The most senior military commander of Hamas, Ahmed al-Jaabri, was been killed in an Israeli air strike amidst the escalating conflict. Israeli military sources described the airstrike as a result of “precise intelligence gathered over a period of months. Outlining the motive behind the attack, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) stated that the operation was intended “to severely impair the command-and-control chain of the Hamas leadership, as well as its terrorist infrastructure.” A tweet from the Israeli military indicated that it was prepared to “initiate a ground operation in Gaza” if necessary.
Current US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has confirmed she will be stepping down at the end of the term. According to reports President Obama will likely nominate current US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice or Senator John Kerry for that position. However, Susan Rice came under criticise from those such as Senator John McCain who highlighted her statement following the attack on US embassy in Libya that killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens along with three other US staff. Susan Rice has come under scrutiny for claiming the attacks on the embassy as “spontaneous” when later...
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent has estimated that over 2.5 million peple have been displaced by fighting between the government and opposition militants. The chief spokesperson of the UN High Commission for Refugees, Melissa Fleming, said that the figure could be much higher. "The figure they are using is 2.5 million. If anything, they believe it could be more, this is a very conservative estimate," she said. "So people are moving, really on the run, hiding. They are difficult to count and access." The UN said last week that up to 4 million Syrians would need aid by the end of the year.
The UN General Assembly has elected 18 new states to join the UN Human Rights Council. The elected countries were Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Montenegro, Pakistan, South Korea, Sierra Leone, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Ireland, Estonia and the United States. A report by Freedom House said that a third of candidates were unqualified for membership, due to the human rights situation in those specific countries. Freedom House singled out Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, UAE and Venezuela as not suitable for...
Kuwait has released a member of the ruling family, Shaikh Abdullah Salem Al Sabah, who was arrested after tweeting comments that were critical of the government. Shaikh Abdullah said he was questioned by the secret service police around accusations of instigating against the regime. Sheikh Abdullah and another young Sheikh, Shaikh Nawaf Malek Al Sabah, wrote tweets that were sympathetic of the Kuwaiti opposition protests. The Kuwaiti opposition were protesting against an amendment that allowed for a pro-government parliament to be assembled in a unexpected general election due to take place on 1st December. The opposition argue that the amendment allows the government to influence the outcome of the elections.
The 22 member Arab League has acknowledged the new National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the legal representatives for the Syrian opposition. Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council, consisting of six members, formally recognised it as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. The united representative body was established at the weekend during discussions held in Doha, Qatar. Responding to the recent developments, Assad's Minister of Information Omran al-Zubi said whilst speaking at a university in Damascus on Monday, "The work of the external...
The former first lady of the Ivory Coast has begun testifying at her trial, where she faces charges of genocide and embezzlement amongst others, reported the AFP. Simone Gbagbo was detained along with her husband Laurent Gbagbo, after he refused to hand over power to the opposition, following his loss at the 2010 November Presidential elections. Since then, she has been held in the northern town of Odienne , while her husband has since been transferred to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. He faces charges of crimes against humanity. Eight other Gbagbo allies have been charged...
The West African bloc Ecowas has agreed to deploy troops to free Mali’s north from militants. The regional leaders agreed at a summit that 3,300 soldiers, mainly from Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Faso, would be sent to Mali to retake the northern regions from Tuareg and Islamist militants. The president of the Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouatarra, said that the soldiers can be deployed as soon as the UN Security Council approves the plan.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called Barack Obama on Sunday to congratulate him on the recent Presidential election and told him that he will press ahead with presenting a resolution to the United Nation’s General Assembly to become a non-member state. President Obama was quick to denounce the proposal as he, “reiterated the United States’ opposition to unilateral efforts at the United Nations.” On other hand, US stressed its willingness to support direct dialogue between the two parties as Obama, “reaffirmed his commitment to Middle East peace and his strong support for direct...
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has spoken out against China on Monday, after a spate of self-immolations in the past week. Speaking to reporters in Japan, the exiled leader said , "The Chinese government should investigate the cause (of the incidents). China does not look into it seriously and tries to end (the incidents) only by criticising me". His comments come after at least 7 reported self-immolations in the past week alone. China, meanwhile, continued to criticise the Dalai Lama, with Losang Gyaltsen, vice-chairman of the Tibet region's government saying, "The Dalai Lama clique and overseas Tibetan separatists have been sacrificing other people's lives for their own secret political aims".