Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 17 December 2015

Incendiary weapons inflict almost unrivaled cruelty on their victims, yet their use persists in conflicts where civilians are at risk. It's past time that countries ensure civilians are protected from these weapons. Fifteen jailed activists on trial in Angola for discussing a book about democracy have been transferred to house arrest. This is somewhat encouraging news, but their ordeal is not over yet. Now the government should free them. A new report from China’s education ministry says the government has achieved its goal to build one special education school for every 300,000 people across the country. Why isn’t this necessarily good news? From earlier today: The UN human rights chief has today warned that Burundi stands on the cusp of a civil war. At a special UN session to discuss the crisis there, Zeid Ra'ad warned that "Burundi is at bursting point". At least 400 people have been killed and 3,500 arrested in the latest campaign of political repression. Russia's president Vladimir Putin is giving his annual news conference in Moscow today. So far, he has covered Russia's intervention in Syria, the economy, and unrest in Ukraine. With diplomatic attempts supposedly intensifying to solve, or at least stem, the conflict in Syria, what's the best way to reach a political deal?