United Nations, United States | AFP | Burundi on Monday barred three United Nations rights experts who had accused the government in Bujumbura of being responsible for abuses and warned of a danger of genocide from the violence. In a letter sent by Foreign Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe and seen …
Read More »Germany says new East-West tensions more dangerous than Cold War
Berlin, Germany | AFP | The mounting tensions between the United States and Russia have created a situation that is “more dangerous” than the Cold War, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in an interview published Saturday. Relations between the two have nosedived since a ceasefire they agreed to in …
Read More »ICC announces visit to Israel, Palestinian territories
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | A delegation from the world’s only permanent war crimes court is visiting Israel and the Palestinian territories this week, the chief prosecutor said Wednesday, against the backdrop of a probe into the 2014 Gaza war. The trip from Wednesday until October 10 will be …
Read More »Uganda one of 10 countries hosting half world’s refugees
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Ten countries accounting for 2.5 percent of world GDP are hosting more than half the world’s refugees, Amnesty International said Tuesday as it slammed what it called the selfishness of wealthy nations. In a report on the plight faced by the world’s 21 million …
Read More »US drops Russia talks as Syria pushes Aleppo onslaught
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States on Monday abandoned its effort to convince Russia to impose a ceasefire on the Syrian regime as government forces pursued their relentless onslaught on eastern Aleppo. Accusing Moscow of abetting Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad’s assault on civilian districts of the city, …
Read More »Artillery fire rocks Aleppo as Syria army presses assault
Aleppo, Syria | AFP | Heavy artillery exchanges rocked Syria’s battleground second city Aleppo throughout the night as government forces pressed a two-pronged assault on rebel-held districts, an AFP correspondent reported on Saturday. The government’s offensive to recapture the whole of Aleppo has been bolstered by its Russian ally’s rejection …
Read More »Up to 100,000 people trapped in South Sudan town
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The United Nations warned Friday that around 100,000 people were trapped in the South Sudanese town of Yei, where they were facing serious shortages of food and medicine. Yei is situated some 150 kilometres (93 miles) southwest of Juba, near the borders with Uganda and …
Read More »MH17 shot down by missile brought into Ukraine from Russia
Nieuwegein, Netherlands | AFP | The missile that downed flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine was transported from Russia, a criminal inquiry revealed Wednesday, announcing about 100 people were being investigated for playing “an active role” in the disaster. Saying they had “irrefutable evidence” that the BUK missile system was used …
Read More »Malian jihadist jailed for 9 years for Timbuktu attacks
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | War crimes judges Tuesday found a Malian jihadist guilty of destroying Timbuktu’s fabled shrines, and were set to pass sentence amid hopes the court will send a strong message to help safeguard the world’s ancient monuments. A three-judge bench began handing down its judgements …
Read More »Covering Syria through hunger and fear
Aleppo, Syria | AFP | For Karam al-Masri, AFP’s reporter, photographer and videojournalist in rebel-held Aleppo, the past five years have been a series of tragedies: detention by the regime, and then the Islamic State group, the death of his parents in an air strike, the siege of his hometown, …
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