Five stories you may have missed amid US-Israeli war on Iran 

As the United States-Israel war on Iran continues to dominate international headlines, below is a roundup of some of the stories you may have missed on Tuesday.

Syrian ex-colonel faces crimes against humanity case in London

A former Syrian colonel living in the United Kingdom has appeared before a London court to face crimes against humanity charges linked to his alleged role in repressing demonstrations in 2011.

Salem Michel al-Salem appeared virtually at a hearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He did not speak or enter any plea, 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 in April and July 2011 “as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population with knowledge of the attack”.

The case is the first prosecution of its kind in the UK, according to police.

Syria appoints Kurdish YPG commander as deputy defence minister

Syria’s Defence Ministry has announced that Sipan Hamo, a commander in the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), has been appointed deputy defence minister for the country’s eastern territories.

The move on Tuesday is part of the implementation of a US-brokered agreement 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 deal, 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 longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has been seeking 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 emphasised that they saw their future within Syria.

Zimbabwe cracking down on critics of presidential term extension: HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused authorities in Zimbabwe of intensifying a crackdown on critics of the ruling party’s attempt to advance a constitutional amendment that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term in office.

The global rights group said the amendment proposed by the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party would extend both the president’s and parliament’s terms from five to seven years. That would effectively postpone the country’s 2028 elections until 2030.

HRW said on Tuesday that police and unidentified armed men in recent months have “threatened, harassed, and beat up several people” who are opposed to the move, including members of the opposition National Constitutional Assembly political party.

“Zimbabwe’s leaders should demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law by respecting the country’s constitution and international human rights obligations for freedom of expression and assembly,” Idriss Ali Nassah, a senior Africa researcher at HRW, said in a statement.

“Civil society, legal experts, and ordinary people should be allowed to peacefully express their views without fear.”

Italy has purchased a rare portrait by Baroque master Caravaggio for nearly $35m, one of the largest sums the state has ever paid for a single artwork, 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 a work of exceptional importance,” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said in a statement.

The painting had been held in a private Florence collection and was attributed to Caravaggio in 1963. It was shown in public for the first time in 2024 at Rome’s Palazzo Barberini and will now enter the permanent collection in the palace’s art gallery.

The acquisition comes a month after the Italian Culture Ministry bought Antonello da Messina’s “Ecce Homo” for $14.9m, securing 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 town

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has said it will keep 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 operations in and around Akobo – a town in the country’s northeast, near the border with Ethiopia – could “gravely endanger the safety and security of civilians”.

The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces had on March 6 ordered civilians to leave Akobo and neighbouring 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 safety and security of its personnel, premises, and assets must be fully respected at all times,” it said.

Fears of a return to all-out civil war in South Sudan have increased amid a surge in violence between government forces and opposition groups.