Lawyers

• South Sudan President and Rival Leader Qualify for International Sanctions, Says UN Panel

  South Sudanese president Salva Kiir and the armed opposition (SPLM-IO) leader Riek Machar are both qualified for sanctions according to a UN panel.

• Iran's October missile test violated U.N. ban - expert panel

  Iran violated a U.N. Security Council resolution in October by test-firing a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, a team of sanctions monitors said, leading to calls in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday for more sanctions on Tehran.

• North Korean leader Kim's H-bomb claim draws scepticism

  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared on Thursday to claim his country has developed a hydrogen bomb, a step up from the less powerful atomic bomb, but outside experts were skeptical.

• China: 'Bad idea' for U.N. council to discuss North Korea rights

  China said on Tuesday it would be a "bad idea" for the United Nations Security Council to revive discussions on human rights in North Korea, which has been accused by a U.N. inquiry of abuses comparable to Nazi-era atrocities.

• Tripoli negotiator quits day before new Libya peace talks

  A senior negotiator from one of Libya's two parliaments on Wednesday quit United Nations-sponsored talks on forming a unity government, a day before a new round of negotiations.

• International tribunal looks like best chance for MH17 justice - Dutch sources

  The Netherlands is discussing with its allies an international tribunal to prosecute those suspected of downing a Malaysian airliner over rebel-held eastern Ukraine last year, sources familiar with the discussions have told Reuters.

• Crunch time coming for Saudi campaign as options narrow in Yemen

  After 11 weeks of air strikes that have failed to change the balance of power in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is running out of options to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's exiled government to Sanaa.

• Libya tells Arab summit arms embargo must be lifted to fight IS

  Libya told an Arab summit on Saturday that a U.N. arms embargo on the country must be lifted to help prevent the advance of Islamic State militants.

• Yemeni president demands Houthis quit Sanaa; U.S. evacuates remaining forces

  Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi accused the Iranian-allied Houthi militia on Saturday of staging a coup against him and appealed to the United Nations for “urgent intervention”, even as the United States evacuated its remaining forces.

• Italy warns of Libya threat as pressure for action grows

  Italy called on Wednesday for urgent international action to halt Libya's slide into chaos and said it was ready to help monitor a ceasefire and train local armed forces.

• Swedish, Palestinian leaders to meet after row with Israel

  President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Sweden's new prime minister on Tuesday to further international support for his cause after the Nordic state infuriated Israel when it became the first major European country to recognize Palestine as a state.

• Palestinian draft resolution fails in U.N. council, U.S. votes against

  The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian resolution calling for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territories by late 2017.

• In Syria, desperate residents see little hope in U.N. Aleppo truce plan

  As winter sets in along the front lines of Aleppo, residents are desperate for the sort of relief United Nations officials hope a new ceasefire push will soon bring to the war-battered Syrian city.

• Palestinians draft U.N. resolution on ending Israel occupation

  The Palestinians have drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an end to Israeli occupation by November 2016, which they have shared informally with Arab states and some council members, U.N. diplomats said on Wednesday.

• Obama, Modi vow to boost strategic ties, create model for world

  U.S. President Barack Obama and new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Monday to expand and deepen their countries' strategic partnership and make it a model for the rest of the world.

• Australia seeks broad new security powers after anti-terror raids

  Australia's government is seeking broad new security powers to combat what it says is a rising threat from militant Islamists, the prime minister said on Monday, on the heels of sweeping counter-terrorism raids last week.

• U.N.'s Ban urges Assad to seek political solution to Syria crisis

  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged President Bashar al-Assad to seek a political solution to Syria's war, saying this would help international efforts against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, al-Hayat newspaper reported on Wednesday.

• Syria: President Obama Is Prepared to Fire 'Limited' Missile Strikes at Assad Without U.N. Security Council Backing (Video)

  The five permanent UN Security Council members met again on Thursday to discuss the appropriate response to last week's chemical attack. The meeting lasted for just under an hour. US, British, French, Chinese and Russian diplomats declined to comment to reporters after it.

• Syria: U.S. & Allies Ponder New Options After Resolution to Protect Civilians is Blocked at the United Nations (Video)

  U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that America was confident the Syrian government carried out a chemical weapon attack near Damascus last week. Obama said the use of chemical weapons affected the United States' national interests, raising the specter of whether military strikes on Bashar al-Assad's regime may be imminent

• U.N. Security Council: Emergency Meeting Set Up In Light of Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons by Assad Forces in Syria (Video)

  "The United States strongly condemns any and all use of chemical weapons... We are formally requesting that the United Nations urgently investigate this new allegation. The U.N. investigative team, which is currently in Syria, is prepared to do so," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement Wednesday in light of a new report claiming that chemical weapons were used by pro-Bashar al Assad forces against opposition forces in the current civil war in Syria. In the report, Assad's forces may have gassed as many as 1,300 people in what would be considered the worst chemical attack in decades. Assad's forces, for its part have vehemently denied committed the attack. Its chief ally Russia also suggested that rebel forces may have stage the assault to provoke international action.