MIDDLE EAST

The International Criminal Court said that it would not prosecute Israel over its raid of Gaza-bound ships in 2010, during which ten Turkish activists died, despite a “reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed”. According to Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, there won’t be an investigation or a prosecution because the alleged crimes were not of “sufficient gravity”. “The …

The following are some interesting figures from October: November 2016: the deadline the Palestinian Authority asked the U.N. Security Council to impose on Israel to end its occupation of all Palestinian lands. $50,000 was donated to rebuild U.N. schools damaged during Israel’s summer assault on Gaza by 17-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. The young Pakistani, who has spoken …

Saudi authorities on Wednesday blamed militants linked to the al-Qaeda for Monday’s attack on Shi’ite worshippers that highlighted sectarian tensions in the predominantly Sunni kingdom. Late on Monday, masked gunmen in the Eastern Province killed six Shi’ite worshippers, including children, during the commemoration of Ashura, one of the holiest days of the Shi’ite faith. Interior Ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki …

The UK will send more security force personnel to Iraq to train Iraqi forces in the battle against extremist group Islamic State (IS), UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said on Wednesday. Britain has been supporting the US-led air strikes to force IS militants out of Iraq and has already trained Kurdish fighters in the country. “We will be stepping up …

British-Iranian Ghoncheh Ghavami, who was jailed in Iran after trying to see a volleyball match, is currently on a hunger strike, her brother told AFP. The 25-year-old law graduate is refusing to eat liquids or food because the judge has not confirmed her one-year jail sentence, her brother said. “She’s been on hunger strike from Saturday. She’s not eating any …

Rights group Amnesty International accused the Israeli military of displaying “shocking disregard” for civilian lives in the Gaza Strip during the 50-day war. In a report published on Wednesday, the group said that it had documented eight instances in which Israeli security forces attacked houses in Gaza “without warning”, killing “at least 104 civilians including 62 children”. “The report reveals …

Israeli policemen overnight arrested over 23 Palestinians in east Jerusalem, Palestinian officials said on Monday; the crackdown transpired after months of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian people in the city. However, an Israeli spokeswoman said that only four Palestinians were arrested, and did not account for the people being held by other security forces. The Palestinian were arrested from …

Masked gunmen in Saudi Arabia killed five Shi’ite worshippers during a major religious commemoration, Saudi police said on Tuesday, in an unparalleled attack highlighting sectarian tension in the largely Sunni kingdom. According to the police, six people were detained in Eastern Province of the shooting, which happened late on Monday night as Shi’ites were preparing for their Ashura, one of …

Mario Bahjat Shaabo, who was born in a Syrian prison 26 years ago to anti-regime activist parents, was arrested on Tuesday after a trip abroad, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said on Tuesday. “Maria Bahjat Shaabo was born in jail in 1988, while her mother was serving a four-year sentence for her political activism. On Sunday, Maria was arrested”, …

Advocacy group Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said that Islamic State (IS) extremists had tortured teenagers from Syrian town of Kobane for six months in captivity. According to the rights group, 153 school-going children were kidnapped by the IS in May while they were returning to Kobane after sitting for exams in Aleppo; it released 25 of the hostages late …