Houthi militants say they have “arrested” the chief of staff of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, claiming the abduction took place in order to prevent the breakdown of an UN-brokered deal.

Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak was in the centre of Yemen's capital Sanaa with two bodyguards, when his car was intercepted and he was abducted. No information is currently available on his whereabouts. The government say that Mubarak was kidnapped.

The Houthi militants released a statement warning President Hadi of "a series of special measures" that they would undertake in order to prevent an agreement between the presidency and them "from being broken". The Houthis called the abduction an “arrest” and said that they were acting in the “national interest.”

A United States judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the United Nations (UN), which claimed that the international body bears responsibility for the deadly outbreak of cholera in Haiti.

US district Judge J. Paul Oetken ruled that the UN charter gives the organisation immunity from legal action, stating that the UN had not waived any immunity.

"Where such an express waiver is absent, the UN and [its operation in Haiti] are immune from suit," said Oetken in his judgement.

The lawsuit had alleged that the UN had not screened peacekeepers that arrived in Haiti for cholera and that the peacekeepers were responsible for the poor sanitation and waste disposal practises that led to the outbreak, killing thousands. The claims have been backed by scientific studies, reported Al Jazeera.

"The court's decision implies that the UN can operate with impunity," said lawyer Beatrice Lindstrom. "We don't think that is the law."

"It essentially implies that there is nowhere in the world one can turn when the UN doesn’t comply with its legal obligations and when the UN refuses to provide justice,” added Lindstrom.

The Palestinian militant group controlling the Gaza strip, Hamas, welcomed the International Criminal Court decision to launch in an inquiry into war crimes committed in Palestinian territories.

The spokesperson for Hamas, Fawzi Barhoum, welcoming the decision on Saturday, said,

"What is needed now is to quickly take practical steps in this direction and we are ready to provide the court with thousands of reports and documents that confirm the Zionist enemy has committed horrible crimes against Gaza and against our people."

Barack Obama and David Cameron, warned US congress that new sanctions on Iran could result in the collapse of nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Outlining his intention to veto any sanctions bills passed by Congress, Mr Obama said that new US sanctions would give Iran an excuse to walk away from negotiations and blame Washington for the failure.

Reiterating the US president's calls, the British premier, David Cameron, speaking at a White House press conference, said,

An attack on a UN camp in Mali has left one Chadian peacekeeper dead and another injured.

Gunmen and suicide bombers ambushed the camp in the north-eastern town of Kidal on Saturday morning, reported the BBC.

A UN official confirmed the attack to Reuters news agency, but did not provide further details.

The International Criminal Court opened an inquiry into possible war crimes in Palestinian territory since June 2013.

Prosecutors at the ICC said  that crimes committed since June 13 last year would be investigated with “full independence and impartiality,” in a statement made on Friday.

“It is a legal matter now and we have faith in the court system, “ said the head of the Palestinian delegation in The Hague, Nabil Abuznaid.

Members of the African Union are set to meet next week, to discuss setting up joint military action against Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Ghana's President John Mahama called on African Union leaders to initiate a "specific plan of action” to "deal permanently" with the Islamist militant group, days after they were accused of massacring up to 2,000 people in one attack.

Earlier this week, Amnesty International released satellite imagery showing the scale of the attack on the towns of Baga and Doron Baga, in what it termed the “deadliest massacre” by Boko Haram.

"This has to end. We have to make this terror end," said Mahama. "We must find a way to act together to share information, to synchronise our strategies, to pool our resources in order to rid the entire African continent of terrorism.”

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry said the killing of civilians in northeastern Nigeria by Boko Haram over recent days, was "nothing less" than a crime against humanity, reports VoA.

Speaking a day after satellite images were released by Amnesty International, showing the destruction of buildings in two towns targetted by Boko Haram fighters, Mr Kerry said that the group was "one of the most evil and threatening terrorist entities on the planet today."