Malaysia's Guantanamo

Men suspected of belonging to the Jemaah Islamiyah militant Islamist group are currently being held in "preventative" detention in Malaysia. The Jemaah Islamiyah is responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people. An estimated 70 people are being held without charge at Malaysia's Kamunting Detention Center. Some are accused of mundane crimes like forgery, and others have been held for six years without charge. Malaysia's controversial Internal Security Act (ISA) allows for the detentions. Last December, five Hindu rights activists were arrested under the ISA.

Ethiopian troops target civilians at Somali mosque

Amnesty International released a report yesterday accusing Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government (TGF) forces of killing twenty-one civilians during a raid on a mosque in Mogadishu last Saturday. Seven of the twenty-one had their throats slit. Forty-one children were also allegedly abducted by Ethiopian troops. An Ethiopian spokesman dismissed the accusations, which also include troops looting hospitals.

Kenya's women targetedKeep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.

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Women living in one of Africa's largest slum, Kibera, on the outskirts of Nairobi are still reeling from  inter-tribal clashes following December's post-election results that left 1,200 people dead. The scourge of rape remains a persistent reality among women and children. Stigmatised for belonging to the Kikuyu tribe, women hide in perpetual fear from Luo men who are targeting them throughout the slum. Elisabeth Muthama of the Nairobi Women's Hospital said, "There is a silent war going on the ground, whereby you have a male from one tribe raping a women from another." The youngest reported victim is only one year old.

Russian MiG over Georgia

According to Georgian officials, a Russian MiG-29 shot down an unarmed reconnaissance drone over the disputed Abkahazia region. Abkahazia is a breakaway Georgian region with close economic and political ties to Russia. Georgia says the latest incident is a direct provocation against the nation. General Alexander Zelin, commander of Russia's air force, denies the charge. "We are facing a very dangerous situation. Anything can happen," warned a senior Georgian official.

Pakistan's peace plan a Trojan horse?

The Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan chief (TPP) Betuallah Mehsud, suspected of involvement with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, is being courted with a six-point peace deal by Pakistan's coalition government as part of its counterterrorism policy. A Pakistan official said envoys were currently in discussion with elders of the Mehsud tribe - believed to have ties with al-Qaida. A Mehsud spokesman is demanding the government withdraw its forces from the tribal areas and release militant prisoners.

So far, authorities have released top Taliban mullah, Sufi Mohammed. Mehsud ordered a ceasefire in adjoining areas of South Waziristan but retains a "right" to continue to launch attacks into Afghanistan. The TPP must also stop sheltering foreign al-Qaida fighers.

In return, the Pakistani government is expecting recognition from the militants as a legitimate governing body throughout the troubled region. As it stands, the area is controlled through an amalgam of Afghan Taliban, local Taliban, and al-Qaida foreign operatives. Reports indicate these forces are launching joint operations as far in as Afghanistan's Helmand province which then retreat into the relative safety of Pakistan. Kabul, Afghan forces and the ISAF-NATO coalition forces are troubled by Pakistan's latest endeavors, fearing Islamabad is instead creating safe heavens that encourage cross-border incursions.

Israel accuse Hamas for Gaza humanitarian crisis

The Gaza Strip is desperately lacking in fuel and petrol and yet storage tanks on both sides of the Nahal Oz are full. Since Hamas forcibly seized power in June of last year, Israel has only allowed in enough fuel and food aid to maintain subsistence-level conditions. Early this week, 1,500 Palestinians strawberry farmers apparently intercepted and looted a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) carrying 50,000 liters of fuel. The UNRWA fuel was destined to supply UN food aid delivery trucks that have since been forced to suspend shipments to 650,000 Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli spokesman accuses Hamas for accentuating the crisis by deliberately staging protests and stealing supplies.

Khmer Rouge trial delay

The last of five remaining Khmer Rouge leaders on trial at Cambodia's UN-assisted genocide tribunal, Khieu Samphan, has won a reprieve. His French defense lawyer, Jacques Verges, attacked the tribunal's legitimacy Wednesday saying the case against Samphan was "invalid". Verge's complaint stems from court documents that have yet to be translated into French. The 76 year-old former Khmer Rouge president denies any role in the brutal regime that killed 1.7 million. The court's investigation into Samphan's role will now commence in July.

Armenia's top priority - genocide

In a speech marking Armenia's annual Genocide Day, the country's newly elected president, Serzh Sarksayn, said his administration's priority is to secure international recognition of the alleged genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire that killed 1.5 million Armenian Christians between 1915 and 1923. Ankara denies the claim, saying large numbers of Muslim Turks also perished. Calling the massacre genocide in Turkey is a criminal offence. Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic ties and the issue has also strained Turkey's relationship with the US and the EU.