ICC hands al-Qaida-linked former Mali police chief 10 years in jail for war crimes
Mali, along with its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida or the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.
Southern African governments extend stay of peacekeepers in war-torn eastern Congo by a year
The UN peacekeepers were meant to leave Congo next month, but soaring violence in the east by Rwanda-backed rebels has meant they are staying, with the country’s communication minister, Patrick Muyaya, stating there would be a new timeline for the force’s departure, although he didn’t give details.
Experts in Russia and abroad warn Kremlin’s revised nuclear policy makes it easy to use atomic weapons in Ukraine
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasised that such strikes could potentially be a trigger for a nuclear response under the revised document.
Baku climate talks: Conference considers new taxes to raise more than $1 trillion to fight climate change
A levy of $150-300 per tonne could generate $127 billion a year in 2027-2030, the GSLT said, citing a study by UN Trade and Development. Revenue would fall to $103 billion in 2031-2040 and $36 billion in 2041-2050 as ships became less polluting.
‘Cow Vigilantes’ entrench hate crimes in India as Hindus target Muslims and low castes
Between February and August 2024, CSOH identified and analysed 1,023 Instagram accounts run by users involved in cow vigilantism. Researchers found that 30 per cent of the accounts shared content showing physical violence against Muslims involved in the cattle business.
Russia, whose Wagner mercenaries fund RSF faction, vetoes UN resolution calling for ceasefire between Sudan’s rival forces
Sudan plunged into conflict in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions, including western Darfur, which was wracked by bloodshed and atrocities in 2003. The UN recently warned that Sudan has been pushed to the brink of famine.
Opposition clinches presidency in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland, calls for economic benefits from Ethiopia deal
Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of the main opposition Waddani Party received more than 50 per cent of the votes cast. Abdullahi, 69, served as Somaliland’s parliament speaker in 2005.
G20 nations that account for 85 per cent of world’s economy agree deal on climate finance in Rio
COP29 must set a new goal for how much financing should be directed from developed countries, multilateral banks and the private sector to developing nations. Economists told the summit it should be at least $1 trillion.
Horror tales of Sudanese refugees who fled war at home, forced to buy humanitarian aid with sex
Sexual exploitation during large humanitarian crises is not uncommon, especially in displacement sites. Aid groups have long struggled to combat the issue. They cite a lack of reporting by women, not enough funds to respond and a focus on first providing basic necessities.
How Iraq’s displaced Yazidis suffocate in Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism faith hotchpotch
Iraqi officials say more than 5,000 Yazidis, most of them men and older women, were killed in the initial assault in August 2014, their bodies dumped in mass graves. Some 6,400 others, mainly women and children, were captured. Sold into domestic and sexual slavery or trained as fighters and suicide bombers, they were passed from owner to owner across the group’s “caliphate,” which at its peak spanned roughly a third of Iraq and Syria.
