The Israeli army are accused of committing war crimes during its offensive on Gaza in a report by New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The prominent human rights organisation said it investigated separate strikes on or near three UN-run schools in the Palestinian territory, noting that 45 people died in the attacks.

Barcelona city hall said that some 1.8 million people took to the streets earlier today, as part of a mass rally calling for a Catalonia region independent from Spain.

Dressed in red and yellow, demonstrators formed a giant “V” to represent their support for a planned independence vote on November 9th.

Madrid though, has said any vote on independence for the region will be illegal.
Catalan president Artur Mas, said earlier on Thursday,

Human Rights Watch has accused Libyan militias of committing war crimes by attacking civilians as they battle for control of Tripoli.

In a statement released this week, the non-governmental organisation said thousands of residents had fled their homes as fighting between militias from Misrata and Zintan continued for control of Tripoli.

Human rights violations have been documented against civilians and journalists, with property being looted or destroyed, said the organisation.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, added,

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has confirmed that chlorine gas was used in attacks on Syrian villages earlier this year.

An OPCW report said that it had  "compelling confirmation" and “a high degree of confidence" of the use of chlorine in the attacks, which took place as Syrian government troops battled against opposition forces.

Whilst the OPCW has been overseeing the destruction of chemical weapons owned by the Syrian government, it is not obliged to declare any stockpiles of chlorine, regarded as a weak toxic agent.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko offered separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine more autonomy, in an effort to solve the crisis in the country.

Poroshenko said that implementing the truce, signed between the two sides Friday, had been "difficult" in the midst of a "war for the independence and integrity" and provocation by “terrorists”.
 
"The situation has radically changed at the front. Before the ceasefire was announced, Ukraine was losing the lives of dozens of its heroes on a daily basis," he added.

"According to the latest information I have received from our intelligence, 70 percent of Russian troops have been moved back across the border," he said. "This further strengthens our hope that the peace initiatives have good prospects."

The president’s offer was however rejected by some of the rebels. Andrei Purgin, the deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said the rebels "are not considering remaining part of Ukraine".

The UN Security Council is to vote on a draft resolution tabled by the United States, seeking action against Islamic State militia.

The draft resolution is aimed at ensuring all 193 UN member states "prevent and suppress" IS recruitment, the Reuters news agency reports.

UN diplomats, speaking anonymously told Reuters, that agreement is likely between the 15 members of the Security Council.

A meeting of the Council is to be chaired by the US president Barack Obama on September 24.

2nd lead

Leaders of the three main parties pledged their support to the devolution of greater powers in an effort to bolster the pro-unionist campaign ahead of Scotland's referendum on independence on September 18.

In a joint statement made Tuesday in Edinburgh, Scotland's Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, Labour leader Johann Lamont, and the Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, urged voters to back the call for more powers, instead of independence.

"It is possible to vote 'No' on 18 September and also say you are voting for change, for more powers for the Scottish Parliament," said Lamont. 

Labour leader Ed Miliband urged people across the UK to fly the Scottish flag, the Saltire, as a mark of support for keeping Scotland within the British union.

“Over the next few days we want cities, towns and villages across the UK to send a message to Scotland: stay with us,” he said.

The frantic moves by unionist parties come after polls put the Yes campaign ahead, two weeks before the vote.

Buckingham Palace meanwhile put an end to speculation the Queen will get involved in the debate in the run up to the referendum, after press reports that suggested she was concerned about the breakup of the union.

The international community’s ‘Responsibility to Protect’ is greater than ever said the UN Secretary General on Monday.

“Our collective responsibility to protect demands far more from us at this deeply troubling time for all humankind,” said Ban Ki-Moon speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assembly to discuss the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ adapted in 2005.

“Turning a blind eye to these acts is no longer tenable. Our responsibility to prevent and protect is collective and urgent," he added.

The newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al-Hussein warned of a "house of blood" trying to be created by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, urging states to take action to protect women and minorities.

He also called on the Iraqi government to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) in order to ensure justice for the crimes committed in the region.

"Do they believe they are acting courageously? Barbarically slaughtering captives?," he said, describing the militants as "takfiris" - those who kill others on the basis that they are apostates.