News Round-Up Wednesday 7 August 2013

• A drone strike in the Marib province of Yemen yesterday reportedly killed 4 AQAP members including 1 on Yemen's most wanted list.  It is reported that up to 5 missiles were used to strike the moving vehicle.

• Plans for the UN mission to Syria to determine whether chemical weapons were used are almost finalised.  

• Meanwhile reports say Syrian rebels have captured airbase in Aleppo, one of the last remaining govt holds in the province.

• In Kenya, the NGO Nara reports that 30 human rights activists are facing criminal charges, death threats, and other forms of harassment for working in support of ICC prosecutions for the 2007 election violence.  

• In Northern Ireland, one of the former internees kept at a (up to now) secret detention facility at Ballykelly in early 1970s has given an interview describing his torture.

• Latvia approves extradition of hacker to the US, where he could face a 67 year jail sentence.  His lawyers have said they will appeal to the ECHR.

News Round-Up Tuesday 6 August 2013

• HRW reports that the Assad regime in Syria is using ballistic missiles, incapable of being in a discriminate fashion, in populated areas. 

• ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda reportedly found reason to believe that Boko Haram in Nigeria have committed crimes against humanity.

• Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal has granted bail to 73-year-old Syed Mohammad Qaisar on account of his poor physical condition.

• US Army officer convicted of ordering the fatal shootings of 2 Afghans, who the defense argued were presumed Taliban because they were on a motorcycle.  

• UK Home Office finds "strong grounds" to believe that 112 persons in its territory are war criminals.

• In Cote D'Ivoire, authorities have provisionally released 14 supporters of former President Laurent Gbagbo detained following the 2011 post-election violence that killed 3,000, in a move that is expected to ease tensions.

• Declassified papers show existence of secret detention facility in Northern Ireland in early 1970s which appears to have been withheld in previous ECHR case and 2 UK Govt inquiries.