AP, Beijing
China has attacked a statement by 22 Western countries at the United Nations urging it to cease holding member of its Muslim population in detention centers.
It calls the measures necessary for national security and accused the countries of trampling on China’s sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a daily briefing Thursday that the letter “disregarded the facts, slandered and attacked China with unwarranted accusations, flagrantly politicized human rights issues and grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs.”
Bosnian Muslims mark 24th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre
AP, Srebrenica
Thousands of mourners, including relatives of the victims, are gathering for a commemoration on the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II.
The ceremony at a memorial site near Srebrenica on Thursday will include the burial of 33 newly identified victims of the July 11-22, 1995 massacre in which more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in and around the U.N.-protected enclave by Bosnian Serb troops during the Bosnian civil war.
US peace envoy to Afghanistan in Beijing for meeting
AP, Beijing
The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan is in Beijing for a previously scheduled meeting, an American Embassy spokesman said Thursday, as indications grew of a new momentum in efforts to end Afghanistan’s 18-year war and push by China to boost its influence in the region.
The spokesman gave no further details about the visit by Zalmay Khalilzad, but it comes just days after he said that for the first time he can report “substantive” progress on all four issues key to a peace agreement.
Man arrested after scaling Buckingham Palace gates
AFP, London
A man has been arrested after scaling the gates of Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth II is currently in residence, officials said on Thursday.
The 22-year-old, who was unarmed, was arrested at around 2:00am (0100 GMT) on Wednesday and the incident is not being treated as terror-related, the police said.
