British government has rejected accusations of “systematic” torture of Iraqis by the British armed forces in Iraq after lawyers and public interest groups made a formal complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC). “The Government has always been clear, and the armed forces have always been clear, that they absolutely reject allegations of systematic abuse […]
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine and his provocative policies towards neighbouring countries are leading Japan in a very dangerous direction, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui has said. In an article published by Russia’s Interfax news agency Friday, Li strongly condemned Abe’s Dec 26 visit to the shrine, which honoured […]
US President Barack Obama Saturday sent his condolences to the family of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and to the Israeli people over his death while describing Sharon as a leader “who dedicated his life to the State of Israel”. “As Israel says goodbye to prime minister Sharon, we join with the Israeli people […]
Former prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, 85, passed away Saturday after being comatose for eight years. Sharon’s son Gilad confirmed that his father has died at the Sheba Medical Centre in the city of Ramat Gan in Tel Aviv district of Israel. “He left when he decided to leave,” Xinhua quoted Gilad Sharon as […]
UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos arrived in Syria Saturday amid a flurry of aid meetings underway in the conflict-torn country. Amos’s visit came just one day after Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, arrived in Damascus for talks on broader access to besieged areas and visits to […]
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the international community to provide more political attention and resources to the world body as it faces an overflowing plate of conflicts and disasters. “The situations in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic have gone from bad to worse,” he said in his first news […]
More than 240 houses were damaged by a fire that started in the early hours of Saturday in an ancient town in Shangri-la, a resort county in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, forcing 2,600 residents to evacuate. The fire lasted nine hours till 10:30 a.m. at the Ruyi Inn in the Dukezong Ancient Town, where most […]
At least five people were killed and six injured when a group of armed people attacked a camp for internally displaced persons in Sudan’s Darfur state, the commissioner of Bilail said. “An armed group from Um Qoja area opened intensive fire in Al-Salam camp when people were busy shopping in a market, which left five […]
With the bitter India-US row over the arrest of an Indian diplomat defused with her departure for India, both sides are hoping to bring the “important” relationship back on track in the weeks ahead. One sentiment encountered during the discussions to work out a deal over the treatment of Devyani Khobragade, India’s then deputy consul […]
US President Barack Obama will unveil his proposals to reform the National Security Agency’s surveillance programmes next week, the White House announced. The White House said the president will make the announcement in a speech Jan 17, Xinhua reported Friday. “He will be making remarks to discuss the outcomes of the work that has been […]