Kurdistan’s president Masoud Barzani reiterated that his people will to not be “subordinates” to Baghdad. Noting that he told the US president in 2015 that Kurdistan’s partnership with Iraq had failed, Mr Barzani stressed that the landmark independence referendum was not a pressure card but a first step towards genuine sovereignty for the Kurdish people.

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres met with Kurdistan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

A United Nations statement released after the meeting  said the meeting involved discussions on the upcoming referendum, the national reconciliation process and the passing of  a UN Security Council resolution to hold ISIS accountable for its crimes.

An outgoing member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria slammed international inaction over war crimes in the country, before directly telling Syria’s ambassador his government had used chemical weapons, in a farewell speech in Geneva this week.

Veteran prosecutor Carla del Ponte stated that she had resigned “to put an end to my frustration”.

Four Palestinian human rights organisations have submitted a dossier to the International Criminal Court which details alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. 

The UN Security Council on Thursday authorised the establishment of an investigative team to collect, store and maintain evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Islamic State in Iraq. 

A resolution, which was drafted by the UK and asks the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres to create such a team, was adopted by all 15 states of the Council. 

The British government has suspended financial aid to Myanmar’s military in response to the ongoing violence against the Rohingya community, reports BBC News.

The Ministry of Defence said it had suspended £300,000 of funding on Tuesday.

Spain’s police raided Catalan government offices and arrested 12 senior Catalan officials in attempts to stop an independence referendum that is due to take place on October 1, reports the Guardian. 

Speaking after an emergency ministerial meeting in response to the arrests, Catalan’s president said,

Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday rejected criticism that she had become soft on the military, stating she had never been critical of the military, only their actions. 

Asked by Radio Free Asia if she had softened her view on the military, she replied, "we’ve never changed our stand."

Kurdistan’s Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission (IHERC) removed a major obstacle to diaspora voters on Monday, reports Kurdstan24.net.

Though the diaspora is available to vote online, the need to produce certain documentation, a ration card, has been of concern for those in the diaspora.

India’s External Affairs Minister reaffirmed India’s support for the Palestinian people at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

Speaking at  the Non=Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting on Palestine, Sushma Swaraj said,

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon met again with the president of Iraqi Kurdistan in a final attempt to persuade him to call of the independence referendum.

In an unexpected second visit to Iraq, the Defence Secretary reiterated Britain’s rejection of the referendum, reports the Telegraph.

Arriving in the capital of Kurdistan, Erbil, he said,

“We are committed to the integrity of Iraq. We are working with the UN on alternatives to this referendum.”

Myanmar's defacto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi remained silent on the allegations of human rights violations and mass atrocities committed by the military today in her public address, whilst making a blanket statement condemning "all" human rights violations. 

Iraq's Supreme Court has ordered the planned Kurdish independence referendum to be suspended as Iraqi prime minister on Monday formally demanded a halt, stating seccession would be "unconstitutional". 

The Spanish government on Friday said it had increased control over Catalonia’s spending  to ensure funds are not diverted to paying for an independence referendum, reports abc.news.

Spain’s finance minister, Cristobal Montoro told reporters that the controls were justified to ensure financial stability and defend the country’s legal order.