Weekly News Wrap: Monday, August 15, 2016

Here’s your weekly selection of international law and international relations headlines from around the world:

Africa

• At least 64 people have been killed in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an attack carried out by suspected rebels.
• Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has published a video apparently showing recent footage of dozens of school girls kidnapped two years ago, and saying some of them have been killed in air strikes.
• South Sudan said on Sunday it would consider the U.N.’s decision to authorize sending extra troops to the country following an eruption of fierce fighting, softening its stance after initially rejecting the initiative.

Middle East and Northern Africa

• Hundreds of civilians have been killed in both Syrian government and rebel attacks across the war-torn country in recent days, according to local activist groups.
• A suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest on a bus in Syria near the Atmeh border crossing into Turkey late on Sunday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 25 others, some critically, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
• Thousands of displaced residents streamed back into the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Saturday after U.S.-backed fighters ousted the last Islamic State militants from their former stronghold, residents and U.S. allies said.
• The Turkish government has hosted Iran’s top diplomat, in a move seen as a shift in foreign policy after last month’s failed coup attempt.

Asia

• Thai authorities have reportedly asked for help from Malaysia in tracking down the owner of a mobile phone used to detonate one of the explosives in the recent wave of bombings that targeted some of Thailand’s best-known tourist destinations.
• Nepal’s Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda sent one of his trusted lieutenants from the insurgency period as a special envoy to China on Monday, seeking to clear confusion over the future of agreements signed by his predecessor.

Europe

• Britain’s exit from the European Union could be delayed until at least late 2019 because the government was too “chaotic” to start the two-year process early next year, the Sunday Times reported, citing sources it said were briefed by ministers.
• The European Union should grant Turks visa-free travel in October or the migrant deal that involves Turkey stemming the flow of illegal migrants to the bloc should put be put aside, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a German newspaper.

Americas

• Days after police foiled what they called a terrorist plot, a Canadian law enforcement body was preparing to make the case for reopening the federal bomb analysis center, which was shut in April for budget reasons.
• Thousands of Venezuelans were welcomed to Colombia by a military band early on Saturday morning as the two countries’ borders were officially reopened after being closed by Venezuela a year ago.

Oceania

• The devastating trauma and abuse inflicted on children held by Australia in offshore detention has been laid bare in the largest cache of leaked documents released from inside its immigration regime.

UN/World

• The United Nations today sounded the alarm over a spike in violence in crisis-torn Yemen, as the world body’s human rights wing reported the number of civilian casualties in the conflict has been “steadily mounting,” with some 815 casualties since April alone.