A US Navy Special Operations Chief is accused of breaking international law by indiscriminating killing Iraqi civilians and nearly a dozen other crimes, including stabbing to death a 15-year-old prisoner.

Edward Gallagher has pleaded not guilty when appearing at a hearing in San Diego’s naval base on Friday, with his official trial set to begin on February 19.

Gallagher served the Navy for 19 years and faces life imprisonment if found guilty. The prosecution alleges that Gallagher committed several crimes while in Mosul from February to September 2017, including stabbing to death a teenage prisoner who was fighting for the Islamic State (IS).

<p>More than three million women formed a 385-mile human chain in the state of Kerala in southern India this week, as they protested against a temple policy that banned admission for women.</p> <p>The chain stretched from the northern tip of the state in Kasaragod to the southern end in Thiruvanthapuram. The protest was organised by Kerala’s left-wing coalition government on Thursday however the disputes on this issue have been going on for three months.</p>

<p>Demonstrations have been taking place in different regions of Sudan over the last month, including the capital Khartoum, calling on Omar al Bashir to resign as the country’s president.</p> <p>The deadliest of the protests took place on Monday 31st December, as Sudanese security forces fired tear gas and bullets at demonstrators in Khartoum, who marched towards the President’s palace. Schools and universities across Sudan have been shut and state of emergency has been declared in some regions.</p>

<p>An independence movement in southern Yemen has led growing calls for a referendum on secession in the south of the country, as conflict continues in what has been termed a modern “humanitarian disaster”.</p> <p>The call for&nbsp;Yemen&nbsp;to separate from the north and western provinces has gained popularity in the South with groups stating that they will defend their land but has not be addressed by the international community.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Southern Transitional Council (STC), a group which was established last year and has been advocating for the secession of Southern Yemen, expressed disappointment in the fact that they were excluded from the recent UN-held peace talks in Sweden. The discussion was held between Houthi rebels supported by Iran and the recognised government of&nbsp;Yemen&nbsp;supported by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and its Gulf allies. The issue of secession was not raised, added the STC.</p>

<p>The United Nations reports that 85 former FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia) rebels have been killed since the signing of the peace agreement with the Columbian government in 2016.&nbsp;</p> <p>UN Secretary General, António Guterres, notes that 14 ex-members of FARC were “murdered” within the last three months. The majority of these deaths fell in areas formerly occupied by FARC and where there is little state apparatus. This has allowed for other militant groups and reported drug gangs to exercise control in these regions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Taliban has orchestrated a series of attacks killing at least 27 security officers and wounding dozens in northern Afghanistan.</p> <p>Most of this violence was concentrated in the&nbsp;Sar-i-Pul Province where three attacks occurred killing 21 people. The Taliban have also attacked the centre of Sayad District,&nbsp;the village Qashqari, and&nbsp;security outposts along the highway linking Sar-i-Pul with Jowzjan. They were able to capture two of these outposts, wounding 25 security force members in their attack.&nbsp;</p>

The Nigerian military has responded to charges of unjustifiably killing Shiite protesters on the outskirts of the capital Abuja, with senior officials defending the military's actions. 

In their response they cite US President Donald Trump’s remarks regarding migrants heading towards the American border, stating, “they want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back”.

Footage released by the New York Times however reveals that the soldiers were unprovoked and fired indiscriminately at unarmed demonstrators, many of whom were trying to flee. This contradicts the military’s claims they had employed violence justly.

<p>A suicide bombing in Kandahar, Afghanistan, has killed a separatist commander who was wanted for organising a suicide bombing attack against the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan.&nbsp;</p> <p>No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing that took his life.</p> <p>The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chinese Consulate last month asserting that Beijing is an “oppressor” and that would not tolerate “China's military expansionism on Baloch soil”. Four people were killed in that attack.</p>

<p>Chinese police has detained a number of students protesting over the take over of their Marxist society by university officials and members of the student association, following the&nbsp;detention of the leader of their society on the birthday of Chairman Mao.</p> <p>Whilst the Chinese government supposedly supports the legacy of Chairman Mao, they have continued to crackdown on student organisations and recent graduates who have aligned themselves with labour activists, supporting factory workers and their right to form unions.</p>

<p>Syria’s state agencies reported that its army entered the Kurdish-held city of Manbij, on the invitation of the Kurdish YPG to protect it from a threatened Turkish offensive.</p> <p>However US military officials and some locals have refuted the claim.</p> <p>The New York Times said the move came as Kurds felt “betrayed” by the United States’ decision to withdraw from Syria and that the “request amounted to a United States ally [Kurds] calling on an enemy of the United States [Syrian government] to protect it from another American ally, Turkey.”</p>