POLITICS & POLICY

As the U.S. and its allies clamour to punish the Assad government in Syria for alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians and rebels, a vast majority of Syrians have been killed in unlawful attacks using conventional weapons such as guns and mortars, with children making up a large proportion of the casualties. These are the findings of a United Nations appointed human right probe which is calling for a halt to weapons being supplied to both Government and the rebel forces.

A group of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Queensland, and Stanford University have come out with a new roadmap identifying the areas or Earth regions that are most vulnerable and least vulnerable to climate change.

Australia has assured India that there is no change in its decision to supply uranium to India – a decision taken by the previous government. This assurance came on Monday from Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling who said India should ensure that uranium would be used for peaceful purposes.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members issued a declaration, calling the threat of military force and unilateral sanctions against Iran as ‘unacceptable.' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for a ‘swift resolution’ to the issue of Tehran's nuclear programme, but said his country will not sacrifice its rights for the sake of a solution.

“The Pog,” flagship yacht of the Freedom Flotilla to West Papua, returned to Australian waters, following threats by the Indonesian military. Meanwhile, reports from West Papua say that a number of ceremonies were held to celebrate the arrival of sacred water and fire from the Freedom Flotilla.

New Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on Monday the members of his cabinet. What is very noticeable, which Mr Abbott acknowledged, is that there is only one female minister.

The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice filed on Monday afternoon with the Office of the Ombudsman plunder and malversation of public funds charges against suspected pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles, 3 Philippine senators and five former congressmen.

New Zealand celebrities joined protests against proposed laws that will remove the requirement of public consultation on applications for deep-sea gas and oil drilling activities. The proposed law will also abolish the right to conduct a protest at sea. Actors and celebrities like Lucy Lawless, Sam Neill, Robyn Malcom and Sir Ted Thomas, a former Supreme Court judge among others, supported the protests by Maori and environmental groups to urge New Zealand's government not to pass the law.

The Syrian government has welcomed the framework deal for the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpile. The breakthrough on the contentions issue of Syria chemical weapons came on Saturday, three days after talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, began in Geneva.

Yemen will be reviving a bill that would set the minimum legal marrying age in Yemen to 18 years old.

As if its radiation concerns aren't enough, Japan might receive another radiation leaking problem from the same crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Typhoon Man-yi has started battering southern Japan and its path has been forecast to directly hit the nuclear plant.

Finally, Narendra Modi has had it his way. After dodging for months and amid high political drama, the right wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in India has formally announced that the controversial Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 central-level general elections.

Residents in Japan are in for even colder winter months. Japan has shut down its last remaining working nuclear power plant for maintenance check over the weekend. Plans as when it will resume operations remain unclear.

New Zealand's Labour Party has elected David Cunliffe as its new leader to run for the 2014 election and hopefully block Prime Minister John Key's plan to seek a third term in office. Mr Cunliffe won a caucus vote among affiliated unions and party members. The 50-year-old bested Maori Affairs spokesperson Shane Jones and deputy leader Grant Robertson for the position. David Cunliffe replaced David Shearer who left the Labour leadership vacant in August.

It is extremely important to be acquainted with what it really asks you to do and what it does not.

In an open essay, Julia Gillard wrote about her pain and reflections after being ousted by Labor and Kevin Rudd back in June

Government and military branches of the Philippines are suffering from bombardments of "pork barrel" corruption issue and internal warfare in the province of Zamboanga, respectively, as protestors and rebel forces acted for immediate change and cure to the never-ending internal strife.

Suspected Philippine pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles has a penchant for photo opportunities with politicians. First, she and daughter, Jeane Napoles, embarrassed current President Benigno Aquino III when images of Jeane and the president came out in social media, hinting of close ties between the Napoles family and Mr Aquino.

Political power just changed hands in Australia after the country had its federal election on Sept 7 and the Coalition became the majority, causing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to turn over the reins of the government to Opposition leader Tony Abbott.

The story of Tokyo winning the Olympic bid caught everyone's attention this week, but everyone was focusing on the wrong get together involving Japan.

New Zealand has decided to ease sanctions and increase aid to Fiji after the Pacific Island nation's military regime adopted a new constitution on Sept 6 and said it would hold election. The constitution, signed by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, establishes a 50-member parliament, election every four years and grants each citizen a vote.

Freedom Flotilla to West Papua has said that its flagship yacht “The Pog” has crossed into Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone and is continuing attempts to open dialogue with the Navy Command in their destination port Merauke in West Papua.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the receipt of a letter from the Government of Syria affirming that it will sign and abide by the 20-year-old international treaty on banning chemical weapons.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the National forces (FARDC), with support from the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO and its intervention brigade, have averted threat to the city of Goma, nearby refugee camps and U.N. missions by pushing the M23 rebel group back towards the north, in fighting which took place late Aug. This was informed by Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations at a press conference at the U.N. Headquarters.

Young people attending a United Nations (U.N.) conference in Costa Rica have called on world leaders to “support innovation and technology as methods to advance broader development, drive positive change and bring citizens closer to their Governments.”

U.S. President Barack Obama called for the full implementation of 2011 plan to station U.S. troops in Australia and backed the ambitious goal of negotiating the free trade Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, when he called up incoming prime minister Tony Abbott, on Wednesday night, to congratulate him.

The President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Vuk Jeremic, on Thursday, called upon Member States to push for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria by supporting efforts to bring all parties to the negotiating table, at a proposed conference in Geneva.

Australian Labour Party power broker Bill Shorten announced on Sept 12 that he will seek Labor leadership after the party's stinging loss to the Coalition's Tony Abbott in the recently concluded federal polls. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who lost to Mr Abbott in the elections, kept his Parliament seat but declined to become the party's leader. The Coalition's win marked the end of the Labor party's rule in Australia for six years.

Evading the Indonesian navy, two boats met near the Australia-Indonesia border, to ceremonially reconnect the indigenous peoples of Australia and West Papua and handover sacred water and ashes carried onboard the Freedom Flotilla, to be presented to West Papuan leaders. This marks the successful completion of the “scared mission” of the Freedom Flotilla, which travelled 5000 km beginning in Lake Eyre, late Aug, a press release issued on Friday said.