18 August 2014 Last updated at 09:16
Potential ICC investigation into actions of both the IDF and Hamas in Gaza has become a fraught political battlefield
Iraq crisis: Mosul dam 'recaptured' from IS militants
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi troops have retaken Mosul dam from Islamic State (IS) militants who seized it two weeks ago, Iraqi officials say.
Military spokesman Lt-Gen Qassim Atta told state TV that the dam - Iraq's largest - was recaptured on Monday.
The troops were backed by a joint air patrol, he added, without specifying if there had been any US air strikes.
Hague court under western pressure not to open Gaza war crimes inquiry
Potential ICC investigation into actions of both the IDF and Hamas in Gaza has become a fraught political battlefield
The international criminal court has persistently avoided opening an investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza as a result of US and other western pressure, former court officials and lawyers claim.
In recent days, a potential ICC investigation into the actions of both theIsrael Defence Forces and Hamas in Gaza has become a fraught political battlefield and a key negotiating issue at ceasefire talks in Cairo. But the question of whether the ICC could or should mount an investigation has also divided the Hague-based court itself.
An ICC investigation could have a far-reaching impact. It would not just examine alleged war crimes by the Israeli military, Hamas and other Islamist militants in the course of recent fighting in Gaza that left about 2,000 people dead, including women and children. It could also address the issue of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, for which the Israeli leadership would be responsible.
Russian aid convoy to enter Ukraine but no sign of ceasefire
Foreign ministers from Kiev and Moscow meet in Berlin to try to find solution to crisis
Russia has said all issues related to it sending a humanitarian convoy to Ukraine had been resolved but said no progress has been made in talks toward a ceasefire or political solution to the fighting in the east of the country.
Following talks in Berlin between Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine yesterday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said “all questions have been resolved...regarding the humanitarian issue.”
But he added, at a news conference in Berlin: “We are not able to report on positive results on reaching a ceasefire and on the political process.”
Mr Lavrov met his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin for more than five hours of talks, seeking to ease tension after officials in Kiev said troops had destroyed part of an armored column from Russia.Pro-Beijing demonstration shows battle for Hong Kong on in earnest
August 18, 2014 - 4:12PMPhilip Wen
China correspondent for Fairfax Media
Beijing: Tens of thousands of people have marched through central Hong Kong to protest a planned civil disobedience campaign by pro-democracy activists demanding electoral reform, amid criticism the demonstration marked a further step by Beijing to interfere in Hong Kong politics.
Demonstrators, many wearing red and waving Chinese flags, braved wilting heat to participate in the rally on Sunday afternoon, which was organised by a pro-Beijing group to outdo a July 1 pro-democracy march and undermine the Occupy Central movement, which has threatened to cripple the central business district of Asia’s biggest financial centre if China’s proposal to elect Hong Kong’s chief executive in 2017 falls short of international standards.
The organisers of the march, the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, said more than 190,000 people had participated on Sunday.
This Map Of US And Russian Arms Sales Says It All
By Allan Smith and Skye Gould13 hours ago
They say the Cold War is over, but Russia and the U.S. remain the leading supplier of weapons to countries around the world and are the two biggest military powers. Lately, tensions have been pretty high, too.
The U.S. supplies much of NATO and Middle Eastern allies like Turkey, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.
Russia supplies other BRIC nations, as well as Iran, much of Southeast Asia, and North Africa.
We took numbers from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute for 2012-2013 to see whom the two rivals were supplying with weaponry. The U.S. dealt to 59 nations that Russia doesn't sell or send weaponry to, while Russia dealt to just 15 nations that don't receive U.S. arms.
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