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September 7, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – Eritreans in North America are planning to stage a major rally in support of a report by the Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea (CoIE) which accused the Red Sea nation of committing gross human right violations.

According to Eritrean opposition news outlets, the demonstration will be held later in September in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, coinciding with the UN General Assembly meetings which will convene from 15 September - 6 October, 2015.

The CoIE which is tasked to investigate all alleged violations of human rights in Eritrea is due to report its findings to the General Assembly in October this year.

In June 2015, the CoIE released a 485-page report on Eritrea's human rights situation.

The report unveiled gross human rights violations in the reclusive East African nation.

Some of these violations, it said may constitute crimes against humanity which could subject Eritrean officials to indictment at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The UN inquiry then held the regime in Asmara responsible for systematic, widespread and serious human rights violations that have created a climate of fear.

“Information gathered through the pervasive control system is used in absolute arbitrariness to keep the population in a state of permanent anxiety,” the report, adding “It is not law that rules Eritreans but fear”

The report added a large proportion of the population is subjected to forced labour and imprisonment, and hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the country.

Organisers of the planned rally called upon all Eritreans in North America to attend the event and show their support for the CoIE report.

It also appealed to them to raise their voices together “for Justice, Liberty and a Democratic Eritrea”

After the UN report was issued, Eritreans overseas held a number of demonstrations in support for the CoIE. However, many other government supporters who were angered by the report, held a protest rally in protest against its findings.

Members of the CoIE were also threatened and intimidated by supporters of the Eritrean government up on arrival in Geneva for meeting late in June.

The commission of inquiry and its members were insulted as enemies of the Eritrean government.

Eritrean embassies across the world were then accused of being behind the acts of intimidating individuals and entities.

The three-member commission is chaired by Mike Smith (Australia), with Victor Dankwa (Ghana), and Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth (Mauritius), who also serves as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea.

The Commission of Inquiry on Eritrea was established by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2014 to conduct an investigation of all violations of human rights in Eritrea, including: extrajudicial killings; enforced disappearances; arbitrary arrest and detention;
torture and inhumane prison conditions; violations of freedom of expression and opinion; freedom of association and assembly; freedom of religion and belief; freedom of movement; and forced military conscription.

(ST)

L'encéphalogramme de l'asile est resté plat en août. Différentes raisons l'expliquent.

September 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Inflation rate in Sudan appeared poised for reaching single digit figures before the end of the year with the announcement today it dropped from 14.1% in July to 11.3% in August.

FILE - Men wait to buy meat at the market in Khartoum, Sudan (REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The 2015 budget has a target inflation rate of 25% while the IMF projected 12.4% by year-end.

The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBoS) said that 13 states witnessed inflation rate declines compared to last year with the largest being in North Darfur (-63%) and lowest being Red Sea (-1.8%).

Gezira state however saw its inflation rate going up year over year by +7.3%.

Sudan has been struggling with double-digit inflation since secession of the oil-rich south in 2011 but it has succeeded in bringing it down from a high of 46.8% in July 2014 to 25.6% in November of the same year.

The East African nation which became a net importer of oil after the partition is benefiting from the sharp drop in crude prices worldwide weak demand and rise in supplies.

Ordinary citizens however continue to complain from cost of living increases that impaired their access to basic commodities.

(ST)

The third annual International Qvevri Wine Symposium is taking place in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi to raise awareness of Georgian wine and the ancient ways it was, and is continuing to be, produced.

September 7, 2015 (NYAL) - South Sudanese rebels in Payinjiar county of the oil-rich Unity state have accused pro-government forces of launching another offensive against their bases on Monday evening through river Nile.

Soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) on guard in Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan's Unity state on 12 January 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

The new attack came after several attempts by government troops to recapture rebels controlled areas along the Nile in Upper Nile and Unity states despite the permanent ceasefire came into effect on 29 August as declared by President Salva Kiir and armed opposition (SPLM-IO) leader, Riek Machar, after signing of the peace agreement.

Payinjiar county commissioner John Tap Puot told Sudan Tribune that a huge convoy of South Sudanese army (SPLA) have attacked their bases along the Nile at 5:00 pm. He said the government forces were repulsed and being chased towards Shambe port, south of Taiyar port.

“Yes, our forces have clashed this evening with convoy loaded with armed forces coming from Jonglei, toward our direction. We have repulsed them back from where they started their journey,” Puot said.

He further said that government forces were using two barges and several gunboats when they started attacking their locations on Monday.

However, commissioner Puot said there was no reported causalities on their side, but claimed a huge loss on forces loyal to president Kiir when they exchanged fire.

He blamed the failure to respect the ceasefire on South Sudanese president Kiir whom he said either blessed the ongoing violations by his forces or lost command control of his forces.

GUNSHIPS ATTACKS IN UPPER NILE

Meanwhile, Captain Paul Malieth, an opposition spokesperson for rebel army's Special Division One under the overall commands of Major General Johnson Olony, has accused government forces for bombarding civilians populated areas of Owaji, Lelo and Tangbuong in another oil-rich Upper Nile state on Monday between 3:00-4:00pm.

“We condemn this in [the] strongest terms possible the barbaric attacks by pro-government [forces] on our positions through use of gunships,” he said.

He called on IGAD and the wider international community to put pressure on president Kiir's government to respect the permanent ceasefire and implementation of the peace agreement.

(ST)

Russia and Armenia have signed an agreement on Russian gas pricing offering a discount of $25 for one cubic meter.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has congratulated Macedonian President Georgi Ivanov on the Independence Day.

Sátrakat vásárol az ENSZ Menekültügyi Főbiztossága a Szeged környékén a szabad ég alatt éjszakázó menekülteknek. Dudás Dóra (egészségügyi segítő, orvostanhallgató) a röszkei gyűjtőpontról küldött éjszaka egy videót a Facbookra. Nagyjából 500 menekült, 10-15 kisbaba van ott jelenleg egy réten, most 10 fok a hőmérséklet, de ez éjszaka tovább fog csökkenni, nincs elég takaró és polifoam. Meleg innivaló, melegedési lehetőség egyáltalán nincs!

Simonetta Sommaruga sera dimanche en Italie pour les 500 ans de la bataille. Les parlementaires tous absents!

A corner of Azerbaijan has been launched at the Jewish Alsatian Museum in Bouxwiller, France, by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and local "Valiske" Association, AzerTag reports.

The OSCE Minsk Group is involved in the process of peace settlement of the Karabakh conflict more than ever.

September 7, 2015 (JUBA) –Authorities in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state declared on Monday a night curfew after unknown gunmen shot to death four people.

Western Equatoria's information minister Charles Kisanga (ST/File photo)

Charles Kisanga, the state information minister said efforts were underway to arrest the suspects.

"The WES government can confirm reports that four civilians were killed and two wounded critical (including one year baby boy) by unknown gunmen around Yambio town over the weekend,” he explained in a press statement.

According to Kisanga, the gunmen on Friday night attacked Asanza area by storming into houses and killing a police officer identified as Abraham.

"[He] was killed with his wife and [the attackers] tried to kill his mother and two children but they managed to escape their room which was set ablaze,” said the minister.

Western Equatoria was considered one of the peaceful regions in South Sudan. But in June, clashes erupted between the army, cattle keepers and local communities leaving scores dead. The state assembly speaker was last month also killed by gunmen.

In the latest cases of targeted killings, however, the attackers burnt remains of those killed.

"Also on Saturday afternoon a lorry returning from Nabiapai market was stopped with automatic fire and it was looted when the occupants fled for their lives to nearby bushes. Although no one was hurt in the ambush people lost all their goods and some people were still missing hours later,” Kisanga said of a separate incident.

On Sunday night within the capital, Yambio, the suburb of Hai Timbiro was attacked by unknown gunmen. A woman only identified as Naatiyo, who was killed together with her daughter (Hipai) of 14 years. Hipai attended Young Angels Primary School, Kisanga said.

"Also a baby boy of one year was shot in the hand, breaking the hand while a third woman the mother of the child escaped with a lot of bullets wounds making her condition critical,” he added.

The minister, however, said the state authorities have to act on the insecurity situation.

“The Government further after meeting of the state security committee, has now ordered patrols at night of the state capital, Yambio, by joint organised forces and a curfew is being declared to start immediately and to come into effect every day at 10 pm and run to 6 am in the morning,” said Kisanga.

“The targeting of innocent children and the act of killing and burning of victims is very deplorable and there is no excuse at this time to commit any such crime by any armed group whatever their motives are,” he added.

(ST)

SMS is implementing a new project.

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The border has been very tense over the last two weeks, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan said at the meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

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Turkey will be "cleaned of terrorists no matter what happens", Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday.

Greenpeace e.V.: Hamburg (ots) - Die globale Verbreitung von gesundheitsschädlichen per- und polyfluorierten Chemikalien (PFC) belegt eine aktuelle Studie der Umweltschutzorganisation Greenpeace. In Schnee- und Wasserproben aus acht entlegenen Gebirgsregionen hat ...

Mária, a megszentelt élet mintája mottóval kezdődött tegnap Doroszlón a délvidéki katolikusok legnagyobb búcsúja, a Szentkút Kisboldogasszonyi búcsú. A zarándokokat a szervezők 14 órától várták. A búcsú első napján bűnbánati liturgia, katekézis, betegek kenetének kiosztása, görög katolikus liturgia, előesti szentmise, gyertyás körmenet, szentségimádás és filmvetítés is volt. Ma a búcsú hajnali 5 órakor rózsafüzér-ájtatossággal kezdődik, majd keresztúti ájtatossággal folytatódik. Nyolc órakor szlovák nyelvű szentmise, 8.30-kor horvát nyelvű, 9-kor német nyelvű szentmisét mutatnak be, majd 10-kor ünnepi nagymise következik magyarul Msgr. dr. Márfy Gyula veszprémi érsek vezetésével. A szentmise után oltáriszentségi körmenet lesz. A szentkúti búcsú alkalmával rendezik meg a Bácskai Hordozható Máriák Találkozóját is. Beköszöntésük az ünnepi szentmise előtt kerül sorra, de részt vesznek a szentmisén és az ünnepi felvonuláson is.

Programajánló

ATLÉTIKA

18.15, Digi Sport 1: World Challenge, Zágráb

BIRKÓZÁS

5.00, M4: világbajnokság, Las Vegas

KÉZILABDA

17.45, M4: Budaörs–Fehérvár (női NB I.)

KOSÁRLABDA

Férfi-Eb, B csoport: Szerbia–Izland (14.30, RTS1), Németország–Törökország (17.30, RTS2, Sport1), Spanyolország–Olaszország (21.00, RTS2). C csoport: Szlovénia–Hollandia (15.00), Grúzia–Görögország (18.00), Horvátország–Macedónia (21.00, HRT2)

LABDARÚGÁS

Eb-selejtező, C csoport: Fehéroroszország–Luxemburg, Szlovákia–Ukrajna, Macedónia–Spanyolország (20.45, Sport2, Sportklub1). A sorrend: 1. Spanyolország 18, 2. Szlovákia 18, 3. Ukrajna 15, 4. Fehéroroszország 4, 5. Luxemburg 4, 6. Macedónia 3 pont.

E csoport: Litvánia–San Marino, Szlovénia–Észtország, Anglia–Svájc (20.45, Sport1, Sportklub3). A sorrend: 1. Anglia 21, 2. Svájc 15, 3. Észtország 10, 4. Szlovénia 9, 5. Litvánia 6, 6. San Marino 1 pont.

G csoport: Liechtenstein–Oroszország, Moldova–Montenegró, Svédország–Ausztria (20.45, Sportklub2). A sorrend: 1. Ausztria 19, 2. Svédország 12, 3. Oroszország 11, 4. Montenegró 8, 5. Liechtenstein 5, 6. Moldova 2 pont.

23.00, Arena Sport 2: Ecuador–Honduras (barátságos mérkőzés)

TENISZ

1.15, 18.00 és 21.15, Eurosport, 17.00, Eurosport2: US Open