<p>Pakistan has claimed responsibility for shooting down two Indian air force jets and is holding an Indian pilot in custody.</p> <p>The attack follows escalating tensions between the two nations. On February 14, the Pakistan based militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) conducted a suicide attack which killed 40 Indian security personnel in the Indian controlled region of Kashmir. In response, the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted a targeted air strike on a militant camp near Balakot in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.</p> <p>India’s external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj has stated that the objective of the attack “was to act decisively against the terrorist infrastructure of the JeM in order to pre-empt another terrorist attack in India”.</p>

<p>The United Kingdom last week added the political wing of Hezbollah to its list of terrorist organisations, meaning that those found to either be a member of or&nbsp;supporter of Hezbollah will face criminal prosecution with&nbsp;up to ten years in prison.</p> <p>The move&nbsp;is a shift from Britain’s previous policy, under which the military wing was criminalised following a ban on the military wing which came into force in 2008, but diplomats would negotiate with political members.</p>

The United Nations’ highest court has ruled the British occupation of the Chagos Islands is illegal, in what has been described as a humiliating blow to the UK’s prestige on the world stage.

<p>A UN panel of experts is demanding an inquiry into allegations of police violence, unlawful arrests and torture in Indonesia after a video was released showing&nbsp;police interrogating a young West Papua boy with a snake.</p> <p>The officers were laughing as they wrapped a large snake around him whilst he remained handcuffed and screamed in fear, becoming increasingly distressed. The boy was arrested for stealing a mobile phone in the Jayawijaya district, during a police crackdown on petty crime. The UN views this case as part of “a widespread pattern of violence” by the police against the West Papua community.</p>

<p>A number of prominent Indian rights activists have withdrawn support from Amnesty International over allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment. These include Dalit rights activists, Radhika Vemula and Chandrasekhar Azad, as well as women’s rights campaigner Mariya Salim who had worked for Amnesty.</p>

After two days of talks, the warring parties in Yemen have finalised a deal on the first phase of the pullback of forces from the city of Hodeidah.

Britain’s international relations select committee has published a damning report concluding that the UK’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia are unlawful and called for some sales to be halted. 

A suicide bombing in Kashmir killed almost 40 Indian policemen on Thursday, with India's prime minister pledging those behind the attack will pay a "very heavy price".

The UN warned this week grains stored in the Red Sea Mills Silos in western Hodeida is at risk of rotting.

Scott Morrison, Australia’s Prime Minister, has said that the Australian government would reopen its Christmas Island detention centre, after suffering a historic defeat in Parliament over a medical evacuations bill.