Politics

Netherlands / AFP UN war crimes judges on Thursday acquitted radical Serb leader Vojislav Seselj on all nine charges of committing atrocities in the 1990s Balkans wars, in a surprise judgement which was swiftly denounced by Croatia. “The chamber by majority holds that the prosecution has not provided sufficient evidence to establish that the crimes were committed” by Seselj, Judge ...

Belgium / AFP Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam wants to cooperate with French authorities once he is extradited from Belgium, his lawyer said on Thursday, as Belgian police carried out a raid linked to a foiled French terror plot. Soldiers and police could be seen taking part in the operation near a busy motorway in Courtrai in northwestern Belgium, the ...

South Africa / AFP South Africa’s top court on Thursday delivered a damning verdict against President Jacob Zuma, saying he flouted the constitution over public funds used to upgrade his private residence, sparking immediate calls for him to be impeached. Zuma “failed to uphold, defend and respect the constitution as the supreme law of the land,” Chief Justice MogoengMogoeng said ...

Bloomberg The Hong Kong government threatened to bar formation of a political party advocating independence from China, adding to tensions over Beijing’s control of the city before legislative elections in September. Hong Kong is an “inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China” and any movement that advocates independence violates the city’s stability and the Basic Law, the city’s de-facto ...

Myanmar / AFP Aung San Suu Kyi’s party moved on Thursday to make her a special state adviser, giving her access to every tier of government and cementing her control over Myanmar’s first civilian administration in decades. Hopes are growing the newly sworn-in government can accelerate the country’s economic and political rejuvenation after nearly half a century of military repression. ...

Paris / AFP Malaysia’s Sarawak state will dissolve its assembly on April 11, paving the way for elections that are seen as a test of support for Prime Minister NajibRazak. The Election Commission will fix the nomination and polling days after the assembly is dissolved, the New Straits Times newspaper said on Twitter, citing Chief Minister AdenanSatem. An election must ...

Tripoli / AFP Gunmen stormed the headquarters of a Libyan television station late Wednesday, as the authorities in control of Tripoli demanded the departure of the newly-arrived prime minister designate in a blow to hopes for a peaceful power handover. Armed men burst into the headquarters of satellite TV station Al Nabaa in central Tripoli, cut its transmissions and forced ...

Kolkata / AFP At least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured when a flyover collapsed in a busy Indian city on Thursday, an official said, as emergency workers battled to rescue people trapped under the rubble. The flyover was under construction when it collapsed onto a crowded street in the eastern city of Kolkata around lunchtime, crushing pedestrians, ...

Ankara / AFP Turkey’s military on Thursday angrily denied suggestions it could be planning a coup against the increasingly controversial President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Certain media outlets have carried reports speculating over the possibility of a military coup in Turkey, with Erdogan out of the country for almost a week on a visit to the United States. The Turkish military ...

Hebron / AFP Israeli authorities overnight demolished the home of a Palestinian killed after fatally stabbing a Jewish settler in the West Bank city of Hebron, the Israeli army and Palestinian sources said on Thursday. Israel regularly demolishes Palestinian attackers’ homes in a bid to deter violence, but human rights activists say it amounts to collective punishment, forcing relatives to ...