The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said that all sides involved in potential war crimes committed in Gaza could face investigation, including middle and low ranking Israeli soldiers.

In an extensive email interview with Haaretz, Fatou Bensouda said that if a formal investigation was to be opened, it would be carried out with the purpose of  “bringing stronger cases against those most responsible” for the alleged crimes committed.

She went on to say that it “will of course look into the alleged crimes committed by all sides to the conflict”.

“If an investigation is opened in any given situation, my office will be guided by a policy of investigating and prosecuting those most responsible for the commission of mass crimes,” said Ms Bensouda.

“That is the general rule. In accordance with my office’s new strategic plan, where appropriate, we may indeed investigate and prosecute notorious perpetrators whose conduct has been particularly egregious or a number of lower- or mid-level perpetrators, building upwards, and thereby bringing stronger cases against those most responsible."

Islamic State militants on Tuesday claimed responsibility for shootings on American soil and warned of further attacks, reports the Guardian.

In a statement made on Tuesday, the militants claimed responsibility for a carton festival in Texas on Sunday that featured cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed.

The Islamic State broadcast, warned,

“We tell America that what is coming will be even bigger and more bitter, and that you will see the soldiers of the Islamic State do terrible things. The future is just around the corner.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Mogadishu earlier today, the first such visit by an American in his position.

Mr Kerry met with Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the airport amidst tight security and said: "Next time I come, we have to be able to just walk downtown".

"I visited Somalia today because your country is turning around," he said.

The US supports the Somalian government in its fight against al-Shabab militants, who control vast swathes of land in the Horn of Africa.

The UN has denied it covered up allegations of child abuse by French troops in the Central African Republic, after it suspended a senior UN official for leaking an internal report detailing the abuse.

A UN spokesperson said the report was not supposed to be made public in order to protect the identity of victims and witnesses.

Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, said publication of the internal report risked making those named "extremely vulnerable to reprisals", the AFP news agency said.

Taliban militants met with Afghan political figures for a second day in Qatar and failed to agree on ceasefire, reports Reuters.

A statement released by the Taliban at the end of the informal talks indicated a shift in position on foreign presence in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, using their formal name in a statement made on Sunday, said,

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again as a policy clearly states that it does not want to harm others and also won't allow anyone to use Afghan soil against others.”

The question of Kurdish self-determination and the war against Islamic State militants will be discussed by a high level Kurdish delegation heading to meet the US president and other officials at the White House.

The Kurdish delegation, led by President Masoud Barzani, will meet American officials, US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, reports Rudaw.

The Kurdish president’s chief of staff, Faud Hussein, outlining details of the visit, said,

Credible evidence indicates that the Saudi led coalition used banned cluster munitions supplied by the US during airstrikes against Houthi militant advances, said Human Rights Watch in a statement on Sunday.

The arms director at Human Rights Watch, Steve Goose, said, 

Thousands of people took to the streets, a day after the officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray were charged with homicide, with many exuberantly celebrating the move, while demanding justice to be served.

"We will gather in peace and we will march in peace and we will march until police brutality ends in the United States," Malik Shabazz, president of Black Lawyers for Justice which helped organise Saturday's march, told the crowd, according to Reuters.

Using social media hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackSpring, rallies were also planned on Saturday in more than 20 US cities including Dallas, New York and Los Angeles.

At the rally at City Hall, protesters held signs that said, "Running black is not a crime in Baltimore" and "Who's policing the Baltimore City police?", the Baltimore Sun reported.

Mark-Anthony Montgomery of the group Hearts with Promise said the protesters are fighting a "war on poverty" and a "war on injustice."