John Holmes
latest news & developmentsICC focuses on new Sudanese war-crimes case
Urging decisive action against Sudanese war-crimes suspects, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor said on Friday he would announce details of a new case next…
West dismayed over Suu Kyi detention
Western governments lashed out at the extension of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest, but the outrage at Burma’s generals was tempered by concern over disrupting aid…
Ban heads for Asia on Burma aid mission
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon headed to south-east Asia on Wednesday on a mission to secure more help for cyclone victims in Burma, whose military rulers have finally granted…
Asian aid to reach Burma cyclone victims
Burma’s neighbours appeared to have reached a compromise with the regime on Monday that would finally allow significant amounts of international aid to reach the survivors of the…
Pressure mounts on Burma to open up to aid
Aid was trickling in on Sunday to an estimated 2,5-million people left destitute by Cyclone Nargis in Burma’s Irrawaddy delta as more foreign envoys tried to get the junta to…
Burma death toll soars as diplomats tour delta
Burma’s ruling military junta took diplomats on a tour of the storm-ravaged Irrawaddy delta on Saturday as its toll of dead and missing soared above 133 000 people, making…
Foreign powers lean on Burma to open up aid drive
Western powers kept up the pressure on Burma’s generals on Thursday to allow a massive aid effort as relief workers struggled to help an estimated 2,5-million people left…
Burma says no need for foreign aid distribution
Burma will accept foreign aid but distribute relief itself, an official newspaper said on Friday, after a disaster rescue team from Qatar that arrived in Rangoon on an aid flight…
Plea for Burma to let in aid as toll soars
The international community pleaded with Burma’s military rulers on Wednesday to let foreign aid workers and desperately needed relief supplies into the cyclone-crushed country.…
UN: Darfur deaths may be as high as 300 000
As many as 300Â 000 people may have died in the five-year conflict in Darfur, a dramatic increase over earlier estimates of 200Â 000, a top United Nations official said on…
UN: Food price rises threaten global security
Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the United Nations’s top humanitarian official warned on Tuesday after two days of rioting in…
UN warns of ‘very grave’ problems in Iraq
A top United Nations official warned on Friday of ”very grave” humanitarian problems in Iraq, including a lack of food and the internal displacement of more than two million…
A forgotten war draining a forgotten people
The road from Harar runs for more than 960km east towards the border with Somalia, penetrating deep into the desiccated badlands of the Ogaden desert, the dusty heart of…
Annan launches new bid for Kenya deal
Mediator Kofi Annan launched a new bid on Thursday for a political compromise to end Kenya’s post-election crisis, bringing the country’s feuding leaders to the same table for…
UN: Ethnic tensions splitting Kenya
Two months of violence in Kenya have split the country along ethnic lines and there is a risk of further clashes if the political crisis is not resolved quickly, a top United…