International News for Jan. 31 - Feb. 13

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from the Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report and CNN. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

India

Feb. 12 - Pakistan has officially acknowledged that the November Mumbai attacks were at least partially planned in Pakistan. Interior Ministry Chief Rehman Malik stated that Pakistan has already apprehended most of the suspects, including "the main operator." The Indian Foreign Ministry has responded that Pakistan's official acknowledgment is a move in the positive direction, but urged the Pakistani government to take more action to dismantle terrorist groups organized in Pakistan. The Pakistani government had previously denied any involvement in the Mumbai events. The terrorist attacks, synchronized over several locations in downtown Mumbai, resulted in at least 173 dead and over 308 wounded. Military intelligence in other countries, such as the United States and India, had deemed that the attacks originated in Pakistan.

Qatar

Feb. 10 - The first peace talks since 2007 between the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese government began amidst political conflict. The other rebel group, the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), refused to participate. Both JEM and SLM have boycotted talks since 2007. After conflicts between the rebel groups and the Sudanese governments began in 2003, up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million people have been forced to move from their homes. The groups started to rebel on the basis that the government neglected its people. According to unnamed sources in a New York Times article, the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is based in the Netherlands, stated its intent to issue an arrest warrant for the current president of the Sudanese government, Omar al-Bashir. The court, which tries crimes against humanity, alleged that al-Bashir is responsible for organizing genocide against ethnic Africans in Darfur, according to the same sources. Al-Bashir has denied the charges and the ICC itself issued a statement saying the judges have not yet reached a decision regarding al-Bashir's arrest warrant. If the ICC chooses to issue a warrant for al-Bashir's arrest, it will be the first time that a current head of state is tried for war crimes. However, as the ICC itself has no personal police force, it would be difficult to extradite al-Bashir.

Egypt

Feb. 12 - Hamas has agreed to a long-term truce with Israel, according to the militant group's deputy leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk. The Israeli government has issued no comment on the statement. Marzouk also stated that Egypt, which has been hosting the talks between these two countries, will announce the truce after consulting with neighboring regions. The details of the truce are still unknown. The international community has pressured both Palestine and Israel to agree to peace talks after violent conflict began between the two states in December. Egyptian officials have been acting as mediators during the talks, as protests all over the world have occurred to decrease the death toll of innocent civilians.