The decision to hold an independence referendum in Kurdistan will not be changed reiterated Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani, as he insisted his government would continue to pursue friendly relations with neighbours.

The Daily Sabah reports Mr Barzani as stating, "the Kurdish leadership has made that decision and there is no turning back."

A 29 year old Syrian man has been charged in German with war crimes committed in Syria whilst a member of Islamic State, reports AP. 

The man known as Fares A B. is accused of assaulting and abusing three prisoners in 2014 as well as executing a prisoner. 

His surname was been witheld in line with Germany's privacy laws. 

Fares A B. was arrested in Baden-Wuerttemberg on July 31. 

See more here. 

Over 50 people are missing off the coast of Yemen after human traffickers "deliberately drowned" refugees on Thursday, the UN Migration Agency said. 

Almost 200 refugees are believed to have been "thrown" into the sea by smugglers. 

"They were in a boat with smugglers, who dropped them at sea before arriving at the shore. Some people have disappeared. But others were actually buried by their friends on the beaches," the  International Organization for Migration's chief for Yemen, Laurent de Boeck, told Al Jazeera from Brussels. 

The leaders of both countries on Thursday warned of retaliatory actions if provoked by an attack as tensions escalate day by day. 

North Korea said it planned to launch four missiles to strike the US territory of Guam, which was the launch site for recent US military flights over North Korea. 

Responding to the threat, Mr Trump said North Korea should be "very, very nervous" if it even thinks about attacking the USA. 

South Africa's president Jacob Zuma narrowly defeated a no confidence vote after a secret ballet on Tuesday. 

Of the 400 member parliament, 198 voted against the attempt to oust him, 177 in favour and nien abstained. 

Celebrating his win, Mr Zuma exalted the ANC's credentials.

"It's difficult to defeat the ANC. They always try," he was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying. 

The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance said, "today's motion of no confidence result is closer than anyone expected."

In a joint declaration released on Tuesday, a new 17 member bloc of countries including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and Canada condemned the situation in Venezuela, concluding it was a "dictatorship". 

The group described the new constituent assembly as "illegitimate" and said they would not acknowledge any of its actions. 

"What we have in Venezuela is a dictatorship," Peru's foreign affairs minister Ricardo Luna was quoted by Reuters as saying at a press conference following a meeting in Lima. 

The UN aid head, Stephen O'Brien warned on Monday of early warning signs of genocide in the Central African Republic after there was renewed violence. 

"The early warning signs of genocide are there," Mr O'Brien was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying at a UN meeting. 

"We must act now, not pare down the UN's effort, and pray we don't live to regret it."

Mr O'Brien's comments came following a recent visit to the country. 

China reiterated its support for the UN Security Council's sanctions on North Korea, saying it would adhere to them very strictly. 

"Owing to China's traditional economic ties with North Korea, it will mainly be China paying the price for implementing the resolution," China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted by Reuters as saying in a statement on Tuesday. 

"But in order to protect the international non-proliferation system and regional peace and stability, China will, as before, fully and strictly properly implement the entire contents of the relevant resolution."

One of the three members of an independent United Nations appointed panel documenting war atrocities in Syria has resigned in frustration, reports the New York Times.

Swiss prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, told reporters that she had hoped the UN Security Council would refer the case in Syria to the International Criminal Court or set up a special tribunal.

“I was expecting to persuade the Security Council to do something for justice. Nothing happened for seven years. Now I resigned. We are going nowhere,” she said on the phone to reporters.

Al Jazeera news vowed to continue reporting on “events of occupied Palestinian territories professionally and accurately,” despite official plans by Israel to shut down its offices in Jerusalem.

Israel confirmed that it would revoke media credentials of Al Jazeera journalists and close the network’s office in Jerusalem reports Al Jazeera news.

“We have based our decision on the move by Sunni Arab states to close the Al Jazeera offices and prohibiting their work,” said Israel’s Media Minister Ayoub Kara.