Lawyers

• Britain's Cameron says time to bomb militants in Syria

  Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday it was time to join air strikes against Islamic State in Syria because Britain cannot "subcontract its security to other countries".

• Russia and Turkey refuse to back down in row over jet downing

  Russia sent an advanced missile system to Syria on Wednesday to protect its jets operating there and pledged its air force would keep flying missions near Turkish air space, sounding a defiant note after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet.

• Syrian army and Russian jets target rebel towns north of Homs

  Syrian troops and their allies, backed by Russian jets, attacked rebel-held towns north of the city of Homs on Thursday, targeting a long-held and strategic enclave of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.

• Diplomats and U.N. staff flee Yemen as Houthis target Aden

  Saudi Arabia's navy evacuated dozens of diplomats from Yemen on Saturday and the United Nations pulled out international staff after a third night of Saudi-led air strikes trying to stem advances by Iranian-allied Houthi fighters.

• Iraq needs more air strikes to dislodge IS in Tikrit: officials

  Iraq said on Monday it had put its Tikrit offensive on hold and senior officials called for more air strikes to dislodge Islamic State militants who have laid explosives across Saddam Hussein's home city and still hold its central districts.

• Did Israel's 'Hannibal directive' lead to a war crime in Gaza?

  The July-August war in Gaza drew international condemnation for a number of reasons, but one episode proved more deadly than any other: an Israeli air and artillery bombardment on Aug. 1 that killed 150 people in a matter of hours.

• Australia authorizes special forces troops to go to Iraq

  Australian special forces troops will be deployed in Iraq to assist in the fight against Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday, and its aircraft will also join U.S.-led coalition strikes.

• U.S. general says cannot rule out larger ground role in Iraq

  The most senior U.S. military officer raised the possibility on Tuesday that American troops might need to take on a larger role in Iraq's ground war against Islamic State militants, but the White House stressed they would not deploy on a combat mission.

• Britain's Cameron to chair emergency meeting after hostage killed

  Prime Minister David Cameron is to chair a meeting of the government's emergency response committee on Sunday to discuss an Islamic State (IS) video showing the beheading of British aid worker David Haines.