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Somali pirates to face trial in Germany
An Amsterdam court has decided to extradite 10 suspected Somali pirates to Germany to face trial on the charge of hijacking a German ship miles off the Somali coast. Dutch marines arrested the pirates off the coast of Somalia two months ago during an exchange of fire. “The court assumes that Germany has jurisdiction over [...]
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21 killed in Mogadishu battle
At least 21 Somali civilians were killed and 59 wounded in fierce Mogadishu clashes between government forces backed by African Union troops and Islamist insurgents, medics said. Somali soldiers on Thursday launched a major counter-offensive to recapture recently lost ground from Islamist insurgents in Mogadishu, sparking a fierce battle that left at least 21 civilians [...]
Headlines
At least 21 civilians killed in Mogadishu: medics
AFP – At least 21 Somali civilians were killed Thursday and 59 wounded in fierce Mogadishu clashes pitting government forces backed by African Union troops against Islamist insurgents, medics said. The fighting broke out when newly-trained government forces backed by the soldiers of the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) apparently launched a major offensive [...]
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No immunity for ex-Somali official: U.S. top court
WASHINGTON – A former Somali prime minister is not protected by sovereign immunity from a lawsuit in the United States for alleged torture and human rights abuses, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. In a unanimous decision, the high court handed a defeat to Mohamed Ali Samantar, who served as Somalia’s defense minister in the [...]
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France wants G20 membership for Africa
France will push for Africa to have membership of the G20 economies in a similar capacity to the European Union when it takes helm of the group next year, a French political source said. France is using the 25th Africa-France summit, which ends in Nice today, to pave the way for reform proposals at next [...]
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Dutch court agrees German trial for Somali suspects
Posted on 05 June 2010
THE HAGUE — A Dutch court on Friday approved the extradition of ten alleged Somali pirates for trial in Germany, a court official said. “Extradition is agreed for all the people sought by Germany,” a spokeswoman for the court in Amsterdam, told AFP. She said that no appeal would be allowed against the ruling and [...] Continue Reading
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Somali Bantu student graduates today
Posted on 04 June 2010
Aden Mabruk remembers what it was like to sit, silent and mystified, in a South Carolina middle school classroom half a world away from the dusty African refugee camp that had been his home for most of his life. It was February 2005. The youngster, a member of the persecuted Somali Bantu people, could claim [...] Continue Reading
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Africa’s youngest married couple
Posted on 03 June 2010
A couple both aged 13 got married in Salahley town, about 60km south of Hargeisa, the capital of the breakaway region of Somaliland in northern Somalia. Hundreds of family members and friends thronged the married grounds as Shaba’n Mohamed and his lovely wife Naima Osman tied the nuptial knot.“I was not thinking that this number [...] Continue Reading
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Refugee sentenced for Burlington assault
Posted on 03 June 2010
A Burlington man who jumped bail and fled Vermont the night before a jury found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault on a 9-year-old girl was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years to life in prison for the assault. Ali Abdi, a Somali Bantu refugee, was sentenced by Vermont District Judge Patricia Zimmerman. Chittenden County State’s [...] Continue Reading
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Victims can sue ex-Somali prime minister
Posted on 03 June 2010
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a lawsuit against a former prime minister of Somalia over claims that he oversaw killings and torture in his home country. The high court said it will allow lawsuits against Mohamed Ali Samantar to go forward despite his claims of immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. [...] Continue Reading
news
International Law “no solution to piracy”
Posted on 02 June 2010
As five Somali men stand trial in Rotterdam charged with the attempted hijack of a Dutch Antilles freighter, international criminal lawyer Geert-Jan Knoops spoke to the IJT about solutions to piracy in international criminal law. By Thijs Bouwknegt What do you think about the Dutch trial? It is a unique trial, but it is also [...] Continue Reading
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Ted Koppel’s son, Andrew, found dead after night of boozing in NYC: report
Posted on 01 June 2010
The son of famed TV newsman Ted Koppel has reportedly died. Andrew Koppel, 40, was found early Monday morning and declared dead at 1:30 a.m. in a rundown apartment in Washington Heights, according to The Associated Press. Koppel was reportedly drinking heavily on Sunday night, the New York Post reports, and was with a man [...] Continue Reading
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EU chief raps Russia on human rights, media freedom
Posted on 01 June 2010
“The situation for human rights defenders and journalists in Russia is of grave concern to the European public at large,” Van Rompuy said at a briefing following an EU-Russia summit in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don. Several rights activists and reporters have been killed in Russia since Medvedev was sworn in as president in [...] Continue Reading
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German president Horst Köhler quits over Afghanistan gaffe
Posted on 01 June 2010
Germany‘s president, Horst Köhler, resigned without warning today, after intense criticism of remarks in which he suggested military deployments were central to the country’s economic interests. Köhler’s departure leaves a vacuum that will only add to Angela Merkel‘s growing political woes, amid criticism over a lack of decisive leadership, and a four-year low rating for [...] Continue Reading
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China and Japan ‘back North Korea financial sanctions’
Posted on 01 June 2010
South Korea says it has persuaded China and Japan to take part in financial sanctions against North Korea. It comes in the wake of the sinking of a South Korean naval ship by a North Korean submarine. In a BBC interview, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan speculated that the sinking of the Cheonan might [...] Continue Reading
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Al-Qaida’s third in command believed killed
Posted on 01 June 2010
Al-Qaida’s number three — a co-founder of the terror network — has been killed in Pakistan’s border area with Afghanistan, according to a statement attributed to the group that was posted on Islamist websites Monday. The statement did not say how Egyptian-born Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, who was also known as Sheik Sa’id al-Masri, was killed [...] Continue Reading
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World press reaction to Gaza aid flotilla
Posted on 01 June 2010
The New York Times reported on street protests erupting around the world under the headline: “After deadly raid at sea, Israel is sharply criticised”. In France, the right-wing Le Figaro held back from outright condemnation, taking a cautious tone under the headline “Israel isolated after assault off Gaza”. The left-wing Libération was less circumspect, saying: [...] Continue Reading
