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page 40 CHINA South China Sea: China rejects Hague tribunal judgement By Abdullateef Salau with agency reports China has rejected an international tribunal ruling that its claims to rights in the South China Sea have no legal basis. The tribunal, based in The Hague, ruled that there was no evidence that China had historic rights […]

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CHINA

South China Sea: China rejects Hague tribunal judgement

By Abdullateef Salau with agency reports

China has rejected an international tribunal ruling that its claims to rights in the South China Sea have no legal basis.

The tribunal, based in The Hague, ruled that there was no evidence that China had historic rights to the waters or resources that fell within its “nine-dash line”, and was violating the Philippine’s sovereign rights with its operations there.

The ruling was made by an arbitration tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“China solemnly declares that the award is null and void and has no binding force. China neither accepts nor recognizes it,” said a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry and available to Daily Trust.

The statement said the country’s “territorial sovereignty and marine rights and interests” in the seas would not be affected by those awards, stressing that China opposes and would never accept any claim or action based on those awards.

But the ministry said China was committed to resolving the disputes peacefully through negotiation and consultation with its neighbours “on the basis of respecting historical facts and in accordance with international law.”

UGANDA

Opposition leader freed after 2 months in prison

Uganda’s main opposition leader has been freed after spending two months in jail over treason charges.

A Ugandan judge freed Kizza Besigye on bail Tuesday, rejecting prosecutors’ calls for him to be remanded indefinitely until his case is concluded.

He waved to chanting supporters in a packed courtroom when the judge ordered his release.

Besigye told reporters that he did not know how long his freedom would last.

He insists he won a presidential election held in February. According to official results, the longtime president, Yoweri Museveni, won with over 60 percent of the votes.

BURUNDI

Opposition parties boycott peace talks

Representatives of five opposition parties that participated in Burundi’s general election boycotted the second round of peace talks in the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha on Tuesday.

Dialogue in Bujumbura last year between the government and opponents failed to bridge differences, and talks mediated by Uganda earlier this year also swiftly stalled.

The five parties were unhappy over the decision of the mediator, former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, to invite Burundians accused of human rights violations and involvement in an attempted coup against Nkurunzinza in May 2015.

The five parties, FNL, FROLINA, PIEBU ABANYESHAKA, RADEBU and FRODEBU are concerned by the inclusion of Pacifique Nininahazwe of FOCODE party, Armel Ningoyere from ACT party in Burundi and Minani Jean in the dialogue.

“We are very surprised by their inclusion in the dialogue after all the humanitarian crisis they caused in Burundi,” Jean Didier Mutabazi, RADEBU’s president, told reporters at the venue of the talks.

ZIMBABWE

Anti-Mugabe protesters to face ‘full wrath’ of law

Zimbabwe’s government warned protesters on Tuesday they would face the “full wrath of the law” if they heeded a call by a detained preacher to continue with the biggest demonstrations in a decade against President Robert Mugabe.

Baptist minister Evan Mawarire has become a household name in Zimbabwe since he started a social media campaign in April that has tapped into mounting public anger over corruption, high unemployment and economic woes.

In a video recorded before his arrest on Tuesday, Mawarire urged supporters to go ahead with further ‘stay at home’ demonstrations. He had called for a one-day protest last week which closed businesses across the southern African nation in the biggest strike since 2005.

“The police whose mandate is to protect life and property will be out in full force to deal with any disturbances that may arise,” Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo told reporters.

UNITED STATES

Election 2016: Clinton gets nod from rival Sanders

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has received an endorsement from her former rival Bernie Sanders.

The Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential candidate appeared with Mrs Clinton at a campaign event in New Hampshire.

Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders have been negotiating since she all but guaranteed the nomination in June.

Mr Sanders hopes to have a large influence the Democratic platform.

“She will be the Democratic nominee for president and I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States,” he said.

“This campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face. And there is no doubt in my mind that, as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that.”

UK

Cameron chairs last cabinet as British PM

David Cameron chaired his final cabinet meeting on Tuesday after six years as Britain’s prime minister, with incoming premier Theresa May preparing to form a new government to deliver Brexit.

May led tributes to Cameron at the meeting, which was described by ministers as “emotional”, and posed for photographers on the steps of the premier’s 10 Downing Street residence afterwards.

Cameron’s end came sooner than expected after dramatic twists in the contest to replace him led to his swift exit from power less than three weeks after the nation’s seismic vote to quit the European Union.

May will come under immediate pressure from EU leaders to set out a timetable for Brexit.

The European Commission’s economy chief Pierre Moscovici urged May to accelerate the process.

AUSTRIA

Govt to seize Hitler birthplace

Austria’s government is to seize the house where Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 to prevent it becoming a site of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis.

The owner, a retired local woman, has refused repeated offers to buy the house in Brunau am Inn in the past.

However, there is disagreement over what to do with the house next.

The interior minister wants it demolished but others say a museum or even a supermarket would more effectively “depoliticise” it.

“The decision is necessary because the Republic would like to prevent this house from becoming a ‘cult site’ for neo-Nazis in any way, which it has been repeatedly in the past, when people gathered there to shout slogans,” Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said.

SOUTH SUDAN

Ceasefire holding in South Sudan

A ceasefire appears to be holding in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, after four days of heavy fighting between rival forces left more than 270 people dead.

The city is quiet, with no reports of helicopter gunships in the sky or tanks on the streets but shops remained shut.

President Salva Kiir and his rival, Vice-President Riek Machar, announced a ceasefire which came into force on Monday at 15:00 GMT.

Clashes between troops loyal to the two men had threatened a recent peace deal.

The UN said about 42,000 people had fled their homes during the fighting, with 7,000 of them taking refuge at its compounds.

ITALY

20 killed in head-on train collision

Twenty people have been killed and dozens more hurt in a head-on collision involving two passenger trains in southern Italy, officials say.

The two trains were on a single-track line at the time of the crash, between the coastal towns of Bari and Barletta.

The emergency services have been trying to free passengers from the shattered carriages, near the town of Andria.

One of those pulled from the wreckage was a small child, who was airlifted to hospital.

The local authorities have appealed for blood donors to come forward.

It was unclear what led to the collision, which happened in good weather at 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) in the southern region of Puglia.

IRAQ

Car bomb near Baghdad kills 11

A suicide bomber blew up his car near a crowded outdoor market northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday morning, killing at least 11 people and injuring at least 32 more in the predominantly Shiite district.

The incident occurred after a man drove a pick-up truck loaded with explosives that went off during rush hour at the fruit and vegetable market in the al-Rashidiya district. Police were forced to shut down several major roads around Baghdad as a result of the attack.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but it was very similar to recent attacks carried out by IS in neighboring towns.