The leader of the far-right Golden Dawn party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, warned that the movement would spread across Europe after his party won 21 seats in the Greek parliament.

Addressing reporters after the vote, who were forced to stand to welcome his presence, Michaloliakos shouted,

"Greece is only the beginning."

“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” [I came, I saw, I conquered]

“The time for fear has come for those who betrayed this homeland,”

“We are coming.”

Michaloliakos pledged to fight against the "slavery" of the EU-IMF austerity programme.

Sunday's election was the first time a far-right party won over 3% of the Greek vote, thus passing the threshold to enter Parliament. Golden Dawn saw its vote increase from 0.23% in 2009, to 7%.

Party supporters, wearing all black, celebrated their success singing military anthems and repeating the Nazi slogan of "blood and honour".

The Chinese newspaper, The Beijing News, appeared to offer an apology for its editorial which criticised the US and the Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, after widespread outcry by the Chinese public. 

In a move seen to be in line with pro-government newspapers, The Beijing News, launched an attack on Guangecheng in its editorial on Friday, along side the US ambassador Gary Locke, with whom the activist had sought sanctuary at the US embassy for six days.

The editorial provoked widespread criticism from the Chinese public however, who accused the newspaper of simply toeing China's communist party line. Much of the criticism, which mainly expressed online on the blogging site Sina Weibo, was promptly deleted by authorities. (See here, here, and here).

One comment that escaped deletion came from the former editor-in-chief of the Xiaoxiang Morning Post, Gong Xiaoyue, who wrote,

“The Beijing News has been raped. And Beijing Daily has again screwed out a climax. No one seems to have any shame.”

The Beijing News' sister paper, The Beijing Daily, launched a rather personal attack on the US ambassador in its Friday editorial, mocking him for flying economy class and using a coupon to pay for his Starbucks coffee.

The Chinese public were unimpressed. The strength of reaction against the newspaper online led to the banning of the search term "Beijing Daily" in Chinese on Friday evening. Internet users were instead greeted with the message: “These search results cannot be shown according to relevant laws, regulations and policies.”

Responding to the public anger against its coverage, The Beijing News appeared to offer an apology the next day. On its Sina Weibo blog the newspaper posted a black and white photograph of a sad clown smoking a cigarette. The caption under the image read:  在夜深人寂时，卸下言不由衷的面具，对真实的自己说声“对不起”。晚安。

“In the still of the deep night, removing that mask of insincerity, we say to our true selves, ‘I am sorry.’ Goodnight.”

A United Nations human rights investigator has called on the US to do more to heal the wounds of Native Americans, caused by over a century of oppression.

James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, ended a 12 day visit to the United States on Friday, where he met with representatives of tribes in several states, including Arizona, South Dakota and Oklahama.

"The sense of loss, alienation and indignity is pervasive throughout (Native American communities)," said Anaya.

"It is evident that there have still not been adequate measures of reconciliation to overcome the persistent legacies of the history of oppression, and that there is still much healing that needs to be done."

"I have heard stories that make evident the profound hurt that indigenous peoples continue to feel because of the history of oppression they have faced,"

"Securing the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands is of central importance to indigenous peoples' socio-economic development, self-determination and cultural integrity."

"During my visit, I heard almost universal calls from indigenous nations that the government respect tribal sovereignty, that indigenous peoples' ability to control their own affairs be strengthened, and that the many existing barriers to the effective exercise of self-determination be removed."

Anaya added that the oppression included the seizure of lands and resources, the removal of children from their families and communities, the loss of languages, violation of treaties, and brutality, suffered by the roughly 5.4 million strong indigenous population.

Anaya welcomed the U.S. decision to back the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2010, however he said more was needed.

He backed the restoration of control over land Native Americans hold sacred, including the area around Mount Rushmore, which the Sioux tribe considers to be sacred and was illegally seized by the Congress in the 19th century.

Anaya went on to say,

"It is clear that this history does not just blemish the past, but translates into present day disadvantage for indigenous peoples in the country,"

"There have still not been adequate measures of reconciliation to overcome the persistent legacies of the history of oppression, and that there is still much healing that needs to be done."

Chinese dissidents Chen Guangcheng is expected to be allowed to leave China, according to US officials.

China earlier said in a statement released by its foreign ministry that Chen could apply to study abroad like other citizens.

"Chen Guangcheng is currently being treated in hospital," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Liu Weimin, said on Friday.

"If he wants to study abroad, he can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments in accordance with the law, just like any other Chinese citizen."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, currently on a visit to Beijing, said there had been progress on the dissident’s case and was encouraged by China’s statement.

"Over the course of the day progress has been made to help him have the future that he wants and we will be staying in touch with him as this process moves forward,

"This is not just about well known activists; it's about the human rights and aspirations of more than a billion people here in China and billions more around the world and it's about the future of this great nation and all nations," Clinton added.

The US has indicated it would give any application received by Mr Chen priority.

"Mr Chen has been offered a fellowship from an American university, where he can be accompanied by his wife and two children," US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

"The Chinese government has indicated that it will accept Mr Chen's applications for appropriate travel documents.

"The United States government expects that the Chinese government will expeditiously process his applications for these documents, and make accommodations for his current medical condition,

"The United States government would then give visa requests for him and his immediate family priority attention."

“committee's strong and united response shows that the Security Council is determined that there be consequences for this provocation and any future North Korean violation."

“Taken together, we view this as a strong and credible set of new sanctions.”

The governments of Austria and The Netherlands announced that ministers would be boycotting the Euro 2012 football tournament, being co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, due to Ukraine's treatment of the imprisoned former prime minister, Yuliya Tymoshenko.

Austria said the decision was a "mark of solidarity" with Tymoshenko.

Welcoming the decisions, Tymoshenko urged other European states to follow.

Tymoshenko said,

“European leaders can’t be seen to support this repression by standing next to President Yanukovych.”

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has already stated that she may refuse to attend any matches held in Ukraine.

The German foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, highlighted the European Union's power to refuse to ratify trade and political agreements with Ukraine until the rule of law was respected.

Westerwelle said,

“The Ukrainian Government must know the path to Europe crosses a bridge which stands on two pillars: democracy and rule of law.”

On Monday, Croatia stated that its president, Ivo Josipovic would boycott a political summit due to be held in Ukraine next week, in protest at the human rights situation.

See our previous report:

German President cancels visit to Ukraine over treatment of ex-Premier (26 Apr 2012)

Prosecutors have urged the Special Court for Sierra Leone to sentence former Liberian president Charles Taylor to 80 years imprisonment.

In the Prosecution Sentencing Brief, the prosecution team said that the "extreme magnitude" of the crimes warranted the lengthy jail term.

Last week, Taylor was found guilty on all 11 counts he was charged with, including murder and rape.

The brief stated Taylor "was not a simple weapons procurer or financier".

Instead, he "planned the bloodiest chapter in Sierra Leone's war - the Freetown invasion" and was instrumental in supporting the rebels in their strategy of "murders, rapes, sexual slavery, looting, child soldiers... and other forms of physical violence and acts of terror".

The sentence is expected to be passed on 30 May in The Hague.

Sudan has pledged to end fighting with South Sudan and abide by the terms of aUN resolution passed yesterday.

In a statement, Sudan said it “welcomes the U.N. Security Council resolution which was issued on Wednesday” and would "fully commit to what has been issued in the resolution about stopping hostilities with South Sudan according to the time limits issued".

It added that it hoped the "other party will commit to stop the hostilities completely and withdraw its troops from the disputed areas so as not to put SAF [Sudanese Armed Forces] in a situation where it has to defend itself".

The resolution called on both sides to cease armed hostilities immediately and to commit to an African Union roadmap, which gives the neighbours until Tuesday to restart negotiations and another three months to reach an agreement.

South Sudan has already said it accepts the resolution and the terms of the AU roadmap, paving the way for a resumption of negotiations.

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution threatening to impose sanctions on Sudan and South Sudan.

The resolution, drafted by the US, called for the Sudans to resume talks on disputed issues within two weeks.

Recent weeks have seen clashes in the disputed border region, with Sudan carrying out indiscriminate aerial bombing and South Sudan occupying the disputed Heglig.

The resolution called for the implementation of an African Union road map, which aims to bring the neighbours back to the negotiation table.

It calls for both countries to give a written commitment to halt fighting within 48 hours and ‘immediately cease all hostilities’.

If either side fails to follow the terms laid out, ‘additional measures’ under article 41 of the UN charter – which allows for non-military sanctions – will be considered, the resolution further says.

China and Russia, which both traditionally oppose sanctions, supported the resolution.

China's UN Ambassador Li Baodong said Beijing was "was always cautious about the use of sanctions", but that it was "deeply worried" about the deteriorating situation.

"It's still fresh. It will always be fresh. Whatever happened 18 years ago is still in my mind, it's still in my body.

US president Barack Obama has urged China to improve its human rights record.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Obama did not answer questions about the case of Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who is thought to have sought refuge in the US embassy in Beijing, but said that China would be stronger if it improves on its human rights issues.

"We think China will be stronger as it opens up and liberalises its own system," said Obama.

"We want China to be strong and we want it to be prosperous, and we're very pleased with all the areas of cooperation that we've been able to engage in. But we also believe that that relationship will be that much stronger and China will be that much more prosperous and strong as you see improvements on human rights issues."

The British Government has announced measures to exclude individuals who are thought to have committed human rights abuses.

The new rules were announced in the Foreign Office’s annual Human Rights Report, which was released today.

At the moment, only individuals who are viewed as a threat to national security are refused entry.

Under the new measures, ‘credible’ evidence of current or past human rights abuses could allow ministers to ban non-EU citizens to enter the UK.

The new rule will state that:

“Foreign nationals from outside the European Economic Area may only come to the UK if they satisfy the requirements of the immigration rules.

“Where there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that an individual has committed human rights abuses, the individual will not normally be permitted to enter the UK.”

However, the new measures will not necessarily exclude foreign officials or heads of state, who are accused of human rights abuses. If the individuals are visiting as part of a policy of engagement on human rights, entry will be permitted.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil liberties group Liberty, said:

“The devil is in the detail. However given the understandable outrage when it becomes difficult to deport undesirables, it is common sense to apply greater scrutiny before allowing people accused of grave crimes from entering the UK in the first place.”

The Bahraini foreign minister, Khalid Al Khalifa, urged the people of Bahrain to vote against an Al Jazeera film - 'Shouting in the Dark' - in an online poll for the UK's Bafta Television Awards this year.

'Shouting in the Dark' is a documentary on the Bahrain's crackdown of anti-government protests in 2011.

The film competes along side three other documentaries, including Channel 4's 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields', for the Current Affairs prize, determined by the results of an online poll conducted by the Radio Times.

The two front runners have drawn in an unprecedented number of votes. At present, 65,881 votes have been cast for 'Shouting in the Dark', and 47,748 votes for 'Sri Lanka's Killing Fields'. Polling is not yet over.

Al Khalifa tweeted urging those loyal to the government to vote against the film on Saturday.

Declaring that the Indian central government is becoming less relevant to governance today, Manu Joseph writes in the New York Times, that “the very idea of “national” is also fading in a de-centralised India:

“The political supremacy of New Delhi and the central government is being challenged by state governments and other regional forces.”

“There was a time when the chief ministers of the states would arrive in the capital like indebted peasants to plead for funds from the masters of Delhi, but now they simply raise a stink when they don’t get enough. It appears that every fortnight or so the authority of the center, even its common sense and credibility, are publicly challenged by the states,” he argues.

 “India does not have a national politician anymore, who is national in the true sense of the word,” he notes.

Read his full opinion here.