World

A UN report has said top military figures in Myanmar must be investigated for genocide in Rakhine state and crimes against humanity in other areas.

The report, based on hundreds of interviews, is the strongest condemnation from the UN so far of violence against Rohingya Muslims. It says the army's tactics are "grossly disproportionate to actual security threats". Myanmar rejected the report.

At least 700,000 Rohingya fled violence in the country in the past 12 months. The report names six senior military figures it believes should go on trial and sharply criticises Myanmar's de facto leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, for failing to intervene to stop attacks.

It calls for the case to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The government has consistently said its operations targeted militant or insurgent threats but the report says the crimes documented are "shocking for the level of denial, normalcy and impunity that is attached to them".

"Military necessity would never justify killing indiscriminately, gang raping women, assaulting children, and burning entire villages," the report says. The UN mission did not have access to Myanmar for its report but says it relied on such sources as eyewitness interviews, satellite imagery, photographs and videos.

Source : BBC

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has reportedly sought the death penalty for five activists, including the female rights defender Israa al-Ghomgham. Human Rights Watch said they recently went on trial at a terrorism tribunal on charges including "participating in protests" in the restive Qatif region.

It has been the scene of demonstrations by the minority Shia Muslim community. Ghomgham is believed to be the first Saudi woman to possibly face the death penalty for rights-related work. HRW warned that it set "a dangerous precedent for other women activists currently behind bars" in the Gulf kingdom. At least 13 human rights defenders and women's rights activists have been arrested since mid-May, accused of activities deemed a risk to national security. Some have been released, but others remain detained without charge.

HRW said Ghomgham was an activist well known for participating in and documenting the mass protests that have taken place in Qatif since 2011. Members of the Shia community have taken to the streets to complain about the discrimination they say they face from the Sunni-led government. Ghomgham and her husband were reportedly arrested in December 2015, and they have been held at Dammam's al-Mabahith prison ever since.

The public prosecutor accused Ghomgham and the other four activists of charges including "participating in protests in the Qatif region", "incitement to protest," "chanting slogans hostile to the regime", "attempting to inflame public opinion", "filming protests and publishing on social media", and "providing moral support to rioters", according to HRW.

The prosecutor reportedly called for them to be given the death penalty at the start of their trial based on the Islamic legal principle of "tazir", under which the judge has discretion over what constitutes a crime and over the sentence.

"Any execution is appalling, but seeking the death penalty for activists like Israa al-Ghomgham, who are not even accused of violent behaviour, is monstrous," Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director, said in a statement.

"Every day, the Saudi monarchy's unrestrained despotism makes it harder for its public relations teams to spin the fairy tale of 'reform' to allies and international business."

The European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights and ALQST, a London-based Saudi human rights group, have called on the authorities to drop the charges against Ghomgham.

The Saudi government has so far not commented on Ghomgham's trial. However, courts have sentenced to death several Shia activists after convicting them of what human rights groups have called politically-motivated charges.
Officials have said those executed were guilty of terrorism-related offences, including taking up arms against the government and attacking security forces.

Source : BBC

The leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan was killed in an air strike on Saturday, Afghan officials say. Abu Saad Erhabi and 10 other members are said to have died in an operation in the eastern province of Nangarhar, near the border with Pakistan.

He is the fourth Afghan leader of the group to be killed in recent years. The IS affiliate has been active there since 2014, claiming a number of deadly recent attacks. It is sometimes known as Islamic State Khorasan after a historic name for Afghanistan and surrounding areas.

The National Directorate of Security in Kabul said the strikes that killed Erhabi were part of a joint air and ground operation conducted alongside US-led coalition forces. US officials did not confirm his death but said they had conducted a strike in the area targeting "a senior leader of a designated terrorist organisation". The previous leader of Islamic State Khorasan, Abu Sayed, was killed in a US strike on the group's headquarters in Kunar province in July 2017.

The group has been blamed for a number of attacks in Afghanistan this year - including a suicide bombing at a Kabul education centre that killed dozens of people. The group has not commented on the reports of Erhabi's death.

Source : BBC

About 22,000 people were rescued from the flood-hit Indian state of Kerala on Sunday, officials say, after monsoon rains finally eased.

Military teams, as well as disaster response forces and local fishermen, reached some of the worst hit areas.

Helicopters also brought much-needed supplies to communities cut-off by two weeks of incessant rain.

More than 350 people have been killed, most of them in landslides, since the monsoon started in June.

Kerala's chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the number of people taking refuge in the 5,645 relief camps now stood at 725,000.

But he vowed on Sunday "to save even the last person stranded".

Meanwhile, the head of the state's disaster management team, Anil Vasudevan, said he was preparing to deal with a possible outbreak of waterborne and airborne diseases in temporary relief camps.

Source : BBC

Senator John McCain, the Vietnam war hero turned senator and presidential candidate has died aged 81. McCain died on Saturday surrounded by his family, a short statement released by his office said.

He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in July 2017 and had been undergoing medical treatment. His family announced on Friday that McCain, who left Washington in December, had decided to stop treatment.

The six-term senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee was diagnosed after doctors discovered his tumour during surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last July. His family said he would lie in state in Phoenix, Arizona, and in Washington DC before a funeral at the Washington National Cathedral and his burial in Annapolis, Maryland.

The son and grandson of Navy admirals, McCain was a fighter pilot during the war in Vietnam. When his plane was shot down, he spent more than five years as a prisoner of war. While in the custody of his captors, he suffered torture that left him with lasting disabilities.

Source : BBC

The Indonesian island of Lombok has been shaken by another strong earthquake, after weeks of tremors that have killed more than 476 people.

Sunday's quake measured magnitude 6.3 and was at a depth of 7.9km (4.9 miles). It caused landslides but it is not known if there are any casualties.

Residents said the tremor was felt strongly to the east of the island, and sent people fleeing into the streets. The island has been rocked by hundreds of quakes and tremors since 29 July.

Source : BBC

Flood victims returning home in the Indian state of Kerala have been warned to prepare for a new menace: Snakes. Several snake-catching teams have been deployed to affected areas, amid fears the reptiles could be hiding in cupboards, under carpets, or inside washing machines in previously submerged homes.

Hospitals in the worst-hit areas are readying supplies of anti-venom. Devastating flooding has killed around 400 people in Kerala since June.

More than a million others were displaced, with many of them taking shelter in thousands of relief camps across the southern state. As well as the glut of snakes, scorpions and other insects are reported to have moved into human homes.

Source : BBC

Kofi Annan, the only black African to become UN secretary-general, has died. The 80-year-old "passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness", the foundation named after him said.

His home country, Ghana, has declared a week of national mourning. Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a solution to the conflict.

In a statement announcing his death, the Kofi Annan Foundation described him as a "global statesman and deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world".

"Wherever there was suffering or need, he reached out and touched many people with his deep compassion and empathy."

The career diplomat died in hospital in the Swiss city of Bern. He had been living near Geneva for several years.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for helping to revitalise the international body, during a period that coincided with the Iraq War and the HIV/Aids pandemic.

Source : BBC

Scott Morrison has become Australia's new prime minister after Malcolm Turnbull was forced out by party rivals in a bruising leadership contest.

Turnbull has been under pressure from poor polling and what he described as an "insurgency" by conservative MPs.

Morrison, the treasurer, won an internal ballot 45-40 over former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton - who had been Mr Turnbull's most vocal threat.

Turnbull is the fourth Australian PM in a decade to be ousted by colleagues.

Former cricketer Imran Khan has been sworn-in as the new prime minister of Pakistan, more than two decades after he entered politics.

He was elected prime minister in a vote at the country's National Assembly on Friday.

His PTI party won the most seats in July's elections and Mr Khan has become PM with the help of small parties.

Correspondents say his priority will be to address a financial crisis, with the economy in need of a huge bailout.

On Saturday morning, Mr Khan was tearful and smiled as he stumbled over some of the words of his oath, led by the country's President Mamnoon Hussain.

Members of the 1992 cricket World Cup winning team that Mr Khan captained to victory watched the ceremony alongside senior PTI figures and military officials.

Source : BBC

China says it plans to file a fresh complaint against President Donald Trump's tariffs at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The threat comes after the US imposed a second round of tariffs on $16bn (£12.4bn) of Chinese goods, in an escalation of their trade war.

The 25% tax came into effect at noon in Beijing (04:00 GMT), affecting goods including motorcycles and antennas.

There are fears that more tariffs could further hurt companies and consumers.

China's commerce ministry warned of a "counter-attack" after Washington imposed the new tariffs, saying it "clearly suspected" the US of violating WTO rules. It filed the first complaint at the WTO in July.

On Thursday, China imposed retaliatory taxes on $16bn of US goods at the exact same time as the US levies came into force. The levies cover goods including coal, medical instruments, cars and buses.

A total of $50bn worth of imports from both sides will now be taxed under this second round.

The tit-for-tat tariffs come as officials from the US and China are holding low-level talks in Washington.

But hopes are not high they will bring a breakthrough in the trade row which began in July.

Source : BBC

Corona beer owner Constellation Brands is set to pour some $4bn (£3.15bn) into Canada's top cannabis producer, Canopy Growth, in a deal marking the largest investment in the industry to date.

Last year, Constellation injected $200m into Canopy in a deal to produce a non-alcoholic cannabis-based beverage.

The alcohol firm wants to capitalise on the growing legalisation of the drug.

On news of the deal, Canopy's Toronto-listed stock surged 30%, while on Wall Street, Constellation's fell 6%.

The two firms said the investment would allow Canopy to expand its business reach "in the nearly 30 countries pursuing a federally permissible medical cannabis programme".

Canopy, which has the largest legal cannabis production footprint in the world, currently produces cannabis-based oils and soft gel caps, among other products. 

With Constellation's latest injection of cash, Canopy plans to expand its suite of products to include edible bars, inhalers and pre-rolled items.

It also wants to develop cannabinoid-based medicines that provide a safer alternative to some mainstream treatments for pain, anxiety, sleeplessness and psoriasis.

"This [deal] marks the end of the warm-up in our sector... it's fully go-time," said Canopy's chief executive Bruce Linton on an investment call. 

There are nearly 30 countries pursuing a federally permissible medical cannabis programme/Getty Images

'Tremendous growth opportunity'Constellation, which makes and markets beer, wine and spirits in the US, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Italy, noted that governments around the world had already signalled a significant change in attitudes towards cannabis and cannabis-based products.

"Over the past year, we've come to better understand the cannabis market, the tremendous growth opportunity it presents, and Canopy's market-leading capabilities in this space," said Rob Sands, chief executive of Constellation Brands.

In June, the Canadian government passed a bill which will effectively legalise the recreational cannabis market in the country. The bill is set to be rolled out in October.

Constellation's latest investment in Canopy takes its ownership in the firm to 38%.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be closed no earlier than the end of October.

(BBC)