The US has started a project to clean Agent Orange left over from the Vietnam War 40 years ago.

The £30 million joint project will clear a former US air force base, which was used to store and mix the chemical weapon.

Millions of gallons of the toxin were sprayed to defoliate vast swathes of jungle and rob Vietcong fighters of cover.

The toxin is thought to have seeped into the soil, causing cancer and birth defects in the local population.

The US has been reluctant to accept that the toxin is responsible for the problems, claiming that more research needed to be done, but has now decided to act.

“This morning we celebrate a milestone in our bilateral relationship. We’re cleaning up this mess.” said David Shear, the US ambassador, at the inauguration of the four-year project.

"We are both moving earth and taking the first steps to bury the legacies of our past,"

The use of Agent Orange by the US is still a cause for bitterness among Vietnamese, especially as the US has rejected calls for reparation for several years.

A court case brought against the US manufacturers by a group of victims was rejected in 2007.

“It’s a big step,” said Ngo Quang Xuan, a former Vietnamese ambassador to the United Nations. “But in the eyes of those who suffered the consequences, it’s not enough.”

Agent Orange Victims Association Vice Chairman Tran Xuan Thu told the BBC that although the clean-up activities were "a little late", they were "greatly appreciated".

"They show that the US government now is taking the responsibility to assist us. I hope these efforts will be multiplied in future," he said.

"However we consider that the clean-up is separate from the issue of compensating Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, who are still suffering from injustice. These victims will carry on with their lawsuits, no matter what."

Sudan’s election to the UN Human Rights Council is all but certain, after it emerged that the Sudanese candidate has the full backing of the African Group in the UN.

Although Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, a war lord from his regime is set to take a seat on the panel.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, has compared it to putting “Jack the Ripper in charge of a women’s shelter,”

The Geneva based NGO has called on High Commissioner Navi Pillay to denounce the near-inevitable election of Sudan to the council.

Neuer said Pillay should be a “moral voice” and urge other African nations to call for “unequivocal opposition to Sudan’s scandalous” bid for the election that will add 18 member nations in all.

“Just a year after the human rights council sought to exorcise the ghosts of its past by suspending Col. Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya — which infamously chaired the body in 2003, and was reelected a member in 2010 — it is now set to replace him with a tyrant wanted for genocide by the International Criminal Court. For how long must we have the inmates running the asylum?”

Neuer said the reputation of the previous human rights commission “never recovered” after Libya its chair in 2003.

“The UN and the cause of human rights will be severely damaged if and when Al-Bashir’s Sudanese regime wins a seat,” he said.

US authorities have also slammed the development.

"Sudan, a consistent human rights violator, does not meet the Council’s own standards for membership," said Kurtis Cooper, deputy spokesman for the United States Mission to the United Nations.

"It would be inappropriate for Sudan to have a seat on the Council while the Sudanese head of State is under International Criminal Court indictment for war crimes in Darfur and the government of Sudan continues to use violence to inflame tensions along its border with South Sudan."

The United States has said it remains “deeply concerned” about the tensions in the western Burmese state of Rakhine, but rejected allegations of “ethnic cleansing” made by the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).

Addressing the situation in the Rakhine state, a senior State Department official said, “we have obviously expressed our concern over the tension there,” but denied that the Burmese security forces were trying to annihilate the Rohingya population.

The US statement followed remarks by the OIC Secretary general, Ekmeleddin Ihsanolgu, expressing his disappointment at the inaction of the international community to prevent “massacre, violations, injustice and ethnic cleansing” perpetrated by the Burmese government against the Rohingya Muslims.

Earlier in the day, a US State Department spokesperson, Patrick Ventrell noted that the US was monitoring the sectarian conflict developments in the Burma, urging “all parties to exercise restraint, to refrain from further violence, and to uphold principles of non-discrimination, tolerance and religious freedom.”

He also acknowledged that the US state had concerns about ensuring "that the displaced get humanitarian aid.”

It is believed that US officials are accompanying the UN human rights envoy, Tomas Ojea Quintana, on his visit to the affected area. Quintana is expected to submit a report on Burma to the Human Rights Council in October.

The Syrian army has attempted to wrest back control of Aleppo as rebels are reported to be withdrawing from their positions.

The army claims it has seized the Salaheddin district from rebel forces, but however human rights organisations have claimed that fighting is still ongoing.

"Fighting is still raging in the district of Salaheddin and there are initial reports of many dead. It is impossible to document the casualties because of the ferocity of the clashes," said the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman.

Colonel Abdel Jabbar al-Oqaidi of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FAS) also denied the reports.

"It is not true the regime army has seized control of the district,"

"It is true that there is a barbaric and savage attack. They are using all the weapons at their disposal to attack Salaheddin, including fighter jets, tanks and mortars."

Amnesty International has warned of an increased use of heavy weapons.

Sattelite images release by AI on Wednesday show over 600 craters, some near residential areas, probably caused by artillery fire.

"Amnesty International is sending a clear message to both sides in the fighting: Any attacks against civilians will be clearly documented so that those responsible can be held accountable," said Christoph Koettl, emergency response manager for Amnesty International USA.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ordered that victims of the Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga, must receive reparations.

Commenting on the historic order for reparation, which includes a victim’s trust fund, an ICC spokesman said that “this is the first time the court has ordered reparations for victims”

The Trust Fun for Victims (TFV) will help those that suffered from Lubanga’s human rights violations of enlisting, conscripting and using children under the 15 years to fight.

The criteria to qualify for the reparations have been made broader than the original criteria that were used to select the victims for the trial, resulting in eligibility of approximately 1000 victims.

Lubanga, has been detained in The Hague since 2006, he was finally sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for his involvement in the conflict that resulted in the deaths of 60,000 civilians between 1999 and 2006.

"The agreement, which does not involve any guilty plea or admit to any violations, reflects the significant and tangible efforts that Academi's new ownership and leadership team have made... The company is fully committed to this agreement and looks forward to successfully fulfilling its obligations on this legacy matter as we continue to lead by example in our regulatory and compliance efforts."

"This company clearly violated US laws by exporting sensitive technical data and unauthorised defence services to a host of countries around the world".

"Some of the Jews used to scream like that, like the geese."

"I got far more emotionally involved in the war crimes investigation that anything else I'd ever done in the police."

"Genocide is still occurring in all sorts of places around the world."

"That's why this film is important."

Iran has sent the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, to Damascus in a show of support for Bashar al-Assad and his rule.

Aiding Assad’s survival, Iran has been providing the regime with funds, arms and expertise in its campaign to crush Syria’s expanding rebellion.

Referring to the Middle East’s anti-Western powers – Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas – as the “axis of resistance” Jalili said:

"Iran will never allow the resistance axis – of which Syria is an essential pillar – to break,"

"What is happening in Syria is not an internal issue but a conflict between the axis of resistance on one hand, and the regional and global enemies of this axis on the other,"

Read the full report on the Telegraph here.

Burmese authorities have lifted suspensions that were placed on two weekly magazines, after journalists protested for greater press freedom.

As a result of the protests, the editors of two magazines were beckoned to the country’s media censorship bureau, also known as the Press Scrutiny board and informed that publishing could be resumed from the 18th of august.

The magazines were initially ordered to suspend publication indefinitely due to the violation of unspecified regulations.

The suspension resulted in dozens of journalists collecting signatures for a petition that was sent to the President Thein Sein demanding an end to censorship.

After decades of military rule, censorship has been recently eased in Burma. The successful protests mark a historic triumph in helping the country move forward in its democratic reforms.

The United States have set a bounty of upto $5 million on each of the nine fugitive suspected perpetrators of the genocide in Rwanda.

The US Ambassador for War Crimes, Stephen Rapp, confirmed during a visit to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), that the bounty would be paid to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of the suspects, including Felicien Kabuga, suspected chief financier of the genocide, Protais Mpiranya, former commandant of the infamous Presidential Guard, and former defence minister Augustin Bizimana.

The chief prosecutor of the ICTR hailed the success of the Reward for Justice Programme by the US.

“The US has helped ICTR to apprehend several fugitives under this programme. In other words the programme has been successful.” said Justice Hassan-Bubakar Jallow.

The Reuters news agency said one of its Twitter accounts - @ReutersTech - was hacked on Sunday, and false tweets regarding the Syria conflict were posted.

Twenty-two false tweets were sent, with some including false reports of rebel losses at the hands of government forces.

A spokesperson for Reuters said,

"Earlier today @ReutersTech was hacked and changed to @ReutersME. The account has been suspended and is currently under investigation."

Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab has defected from President Bashar al-Assad's government, the BBC reports. He had been appointed two months ago.

"I announce today my defection from the killing and terrorist regime and I announce that I have joined the ranks of the freedom and dignity revolution," ran the statement read by his spokesman.

Meanwhile, Brig Gen Manaf Tlas, who was considered close to President Assad, also defected in July.

Thirty other generals have crossed the border into Turkey, the BBC reports, also citing Turkish news agency Anatolia sating on Monday that another general had fled with five high-ranking officers.

The former spy chief of the Gaddafi regime in Libya will not be extradited from Mauritania, said the president of the West African nation.

President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said that Abdullah al-Senussi must face charges for illegal entry into Mauritania, before being extradited to Libya.

Al-Senussi is wanted by Libya, France and the International Criminal Court for crimes committed while he was the spy chief for Colonel Gaddafi.

"Senussi has problems with Mauritania's judiciary and has to face court for entering Mauritania under a false identity," President Abdel Aziz said according to AFP.

"The passport Senussi used to enter Mauritania was not falsified but it presents him as Malian and under a fake name, which is why he must undergo trial in Mauritania,"

"Foreign direct investment is flowing into Burma and declining in Vietnam. The government knows it is losing credibility. Vietnam allowed its private sector to develop, but it did not reform its political system. It was a fatal mistake."

 "More people know more about their rights, so the more they fight for their rights, [the] more repression, more arrests... But an optimistic sign is that people are not afraid."