TIP, which China equates with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), keeps a low profile in Pakistan. Unlike the Taliban, it rarely posts videos promoting its activities or ideology. Its exact size is unknown and some experts dispute its ability to orchestrate attacks in China, or that it exists at all as a cohesive group.
In a rare but brief interview with Reuters in March, Abdullah Mansour, who says he is the leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party, said it was his holy duty to fight the Chinese.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-china-xinjiang-idUSBREA4D07H20140514
Wednesday 14 May 2014
Millions driven from homes by civic violence: report
A record 33.3 million people around the world were internally displaced by conflict in their countries at the end of last year, 16 percent or 4.5 million up on 2012, an international report said on Wednesday.
The report by the Norwegian Refugee Council said nearly two thirds of the global total were in just five countries - Syria, Colombia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan.
Syria, with at least 6,5 million driven from their homes in three years of fighting between government forces and insurgents and foreign fighters backing them, took over first place ahead of Colombia, suffering from decades of guerrilla wars.
The Middle Eastern country accounted for 43 per cent - 3.5 million - of all the new internally displaced people (IDPs) around the globe in 2013, a total of 8.2 million, according to the report presented at a Geneva news briefing.
Council Secretary General Jan Egeland, a former top United Nations official, said the report "reveals a frightening reality of life inside Syria," where on average now one family is being displaced every minute.
Colombia, which has seen major moves towards peace in the most recent conflict but also suffers from crime-based violence, saw an increase in IDPs for the 10th year in succession, bringing the total to 5.7 million at the end of 2013.
Nigeria had not previously provided its own figures for the displaced but now sets the total at 3.3 million, driven by inter-communal and inter-religious violence which first began to affect the large African state in the late 1990s.
The report endorsed that estimate, noting that the figure was climbing fast as a result of the insurgency by Islamist Boko Haram fighters and what it called "heavy-handed counter- insurgency operations" by the Nigerian army.
The Council's Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre has put together the annual report for 15 years based on information from governments, relief organizations, United Nations' agencies and its own observers on the ground.
In international diplomatic and aid parlance, IDPs are distinct from refugees who are defined as people who have been forced to cross frontiers into other countries.
The total of IDPs in the DRC, also the scene of decades of violence as armed groups have fought for control of natural resources, reached at least 2,9 million, and in almost equally troubled Sudan it reached 2,4 million.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-violence-displaced-idUSBREA4D0HB20140514
Nigeria villagers kill Boko Haram fighters
In Kalabalge, a village about 250km from the Borno state capital of
Maiduguri, residents said they were taking matters into their own hands
because the Nigerian military was perceived as not doing enough to stem
Boko Haram attacks.
Nigeria villagers kill Boko Haram fighters - Africa - Al Jazeera English
Maiduguri, residents said they were taking matters into their own hands
because the Nigerian military was perceived as not doing enough to stem
Boko Haram attacks.
Nigeria villagers kill Boko Haram fighters - Africa - Al Jazeera English
Ex-juiz da CIJ diz que Comissão encaminhará pedido de Dirceu e explica imbróglios envolvidos no processo
Para Francisco Rezek, ex-ministro do STF, ex-ministro das Relações
Exteriores, ex-juiz da Corte Internacional de Justiça das Nações Unidas a
Comissão Interamericana "seguramente vai encaminhar o pedido à Corte em
São José". Ele garante que isso ocorrerá "porque a reclamação será
baseada, entre outras coisas, num precedente da própria corte, datada de
2009".
http://jovempan.uol.com.br/programas/os-pingos-nos-is/ex-juiz-da-cij-diz-que-comissao-encaminhara-pedido-de-dirceu-e-explica-imbroglios-envolvidos-no-processo.html
http://jovempan.uol.com.br/programas/os-pingos-nos-is/ex-juiz-da-cij-diz-que-comissao-encaminhara-pedido-de-dirceu-e-explica-imbroglios-envolvidos-no-processo.html
Jordanian ambassador to Libya freed
Ambassador Fawaz al-Itan was kidnapped last month
by gunmen who demanded an Islamist militant be released from a
Jordanian jail in exchange for the diplomat's freedom. There was no
immediate indication whether that demand had been met.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-libya-jordan-ambassador-idUSBREA4C04320140513
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-libya-jordan-ambassador-idUSBREA4C04320140513
Tuesday 13 May 2014
Kurds could opt out of next Iraqi government: president
The president of
Iraqi Kurdistan, Masoud Barzani, said Iraq had been led in an
authoritarian direction by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and threatened
to end the oil-rich autonomous region's participation in the federal
government.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-kurds-barzani-idUSBREA4C0B220140513
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-kurds-barzani-idUSBREA4C0B220140513
Turkey to ignore court order to pay compensation to Cyprus
Turkey
has no plans to pay 90 million euros ($124 million) to Cyprus as
ordered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-turkey-cyprus-davutoglu-idUSBREA4C0AX20140513
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-turkey-cyprus-davutoglu-idUSBREA4C0AX20140513
France says allies must also make sacrifices over Russian sanctions
But while EU powers Germany,
France and Britain have all threatened tougher action against Moscow if
it undermined the May 25 Ukrainian presidential election, they are
hesitant to adopt sanctions that could harm their own interests.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-ukraine-crisis-france-idUSBREA4C0A220140513
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-ukraine-crisis-france-idUSBREA4C0A220140513
International court accuses Lebanese news group of contempt
Lawyers at an international court accused a Lebanese news outlet of contempt of court on Tuesday for publishing the names of witnesses involved in the case of a 2005 bombing in Beirut that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in The Hague was set up in 2009 at the urging of Western governments and with the support of Lebanon's then-government to investigate Hariri's killing, but Lebanese support for the tribunal has been mixed.
Charges were read out in court against Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV and Karma al-Khayat, Deputy News and Political Program Manager, who published in August 2012 the previously secret names of witnesses who were called or could have been called to the investigation of the bombing.
They were accused of two counts of contempt and obstruction of justice - that they "willfully interfered with the administration of justice" and that Khayat had the authority to remove the names of the witnesses from al-Jadeed's website but did not, despite an order from the STL Pre-Trial Judge.
"Khayat knew that publishing the episodes on al-Jadeed's website ... would undermine public confidence in the tribunal's ability to protect the confidentially of information," the charge read.
Al-Jadeed and Khayat pleaded "not guilty" and Khayat told the tribunal that Al-Jadeed's only crime "is that we have respected the highest standards of our profession".
"ILLEGITIMATE" COURT
The STL is trying five suspects in absentia for the killing of Hariri and 21 others but all are in hiding. The five men are all members of Hezbollah, a political party and paramilitary group that is powerful in Lebanon.
The Shi'ite Muslim group denies any role in killing Hariri, a billionaire Sunni Muslim politician, and says the suspects will never be handed over to the court, which it says is a tool of U.S. and Israeli interests.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said on Tuesday the court was "illegitimate and lacks legality". Speaking at a live viewing of the hearing in Beirut, he said the court was "politicized".
"We are here to affirm solidarity with the freedom of the media and also solidarity with the Lebanese constitution, which is violated when there is a Lebanese media figure in front of an international court outside the framework of Lebanese law," he said.
The STL has also brought charges against the pro-Hezbollah news organization Al-Akhbar and its co-founder Ibrahim Al-Amin for the same charges in its newspaper editions of January 15 and 19, 2013.
Amin said in an editorial on Tuesday he did not respect the legitimacy of the STL and would not travel to The Hague.
"We are keenly aware that one of the reasons we are being targeted is because we stand at the heart of the battle of the Resistance (Hezbollah) which represents the holy of our holies," he said.
It was not clear when the STL would try Al-Akhbar and Amin.
The maximum penalty for contempt of the tribunal is seven years imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 Euros ($137,600).
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-lebanon-trial-idUSBREA4C0CU20140513
Timeline: History of turbulent Saudi-Iranian ties
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it has invited Iran's foreign minister to visit, hinting at the possibility of a thaw between the Gulf's two biggest, most bitter rivals who are at loggerheads over Syria's civil war.
Here are some details on the ups and downs of Saudi-Iranian relations over the last three decades:
1979 - IRANIAN REVOLUTION
- Saudi Arabia's rulers watch aghast as Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, a fellow dynast, is toppled by Shi'ite Muslim clerics seen in Riyadh as determined to export their Islamic Revolution.
1980-1988 IRAN-IRAQ WAR
- Iranians fume over Saudi support for Iraq during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, in which Baghdad uses chemical weapons.
1987-88 - MECCA
- Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are badly strained in July 1987 when 402 pilgrims, 275 of them Iranian, die during clashes in the Muslim holy city of Mecca. Protesters in Tehran occupy the Saudi embassy and set fire to Kuwait's embassy. A Saudi diplomat dies in Tehran of wounds sustained when he falls out of an embassy window and Riyadh accuses Tehran of delaying his transfer to a hospital in Saudi Arabia. King Fahd severs ties with Iran in 1988. Relations are restored only in 1991.
1997 - SUMMIT
- Crown Prince Abdullah visits non-Arab Iran for an Islamic summit in December, becoming the highest-ranking Saudi to do so since the Islamic Revolution.
1999 - BETTER TIMES
- King Fahd congratulates President Mohammad Khatami on his election victory in 2001, saying it is an endorsement of his reformist policy. Khatami had worked for rapprochement with Riyadh after winning his first landslide win in 1997. Khatami visits Saudi Arabia, the first such trip since 1979. Better relations are sealed with a security pact in April 2001.
2003-2012 - RISE IN REGIONAL TENSIONS
- The 2003 U.S.-led invasion that topples Saddam Hussein in Iraq empowers the country's Shi'ite majority and results in a shift in its political alignment towards Iran.
- The 2006 war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which gets funding from Iran, hardens Saudi suspicions that Tehran is creating new regional alliances threatening Saudi interests.
- Iran's disputed nuclear energy program deepens Saudi fears that Tehran under Khatami's hardline nationalist successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is bent on dominating the Gulf region.
- According to a Wikileaks cable, King Abdullah tells his own diplomats in 2008 that he wants the United States to "cut off the head of the snake".
2011 - ARAB SPRING
- Saudi Arabia looks on in horror as pro-democracy uprisings moved eastward from Tunisia and Egypt to the Gulf. Protests in Bahrain are seen as a red line because of fears the island's Shi'ite majority will take power and ally with Iran.
- Saudi troops help put down Bahraini Shi'ite unrest at the request of Bahrain's Sunni royal family.
- Saudi Arabia accuses some Shi'ites in its Eastern Province of cooperating with a foreign state - meaning Iran - to sow dissension, after clashes between police and Shi'ites.
- The United States says it has uncovered an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Riyadh said the evidence was overwhelming and Tehran would pay a price. Iran rejects the report as a fabrication aimed at driving a wedge between Tehran and Saudi Arabia.
2011-present - SYRIAN WAR, U.S.-IRAN THAW, NUCLEAR TALKS
- Moderate Hassan Rouhani is elected Iranian president in June 2013 and turns Iran's hitherto confrontational foreign policy in a conciliatory direction. Iran strikes an interim deal with big powers in November to limit its nuclear activity. Relations between Iran and most Gulf Arab neighbors improve.
- The Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council calls in December for good neighborly relations with Iran based on "non-interference in internal affairs".
- But Iranian-Saudi ties remain chilly, complicated by the fact that the two back opposing parties in Syria's civil war. Riyadh is a leading supporter of rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is a close ally of Tehran.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-saudi-iran-relations-idUSBREA4C0H020140513
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