The judicial commission of inquiry into the fatal shootings of 44 people at the Marikana mine protests last month, began today.

Set up by the president Jacob Zuma, the probe is mandated to determine the involvement of the police, managemant of the mine, the trade unions, government and Lonmin.

It comprises of a three member panel, including a retired Supreme Court Appeal Judge Ian Farlam, and is expected to submit its analysis in four months time. The final report will be submitted within one month of the investigation drawing to a close.

The United States implored Rwanda to publicly denounce Congolese rebels, who have seized vast areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s East. The appeal outlined the United States’ frustration over the Rwandan’s alleged role in propping up the M23 Congolese rebel movement, which has also resulted in the slashing of aid by donor countries to Rwanda.

Though Rwanda has consistently denied supporting the M23 rebels, it is yet to publicly condemn the movement.

Emphasising the importance of denouncing the Congolese rebels, the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, said in a teleconference,

“The M23 is led by individuals who are International Criminal Court (ICC) indictees, and is led by people who carried out serious human rights violations, so it should not be too much to ask the government to do this.”

Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes by fighting since the M23 took up arms. The rebels claim that they are fighting to ensure the full implementation of a 2009 Rwandan backed peace deal that ended a previous rebellion.

A disarmament drive by security forces in Libya has resulted in more than a thousand Libyans handing in their weapons.

Libya’s current leader Mohamed Magarief pledged to disarm all illegal militias after the killing of the US ambassador in Benghazi.

Weapons from pistols to tanks were collected at collection points in Tripoli and Benghazi.

"They are handing over weapons to the military so that they are kept in the right place and not on the streets," Yussef al-Mangoush, chief-of-staff of the Libyan army said to Reuters.

Libya’s many militias were instrumental in overthrowing Gaddafi’s regime and remained armed after the interim government came to power.

Kenyan warships attacked the Somali port of Kismaya on Saturday night, despite al Shabaab rebels stating that they were abandoning the city, reported residents.

According to al Shabaab, two children were killed, and several others wounded. In a statement, the Kenyan military spokesperson, Col. Cyrus Oguna, denied this, and argued that the rebels said they had abandoned the town to lure the Kenyan troops into a trap.

Speaking to Reuters, Oguna said,

"The troops are consolidating and making plans to expand into the southern part of the city,"

"A lot of caution must be exercised here. We don't want to get into a situation where we start to lose troops here and there."

Meanwhile, an al Shabaab official told Reuters,

"We are just waiting for the AU [African Union] and Somali troops to enter the town. We shall fight them in streets and alleys. We abandoned the town. Why don't they go in if they have the guts?"

“They are recognised as Kenyan citizens, and they have as much rights as any other to participate in the electoral process. So, its on that premise that we took this matter to court,”

"I ask the Yemeni government to cut all logistical and military ties because Bashar al-Assad's regime is a regime that is killing its people and that is what we saw with our own eyes when we came here."

“Both have a long track record which has been recognized at the highest possible level internationally… Their reputation is of impartial, independent and objective human rights work.”

The European Union froze an aid programme to Rwanda worth £140 million yesterday, over allegations that the Rwandan government was supporting M23 rebels. The UK meanwhile, will continue giving aid.

Jean-Michel Dumond, the EU’s Ambassador in Kinshasa, said:

“It was agreed to freeze the programme of budgetary assistance and to not agree to any supplementary budgetary credit for Rwanda without them giving signs of co-operating.”

The US, Sweden and Netherlands have already cut all aid to the country.

Human rights groups have accused the M23 rebels, a group operating in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, of rape, murder and recruitment of child soldiers.

The Rwandan government has denied the allegations.

The United Nations Human Rights Council extended the mandate of its investigation into war crimes in Syria by another six months on Friday.

The UN condemned the widespread violations by the Syrian government forces in the 18 month old conflict.

The resolution, which was drawn up by the Arab states, won the support of 41 out of the 47 member states with 3 abstentions. China, Cuba and Russia made up the 3 states against the resolution.

The US ambassador, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, said:

“The work of the commission of inquiry is important because as they continue to document the names of individuals responsible for these crimes and violations, they help ensure that those responsible for the crimes against the Syrian people face justice and accountability."

“This will not be a case where impunity prevails, but rather that those responsible for these crimes against the Syrian people will face justice and accountability,”

Syria’s ambassador, Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, denounced the resolution, describing it as “highly politicised and selective.”

Since its launch over a year ago, the independent enquiry has interviewed more than 1,100 victims, refugees and defectors, whilst being denied access to Syria.

Burmese president Thein Sein has told the BBC’s Hardtalk programme that he would accept Aung San Suu Kyi as president if she was elected by the people.

"Whether she will become a leader of the nation depends on the will of the people. If the people accept her, then I will have to accept her," he said.

"There isn't any problem between me and Aung San Suu Kyi. We are working together."

He also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to continuing democratic reforms and urged for remaining sanctions to be lifted.

Thein Sein spoke at the UN General Assembly a few days ago, praising Suu Kyi and congratulating her for being awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal.

An Iranian diplomat was mobbed by protesters in New York, shortly after the President Ahmadinejad addressed the UN General Assembly.

The Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ramin Mehmanparast, was walking outside the UN building, when he was spotted by the anti-Ahmadinejad protesters who surrounded him, shouting "Get lost and go back into your hotel... What are you doing in New York, you sick criminal?” and "Yeah, you scared sh*t, run away and go stand next to the police.”

Police officers intervened and shepherded him away from the protesters.

Suspected war criminals have been arrested in Kosovo on Thursday, after a joint operation by the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and Kosovo Police.

The two suspects were held for alleged war crime rapes committed in 1999, marking the latest in a long series of arrests of suspected war criminals from the Kosovo War.

However, the arrests were slammed by the Vučitrn enclave Mayor Zoran Rakić, who stated, they were

"a continuation of the Kosovo (Albanian) government's attempts to obstruct the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština".

The Friends of Syria, consisting of several countries, including the US, the EU and the Arab League urged the Syrian opposition to unite in their fight against Assad.

At a meeting in New York, the Syrian opposition has been promised $45 million in non-lethal aid by the US, of which $30 million will be humanitarian aid.

“We are working to help them strengthen their networks, avoid regime persecution and document human rights abuses,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters.

“It is encouraging to see some progress toward greater opposition unity, but we all know there is more work to be done,

“It is no secret that our attempts to move forward at the U.N. Security Council have been blocked repeatedly, but the United States is not waiting,

“Conditions in Syria continue to deteriorate as the Assad regime relentlessly wages war on its own people,

“We see more bodies filling hospitals and morgues and we see more refugees fleeing their homeland and flooding into neighboring countries. The regime of Bashar al-Assad must come to an end so that the suffering of the Syrian people can stop and a new dawn can begin.”