Israeli aerial attacks have reportedly killed at least 15 people on the Gaza Strip, as the country responds to more than 100 rockets fired into Israel – often into densely populated areas – by Hamas since Monday night. Tensions in the part of the Middle East ignited after three Israeli boys were found dead in the West Bank in late June, followed closely by the killing of a Palestinian boy in retaliation. Both Israel and the Palestinian leadership should work to protect civilians, and both should prosecute those involved with killing the children.
Amidst widespread allegations of election fraud in Afghanistan, the losing presidential-election candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, is said to be planning a "parallel government" and has declared victory. The US has threatened to drop its “financial and security support” in the wake of a power grab. Meanwhile a Taliban suicide bomber has reportedly killed 16 people, 10 civilians and 4 NATO troops, in an attack in the east of the country.
A Moroccan court upheld the convictions of men accused of homosexual acts. At least four of the six defendants in the case were convicted on charges that included “lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex.”
The US military has spent million analyzing how to influence users of social media, including Twitter and Facebook, while at the same time amassing large amounts of user date.
A Syrian woman and her two young children are among the latest casualties who died risking everything to flee Libya and cross the Mediterranean in hopes of reaching Europe. The UN has warned of a "colossal humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding on Europe's own shores. EU states need to do much more to protect people making this perilous journey, who are desperate to reach Europe for a better life.
