International Headlines
Jan 7: Kashmir Leader Dead
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, 79, died at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi after a brief illness. Mr Sayeed founded the People’s Democractic Party and led a coalition government with Prime Minister Modi’s BJP in Kashmir. His daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, is expected to take over as the first women chief minister of the state.
Jan 6: Hydrogen Bomb Test
North Korea has declared that they have successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test. They released a statement saying it was a “complete success” and that the test it had been personally ordered by their leader Mr Kim Jong-un. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye condemned the test as “grave provocation” and called for strong international responses, while the United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting.
Jan 3: Missing Booksellers
Five employees of a Hong Kong publishing company which specialises in books critical of China’s leadership have gone missing. The disappearance of Lee Bo, 56, Chief Editor of Mighty Current and who is also one of the company’s major shareholders, shocked and appalled the city. Hong Kong Acting Secretary for Security John Lee said that the police were actively investigating the case.
Jan 1: Suicide Bombing
A bomb attack French restaurant in the Afghan capital Kabul killed a 12 year old boy and wounded more than a dozen people, reported Reuters. The bombing was targeted at Le Jardin, one of the restaurants in Kabul visited by foreigners. The last attack on foreign restaurants in the region was two years ago, the target was a Lebanese restaurant and 21 people were killed.
Dec 30: China’s Terrorism Law
China has passed a new counter terrorism bill which is drawing widespread criticisms from human rights campaigners who say that the new law is targeted to further subdue troubled ethnic minority regions, especially in Tibet and Xinjiang in north western China. Other concerns are that the definition of terrorism is too broad, that Beijing’s surveillance powers are increased and that anti-terrorism operations will be instigated overseas.
Dec 29: “Comfort Women” Recompensed
Japan and South Korea have agreed a deal to settle the issue of "comfort women" who were forced to work as prostitutes in Japanese brothels during World War Two. Japan has apologised and will pay 1bn yen ($8.3m; £5.6m) into a government-administered fund to aid the surviving women. Up to 200,000 women were used to provide sex for Japanese soldiers during WW2, many of them Korean.
Dec 27: Chucked Out
Ursula Gauthier, a French journalist with the French news magazine L'Obs, has been refused a renewal of her Chinese press visa. She wrote an article that was critical of Beijing's policy towards Muslim Uighers in Xinjiang and Chinese authorities accuse her of supporting "terrorism and cruel acts" that have killed people. Ms Gauthier was active in covering the uprisings in Tibet at the time of the 2008 Olympics.
Dec 25: Christmas
Christians across the world have been celebrating Christmas with services and prayers. The recent violence between Palestinians and Israelis has overshadowed the celebrations in the town where it is believed that Jesus was born, the holy city of Bethlehem on the West Bank. "There's lights, there's carols, but there's an underlying sense of tension," British pilgrim Paul Haines told the Associated Press.
Dec 24: Out of Jail!
A software bug in America has resulted in over 3,200 prisoners being released early, one prisoner gained his freedom nearly two years before his release date. The bug has been affecting the programmes introduced in 2002 that calculate sentence reductions for good behaviour. The problem was only revealed when the family of a crime victim found out that the offender was getting out of jail too early.
Dec 23: Iraq Moves on IS
Iraqi forces have launched a major assault to drive Islamic State militants from the city of Ramadi which fell to IS last May. Troops and allied tribesmen, backed by United States-led air strikes, have retaken parts of the city while heading towards the main government complex. Government forces encircled the predominantly Sunni Arab city, cutting off militants inside the centre, before the attack.
Dec 22: Muslims Defend Christians
A group of Kenyan Muslims stood up to Islamist gunmen when they ambushed a bus near the village of El Wak on the Kenya/Somali border, killing at least two people. An eyewitness has told how the Muslims protected Christian passengers by refusing to be split into groups, telling the militants "to kill them together or leave them alone". The Somali based al-Shabab group says it carried out the attack.
Dec 21: Historic Agreement
World Trade Organisation (WTO) countries have agreed to abolish subsidies on farming exports. Developed countries will stop subsidies immediately, developing countries have until the end of 2018. The WTO, which represents 162 countries, says this is "the most significant outcome on agriculture" since its foundation in 1995. Removing agriculture export subsidies is aimed at helping farmers in poorer countries to compete more fairly.
Dec 20: Rapist Free
The youngest of the Delhi gang rapists who raped a young woman on a bus in December 2012 has been released from a correctional centre amide widespread protest and legal challenges. The man has not been named as he was a minor when he committed the crime and has served the full sentence of 3 years. The rape caused the death of the woman and sparked global outrage.
Dec 18: EU Criticises China
The European Parliament has approved its report on EU-China Relations which criticises the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet, East Turkestan and China, and mentions the self-immolations and punishment of people associated with self-immolators, the continuing hardline policies against Tibetan people, rejection of the Middle Way Approach, China’s plans to make Chinese the main language of instruction in Tibetan schools and the restrictions on religious practices.
Dec 17: Trial in China
Pu Zhiqiang, the Chinese civil rights lawyer, stood trial in Beijing Intermediate People’s Court on charges of “inciting ethnic hatred” and “creating disturbances”. Outside the court, people gathered to protest, including global media, diplomats and Chinese people. Pu Zhiqiang has criticised Chinese ethnic policies, and has represented the world famous Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei. Human Rights Watch say that he has not violated any law.