Burma’s President Thein Sein is embarking on his first European tour, where he is expected to engage in high-level European Union talks.

The president will fly to countries in Europe to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss the ongoing reform process and rights related issues in Burma. Western sanctions against Burma have been eased following the reforms that started with the release of pro-democracy opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Despite promising reforms, ethnic violence in the western Rakhine state has marred the progress made in Burma, resulting in over 100000 displaced Muslim Rohingyas. President Thein Sein  is likely to face questioning regarding these issues during his short tour of Europe.

The Syrian government is ready to hold talks with an armed opposition announced the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid al-Moualem, on Monday.

However, Moualem added that the government would continue the war "against terrorism".

According to Russia's Itar-Tass news agency, Moualem said:

"We are ready for dialogue with everyone who wants it ... Even with those who have weapons in their hands. Because we believe that reforms will not come through bloodshed but only through dialogue."

He reportedly added,

"What's happening in Syria is a war against terrorism... We will strongly adhere to a peaceful course and continue to fight against terrorism."

In a statement released today, Human Rights Watch called on the Sudanese government to release six members of the opposition parties that were detained in poor conditions, without access to medical care or legal aid.

Human Rights Watch criticised the Sudanese security agencies for habitually denying detainees their fundamental due process rights, hence making detentions arbitrary and unlawful.

Commenting on the current detention of six opposition politicians, the Human Rights Watch Africa director, Daniel Bekele, said ,

“these weeks-long detentions violating due process rights underscore the need for a major overhaul of Sudan’s national security agencies and the laws that govern them.”

 

“Sudan should uphold protections in its own constitution as well as in the international human rights treaties it has signed.”

The German President Joachim Gauck has called human rights "the foundation of all human co-existence" and said Germany will support the pursuit for universal human rights across the globe, during his speech at the first day of the 22nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Gauck called for a global fight for human rights, irrespective of a country’s size or international standing and said responsible countries should always speak up for the rights of the individual, "even if that sometimes means criticizing neighbors or friends".

"For me, human rights remain the foundation of all human co-existence, the precondition for us to be able to use fulfil our incredible potential as people, to change our lives for the better," he said.

The German president added that human rights were "not just universal, but indivisible as well. Economic, social and cultural rights belong inseparably with political and civil freedoms."

Gauck said that the Council had to “act on behalf of all humanity in cases where States did not live up to their commitments" and that human rights were far too often violated and ignored. He mentioned examples like the death penalty, violence against women, discrimination on the basis of colour or origin, and the intimidation of human rights defenders.

He added that Germany would always support the work of the Council and that four guiding principles were important to Germany; speaking openly about human rights violations, intervening quickly to prevent such violations, taking appropriate action, and helping human rights organisations in their job.

A UN brokered accord has been signed by 11 african states in order to bring peace to the Democratic Re0ublic of Congo, which has been plagued by fighting between rebels and government forces.

The deal was signed in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the Ethipian capital Addis Ababa.

"The signing ceremony is significant even in itself. But it is only the beginning of a comprehensive approach that will require sustained engagement. The framework before you outlines commitments and oversight mechanisms which aim at addressing key national and regional issues," Ban said.

The agreement was signed by Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Angola, Uganda, South Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania and Congo-Brazzaville.

All countries agreed not to interfere in the DRC’s internal affairs. Rwanda and Uganda have been accused of arming and supporting M23 rebels against Congolese forces.

"The framework recognizes that a holistic approach that addresses the multifaceted root causes is the only way to end instability. Any meaningful contribution toward lasting peace in the DRC and the Great Lakes region has to abandon the self-defeating practice of selectivity in both memory and responsibility regarding the known, long standing causes of recurring conflict," said Rwandan President Kagame.

"A heavy burden of responsibility falls on the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighbours. Theirs is the historic task of freeing the people of the DRC and the region from tortuous history of conflict and instability, and to introduce a new future offering democracy, peace, stability progress and prosperity," said South African President Jacob Zuma.

Read more on The Guardian.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has given US special forces two weeks to leave Wardak province in the centre of Afghanistan.

Afghan soldiers with the US troops are accused of being behind disappearances and torture.

The US said it took all allegations seriously but could not comment on this issue "until we have had a chance to speak with senior government officials".

A statement by President Karzai’s office said the incidents have caused resentment amongst the Afghan public.

"After a thorough discussion, it became clear that armed individuals named as US special force[s] stationed in Wardak province engage in harassing, annoying, torturing and even murdering innocent people," it said.

"A recent example in the province is an incident in which nine people were disappeared in an operation by this suspicious force and in a separate incident a student was taken away at night from his home, whose tortured body with throat cut was found two days later under a bridge.

"However, Americans reject having conducted any such operation and any involvement of their special force.

"The meeting strongly noted that such actions have caused local public resentment and hatred."

The Norwegian government has decided to extradite a Rwandan citizen back to the country, after having sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment for his role in the 1994 genocide, marking Norway's first such extradition.

The Nordic Page stated that Norwegian State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Paul Lønseth hailed the move as "a milestone in the pursuit after the genocide in Rwanda".

The accused Charles Bandora is alleged to have trained the Interahamwe militia as well as personally supervising massacres.

Also see our earlier posts:

Denmark to extradite Rwandan genocide suspect (30 June 2012)

Rwanda welcomes France extradition (02 April 2012)

The Cuban president Raul Castro announced that he would retire after his second term ends in 2018.

Castro made the announcement on Sunday during a speech broadcast nationally, saying, "this will be my last term".

The announcement came after the Cuban National Assembly elected him to a second five year term at the opening of the new parliament.

Castro will be 86 years old in 2018.

Syria's main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, said it had decided not to attend a summit of the Friends of Syria in Rome next month, and also turned down invitations for talks in Washington and Moscow.

In a statement, the coalition said:

"The international silence on the crimes committed every day against our people amounts to participating in two years of killings,"

"The Russian leadership especially bears moral and political responsibility for supplying the regime with weapons."

Further singling out rage over Russia's supply of missiles to Assad's regime, the statement said:

"Hundreds of civilians have been killed by Scud missile strikes and Aleppo is being systematically destroyed."

See BBC News for full report.

The Iranian government has announced the discovery of new uranium deposits and said it will expand its nuclear programme.

The announcement comes a few days before talks with Western powers about sanctions over its development of nuclear technology.

Iranian media reported that the new finds have trebled Iran’s uranium reserves.

"This made it possible for the Islamic Republic of Iran to move to a more advanced level in the field of nuclear industry among those countries that possess nuclear technology," Iranian news agency Irna quoted the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) as saying.

Read more on the BBC.

A US jury has found a Rwandan woman guilty of lying about her role in the country's 1994 genocide, leading to her citizenship being stripped.

43-year-old Beatrice Munyenyezi, who was on trial for lying on US government citizenship forms, was accused by the prosecution of having a "front-row seat" to the slaughter of Tutsis who killed and ordered rapes, playing an active role in the genocide.

Munyenyezi faced similar charges last year but the jury failed to reach a verdict. Both her husband and mother-in-law have been sentenced to life imprisonment after facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, last June.

See the full report from the Guardian here.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Malian government to investigate and prosecute soldiers accused of committing torture, summary executions and other atrocities in the fight against Islamist militants in the country’s north.

The HRW report said its investigations had found that Malian troops had carried out several abuses against members of the Tuareg, Arab and Fula communities.

The organisation called on Malian authorities to,

“address abuses by the military and address urgent civilian protection needs within the current security vacuum,” adding that,

“Mali’s international partners should bolster accountability efforts and civilian protection in the north to help prevent further abuses.”

The Indonesian army has claimed that eight of its soldiers were killed in attacks by armed men in Papua.

Army spokesperson Jansen Simanjuntak told the BBC that two attacks in the district Puncak Jaya saw the soldiers ambushed with guns. Two of the attackers were also reported to have been killed.

Papuan rebels have been fighting for independence from Indonesia for over four decades.

The Zambian government has seized a Chinese coal mine, after it revoked the mine’s license over safety concerns.

The Zambian mining minister Yamfwa Mukanga said that the government would continue to run the Collum Coal mine until “suitable investor was found”.

"Collum coal mine has failed to consistently provide employees with approved personal protective equipment" he told a press conference. He added that the mine also failed to pay royalties or declare how much coal was produced.