As the US-Israel war against Iran continues to dominate international headlines, here’s a roundup of some of the stories you may have missed on Tuesday.
Ex-Syrian colonel faces crimes against humanity case in London
A former Syrian colonel living in the UK has appeared in a London court to face charges of crimes against humanity related to his alleged role in the crackdown on the 2011 protests.
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Salem Michel al-Salem appeared virtually at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Tuesday. He did not speak or plead guilty, but could be seen with a breathing tube over his mouth.
The 58-year-old has been charged with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, relating to killings that occurred in April and July 2011 “as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population with knowledge of the attack.”
According to police, this case is the first prosecution of its kind in the UK.
Syria appoints Kurdish YPG commander as deputy defense minister
The Syrian Ministry of Defense has announced that Sipan Hamo, commander of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), has been appointed deputy defense minister for the country’s eastern territories.
Tuesday’s move is part of the implementation of a US-brokered deal reached in late January to end weeks of deadly clashes between Kurdish forces and the Syrian army.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led group that signed the reintegration agreement, said in a statement that Hamo’s appointment “confirms the commitment of all Syrian parties to supporting security and stability in the region.”
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took power after the fall of leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been trying to reintegrate Kurdish forces into the country’s state institutions.
In a mid-January interview with the Reuters news agency, Hamo said the Kurds were not seeking secession and emphasized that they saw their future within Syria.
Zimbabwe cracks down on critics of presidential term extension: HRW
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Zimbabwe authorities of intensifying repression against critics of the ruling party’s attempt to push through a constitutional amendment that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term.
The global rights group said the amendment proposed by the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party would extend the terms of the president and parliament from five to seven years. That would effectively postpone the country’s 2028 elections until 2030.
HRW said Tuesday that police and unidentified gunmen in recent months have “threatened, harassed and beaten several people” who oppose the measure, including members of the opposition political party National Constitutional Assembly.
“Zimbabwe’s leaders must demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law by respecting the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations on freedom of expression and assembly,” Idriss Ali Nassah, senior Africa researcher at HRW, said in a statement.
“Civil society, legal experts and ordinary people must be allowed to peacefully express their opinions without fear.”
Italy buys rare Caravaggio portrait for about $35 million
Italy has purchased a rare portrait of baroque master Caravaggio for nearly $35 million, one of the largest sums the state has ever paid for a single work of art, the country’s Culture Ministry announced.
The portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini, an influential cleric who later became Pope Urban VIII, was painted by Caravaggio around 1598.
“This is work of exceptional importance,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement.
The painting belonged to a private collection in Florence and was attributed to Caravaggio in 1963. It was shown in public for the first time in 2024 at the Barberini Palace in Rome and will now be part of the permanent collection of the palace’s art gallery.
The acquisition comes a month after the Italian Ministry of Culture purchased Antonello da Messina’s “Ecce Homo” for $14.9 million, landing the rare work by the 15th-century Renaissance master just as it was due to be auctioned in New York.
UN peacekeepers in South Sudan defy order to leave opposition-held city
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has said it will maintain its peacekeeping force in Akobo despite an order by the country’s military to leave the opposition-held town.
In a statement on Monday, UNMISS warned that any military operation in and around Akobo – a town in the northeast of the country, near the border with Ethiopia – could “seriously endanger the safety of civilians.”
The South Sudan People’s Defense Forces on March 6 ordered civilians to leave Akobo and neighboring villages ahead of a planned offensive, UNMISS said, while peacekeepers were given 72 hours to leave.
“For its part, UNMISS reaffirms that its peacekeepers will remain in Akobo, providing a protective presence for civilians. The Mission reiterates that the security of its personnel, facilities and assets must be fully respected at all times,” he said.
Fears of a return to all-out civil war in South Sudan have grown amid a rise in violence between government forces and opposition groups.
