Religious minority targeted in Myanmar
The Myanmar army killed 25 people, including women and children, in minority Rohingya villages in the Rakhine region of the country. The Rohingya are a population of about a million Muslims who are not recognized as citizens of Myanmar, which has a Buddhist majority. Independent media does not have access to the region, but the official army account says that soldiers were defending themselves after men armed with machetes and wooden clubs attacked them. The army account also states that the Rohingya were lighting their own homes on fire to “cause misunderstanding and tension”. Social media accounts from the region tell a different story, with soldiers attacking civilian populations. The government of the country has refused to allow for a credible independent investigation to take place.
Colombians reach new peace deal
The Colombian government and Farc rebels have reached a new peace deal after voters rejected the first one in a shocking referendum. The new deal addresses areas of criticism in the original. Among them is a provision that rebels hand over all their assets, which will be used as reparations for their victims. One aspect of the deal they were unwilling to change was to allow former rebels to hold public office, arguing that allowing them into the political process was the point of the argument. It is unclear whether Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos will push for another referendum or ask their parliament to ratify it.
Wikileaks founder questioned by authorities
Julian Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy four years ago to escape possible extradition to Sweden, where he is accused of rape. He claims that the charges are politically motivated, and that the Swedes will extradite him to the US to face charges related to the release of over 500,000 secret military documents. Now, the top Swedish prosecutor Ingris Isgren has been granted permission to interview Assange, albeit in a roundabout way. The questions were submitted in Spanish and presented to him by an Ecuadorean prosecutor, and no follow-up questions were allowed. A lawyer for Mr. Assange indicated that the Wikileaks founder was happy to finally cooperate in the investigation.
