An United Nations-backed panel discussion at Rutgers University in the US state of New Jersey, has explored the role of genocide and war crimes prosecution in Cambodia and how accountability has helped ‘reconcile’ the country.

Speaking at the event, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Stephen Mathias stated,

“It can be argued that the development of individual criminal responsibility, like we saw in the case of Duch [Kaing Guek Eav], for perpetrators of genocide and war crimes and crimes against humanity has been one of the major legal developments of the last 60 years which began with the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals”

“One of the principal tasks of the Office of Legal Affairs at the UN is to insist that accountability follows serious international crimes like those that were committed in Cambodia”

“And the Secretary-General of the United Nations is at the forefront of the efforts of the United Nations to ensure that impunity is not tolerated.”

Also at the event was the manager of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, Kimberly Mann who highlighted the importance of bringing the perpetrators of such crime to justice.

See the report from the UN News Centre here.

A resolution adopted by the UN Security Council paves the way for military intervention in Mali's north, where Islamist rebels have taken control of the area after overthrowing the president in March.

The resolution urges "detailed and actionable recommendations" to be drawn up by African organisations to be presented to the Security Council within 45 days, and calls on UN member states to provide "co-ordinated assistance, expertise, training and capacity-building support" to Mali's armed forces.

Any military intervention on the ground would require a second resolution by the 15-member Council.

Syria announced on Saturday that it will no longer allow Turkish civilian planes to fly over its territory, just days after Turkey intercepted a Syrian flight allegedly carrying Russian munitions to the Syrian army.

According to Syria’s foreign ministry, the ban is a response to a similar move from Ankara, although Turkey has not announced such a ban.

A series of cross-border incidents, including several days of cross-border fire and shelling have caused tensions to rise rapidly between the two countries.

The opposition-backing Turkish government has called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resign.

The Scottish government has struck a deal with Westminster that will allow an independence referendum to take place in the near future.

The “Section 30” order, due to be formally announced on Monday, will transfer power from Westminster to Holyrood, Scotland, and will include an agreement for a single ‘yes or ‘no’ question on independence to take place before 2014.

Deputy Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, applauded the constructive approach that took place during the negotiations and went on to say,

“I am now immensely looking forward to making the case for Scotland to have full powers of independence that are necessary to build the prosperous fair society that we all want.”

British Prime Minister  David Cameron, confirmed that he will be signing the agreement on Monday.

For the first time in ten years, a British envoy will meet with the BJP's Narendra Modi, under the instructions of the British foreign minister for India, Hugo Swire.

In a statement, Swire said: "this will allow us to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest and to explore opportunities for closer cooperation,"

Modi, currently the chief minister for the state of Gujurat, is seen as the strongest opposition candidate for the general elections in two years time.

The meeting would be the first such diplomatic engagement by the West, after religious riots rocked the state ten years ago. In 2005, Modi was denied a diplomatic visa to the US, and had his B-1/B-2 visa revoked on the grounds that any foreign government official who "directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom" ineligible for the visa.

An official at the British High Commission in New Delhi, was quoted by Reuters as saying the policy shift was due to the state's 'dynamic economic and business climate and came after high-profile convictions of some politicians in the state over the riots'.

The official said, "If you can't engage at a senior political level, it is harder to spot opportunities."

Seven Royal Marines have been arrested after information emerged that an insurgent was murdered.

A fellow soldier claimed that the insurgent was killed by British troops in a way that broke the army’s strict rules of engagement.

The seven marines were arrested by the Royal Military Police on Thursday and the Ministry of Defence will lead an inquiry into the killing, which is said to have happened last year.

"The Royal Military police have today arrested seven Royal Marines on suspicion of murder.” said an MoD spokesperson.

“The arrests relate to an incident in Afghanistan in 2011. The incident followed an engagement with an insurgent: there were no civilians involved.

"The investigation will now be taken forward and dealt with by the service justice system. These arrests demonstrate the department and the armed forces' determination to ensure UK personnel act in accordance with their rules of engagement and our standards. It would be inappropriate to make any further comment while the investigation is under way.

"As with any serious incident of this nature, there will be an internal review to identify lessons learned. The nature of that review will reflect the developments in and, in due course, the outcome of the investigation."

The United States has criticised the Russian government as “morally bankrupt” after a plane travelling to Syria was seized by Turkish authorities, who claimed Russian military equipment was on board en route to the Syrian regime.

Speaking to reporters State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stated that the US had “grave concerns” that material was being supplied by Russia to aid besieged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help quell rebels in the country.

She told reporters,

"We have no doubt that this was serious military equipment,"

"There are no Security Council sanctions on Syria because Security Council members Russia and China continue to block them… Everybody else on the Security Council is doing what it can unilaterally to ensure that the Assad regime is not getting support from the outside."
 
"No responsible country ought to be aiding and abetting the war machine of the Assad regime and particularly those with responsibilities for global peace and security as U.N. Security Council members have."

She went on to comment that the shipment was "legally correct but the policy is still morally bankrupt."

A Syrian passenger plane that departed from Moscow has been forced to land in Ankara after Turkish fighter jets intercepted it and escorted the Syrian Air flight to Esenboga airport.

Turkish authorities stopped the plane over suspicions that it carried military equipment.

Officials claimed “illegal cargo” was discovered on the plane and it had been confiscated.

Syrian and Russian officials strongly denied the claims and said Turkey endangered the lives of the passengers and the crew.

"Turkish military aircraft forced the plane to land without giving prior warning to the pilot. The military aircraft were so close that there could have been an accident," said Gaida Abdul Latif, the head of Syrian Air.

Russian foreign minister Alexander Lukashevich also criticised the Turkey’s actions.

"We are concerned that, in this emergency situation, the lives and safety of the passengers, including 17 Russian nationals, were put at risk," he said.

Turkey imposed an arms embargo on its southern neighbour last year and foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it would continue to investigate suspicious Syrian planes.

“The unlawful killing by both Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces only grows worse; both sides need to halt this downward spiral. Nigeria’s government should swiftly bring to justice the Boko Haram members and security agents who have committed these serious crimes.”

“Boko Haram has callously murdered people while they pray at church services in northern Nigeria. It has also gunned down Muslims who openly oppose the group’s horrific violence.”

“Nigeria’s government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from violence, but also to respect international human rights law. Instead of abusive tactics that only add to the toll, the authorities should prosecute without delay those responsible for such serious crimes.”

"These evictions are often marked by violence, committed both by state and private actors in pursuit of economic gain and, less commonly, by frustrated residents in desperate acts of protest and resistance."

"The United Nations Commission on Human Rights [UNCHR] has recognized the Armenian Genocide. The European Parliament likewise has recognized it. In 2004, Slovakia also recognized the Armenian Genocide. In addition, there is a law [in Slovakia] on criminalizing genocide denial.”

''There is a rule of law in Slovakia, the ones who deny the fact of genocide will be strictly punished. I respect human life and I am for the peaceful solution of the issues. It is impossible to forget the people who became victim of these atrocities''.

An agreement on the rules for a referendum on Scottish independence is in its final stages and almost ready to be signed by Alex Salmond of the SNP and the British Prime Minister David Cameron.

A Scottish government spokesperson said:

“We are on track for the full agreement, including the terms of a section 30 order, to be presented to the First Minister and the Prime Minister over the next few days.”

Nato’s secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Tuesday that the alliance is ready to defend Turkey against any aggression from Syria, after a week of clashes between the neighbours.

Rasmussen spoke to reporters ahead of a Nato defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels, and said,

"Obviously Turkey can rely on Nato solidarity.

"We have all necessary plans in place to protect and defend Turkey if necessary."

Turkey meanwhile has said it will continue to retaliate against attacks by Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian forces.

"Every kind of threat to the Turkish territory and the Turkish people will find us standing against it," Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"Soldiers loyal to Assad fired shells at us; we immediately reacted and responded with double force. We shall never stop responding."

Syria apologised for the killing of civilians in Turkey last week, which sparked the clashes and saw artillery exchanges between both countries.

"Genocide did not take place in Srebrenica. This is about individual guilt of members of the Serb people. The Serbian parliament condemned this crime, but did not say it was genocide.

No Serb recognizes that genocide took place in Srebrenica, and I am no different."

"Europe can ask anything except that we renounce Kosovo... In case it was necessary to renounce Kosovo, then it's more acceptable to us to forget about Europe (EU).

“Our goal since 2000 has been (to join) the EU. Reform processes in our economy, judicial system, secret services and public sector are complete.

Now a recognition of Kosovo and Metohija is being made a condition. The
question is not whether we want Europe. The real question is whether they want us. You will have to ask them about that."