Ukrainian troops took on armed pro-Russian gunmen in Eastern Ukraine, moving the region even closer to serious armed conflict. Shots were fired at Kramatorsk airport, near the city of Slovyansk, as Kiev struggles to retake control. Pro-Russian separatists ignored an ultimatum that expired yesterday morning to leave occupied government buildings in eastern Ukraine, and instead seized yet more buildings.
There is yet another push to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) today. In a closed-door meeting hosted by France, the UN Security Council will view a selection of some 55,000 photos smuggled out of Syria, which allegedly show images of Syrians who were tortured, starved and killed. Syria has dismissed the photos as "lacking objectiveness and professionalism". Today's presentation is part of a process to document evidence of Syrian war crimes, in the hope of eventually referring the perpetrators to the ICC.Armed men kidnapped about 100 girls from a school in north-west Nigeria, on the heels of yesterday’s tragic bomb blast in a bus station near the capital, Abuja, which left more than 70 people dead. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been carrying out almost daily attacks in north-eastern Nigeria, which has forced thousands of people from their homes.
Jordan’s ambassador to Libya, Fawaz al-Itan, was kidnapped by Libyan gunmen. The kidnappers are demanding the release of an Islamist militant jailed in Jordan in exchange for the ambassador’s freedom.India’s Supreme Court created a “third gender” status for transgender people, who will no longer need to classify themselves on official documents as either “male” or “female.”
Environmental activism and defending land rights has become increasingly dangerous and even deadly, according to a new report by Global Witness.
