An air war in Libya is intensifying as rival forces in the divided country try to break a military stalemate, heightening significantly the risk of civilian casualties.

The UN Security Council has “utterly failed Syrian detainees and their families,” Amina Khoulani, Co-founder of Families for Freedom, told the council on Wednesday, in a meeting focused on those who have been jailed or gone missing across Syria during years of brutal conflict. 

Karim Khan, the head of the UN special probe into Islamic State group crimes, has called for trials like those at Nuremberg of Nazi leaders to ensure the jihadists' victims are heard and their ideology "debunked."

"It's a mountain to climb," the human rights specialist told AFP, as the investigative team works to analyse up to 12,000 bodies from more than 200 mass graves, 600,000 videos of IS crimes, and 15,000 pages from the group's bureaucracy.

Facing increased criticism over the poor performance of the Palestinian judiciary, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday dissolved the West Bank-based High Judicial Council (HJC).

The HJC’s mission includes enhancing the independence of judges and ensuring their transparency and efficiency, as well as improving court performance and facilitating case proceedings.

According to the PA’s official news agency, Wafa, Abbas’s move came in light of the steady decline of public confidence in the performance of the Palestinian judiciary.