<p>The Afghan Taliban has warned the United States that it will withdraw from peace negotiations if they refuse to withdraw from Afghanistan, a central demand from the Islamist group throughout the 17 year conflict.&nbsp;</p> <p>The warning comes a day after the Taliban reportedly attacked a compound in Kabul city killing five and wounding more than 110.</p>

<p>The Indonesian government has denied its military used white phosphorus in West Papua, following a report published in an Australian paper detailing the unverified use of the chemical weapon against civilians this month.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to the paper the attack occurred in the region of Nduga in West Papua. Photographic evidence published shows a villager with severe burns and a wounded leg, which has been attributed to use of white phosphorus.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called on Bahrain to release the family members of prominent exiled activist, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, an outspoken critic of the Bahraini government who now lives in Britain.&nbsp;</p> <p>A report released by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated that the three relatives were being held because of their kinship to Alwadaei. Alwadaei’s brother in law, Sayed Nizar Alwadaei, his mother in law, Hajar Mansoor Hassan and a cousin, Mahmood Marzooq were convicted on charges of planting a fake bomb in October 2017 and were sentenced to three years in prison.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Working Group’s ruling says that they were arrested without legal basis and arbitrarily detained without the use of an arrest warrant or legal representation. The Group has also suggested evidence showed that the trio had been victims of torture and false confessions.</p>

<p>Five Israeli teenagers have been accused of stoning to death a Palestinian mother.&nbsp;</p> <p>Aisha Rabi, a Palestinian mother of nine, was travelling by car with her husband and two daughters when she was struck on the head by a stone. She died near the settlement of Rehelim, in the occupied West Bank, on October 12.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nigeria’s security forces conducted a raid on the headquarters and three offices of the country’s Daily Trust newspaper in Maiduguri on Sunday, arresting two journalists, and seizing their laptops and mobile phones.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Myanmar’s authorities have ordered their army to launch operations to crack down on an ethnic Rakhine insurgent group after deadly attacks last week in the Rakhine state.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Arakan Army (AA), an armed ethnic group fighting for more autonomy, carried out raids on four police posts in the town Buthidaung, North Rakhine. The attack took place on Myanmar’s Independence Day, leaving 13 police officers dead and nine injured.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The United States House of Reprasentatives on Friday passed a bill separating Western Sahara’s aid from its programme in&nbsp;Morocco on Friday.</p> <p>The new bill outlines language on Western Sahara in a separate section to Morocco. Previously text on aid for the&nbsp;region&nbsp;was covered under the remit of Moroccan aid.</p>

<p>Soldiers have attempted to take control in Gabon in an attempted coup, as the ruling president, Ali Bongo, remains abroad receiving medical treatment for a reported stroke.&nbsp;</p> <p>Seizing control of national state radio, Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, urged people to "rise up", with the message being carried on state television and social media.&nbsp;</p>

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.

<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>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>The Taliban has orchestrated a series of attacks killing at least 27 security officers and wounding dozens in northern Afghanistan.</p>