Europe
International uproar as Azeri Murderer released
The Azeri, Ramil Safarov, has been released after being deported to Azerbaijan from Hungary, where he killed an Armenian in 2004. Local media reports say Safarov was welcomed as a hero on return to his native country. Russia has voiced concerns and criticisms over the pardoning by Azerbaijan. Whilst Hungary claims to have worked within the parameters of international law, the implications of the subsequent Azeri decision may have resounding consequences. Armenia has responded in saying the country’s military was ready for war and although it didn’t want it, it would win. The Armenian President told the AFP that “[Armenia is] not afraid of killers, even if they enjoy the protection of the head of state.”
Middle East and Africa
Syria: Civil war continues as rebels fight over Aleppo
Violence in certain regions of Syria is continuing to become ever more prevalent, with continuing focus on the country’s second city, Aleppo. Opposition rebels claim that nearly 30 people may have been killed by a government warplane today. The city is the financial hub of the country and is second in population only to the capital Damascus; it is where analysts have warned will be the most bloodiest fighting as both sides see it as a pinnacle geography. Kofi Annan’s successor as the international envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, is due to visit Syrian President al-Assad at the end of next week. He told the BBC that his new mission was ‘near-impossible’.
S. Africa miners strike murder charges dropped for some
A court in South Africa has dropped murder charges for fifty South African miners. The miners of the Marikana mine, faced murder charges for the death of their colleagues. 34 miners, some of whom are reported to have been armed, and one police officer died in a series of incidents that saw the bloodiest day since the years of apartheid. A prosecuting authority spokesman said that they were due to be tried under the “common purpose” doctrine. No police personnel have been charged due to internal investigative procedures.
Asia
Suicide bomber attacks US consular car in Pakistan
Three people, including a suicide bomber, have died in Pakistan after driving a car bomb into a US consular vehicle. The US say no one from their consular has been killed; despite two Pakistani and US staff being injured in the attack. A further fifteen people were injured. The attack happened in a region that borders Afghanistan and is often subject to tribal violence; including recent attacks by al-Qaeda and the Taliban on US personnel. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
North Korea suffers heavily from Typhoon
A Typhoon has ripped through North Korea killing 48 people and leaving 50 more injured or missing. State media has also reported that the disaster displaced over 20,000 people with many regions out of power. The country is still suffering from floods in July which forced the country to call for United Nations food aid as 212,000 people were left homeless. The country has long struggled to feed its population. It has been internationally criticised for its lack of internal food program when it spends excessively on testing long-range missiles. Disasters such as the typhoon and flooding exacerbate fundamental gaps in such a program and have led to severe malnutrition.
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