France intends to push for further sanctions against the Assad regime, after Russia and China vetoed the UN Security Council resolution on Saturday.

France's foreign minister, Alain Juppe, said,

"The president will take initiatives in the next few days to try to gather everyone who thinks the situation in Syria is completely unacceptable,"

"It's a scandal what is happening today."

"We will get together all countries that want to join us to put maximum pressure on Syria,"

"We will first help the Syrian opposition structure itself, strengthen European sanctions against the Syrian regime, raise international pressure and at one point it will realize it's completely isolated and cannot continue."

"It would scare the Assad regime a lot more than a more robust text vetoed by Russians."

"It would mean the Russians are slowly accepting the idea that Assad will depart and would also send a powerful message to people around Assad that it might be time to leave the sinking ship."

A UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria’s government for the violence it is committing against anti-regime protestors has been vetoed by Russia and China.

The resolution called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and a "Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system", a call first made by the Arab League.

The resolution had already been watered-down, in anticipation of a Russian veto. There are no calls for sanctions and no military action would have been authorised.

The other 13 members of the Security Council, including India and South Africa, supported the resolution.

Members of the Security Council reacted with outrage to the veto.

"The United States is disgusted that a couple of members of this council continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose here -- addressing an ever-deepening crisis in Syria and a growing threat to regional peace and security. ... This intransigence is even more shameful when you consider that at least one of these members continues to deliver weapons to (Syrian President Bashar al-Assad)." said US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice.

William Hague, the foreign secretary, also condemned the veto.

"More than 2,000 people have died since Russia and China vetoed the last draft resolution in October 2011. How many more need to die before Russia and China allow the UN security council to act?

"Those opposing UN security council action will have to account to the Syrian people for their actions, which do nothing to help bring an end to the violence that is ravaging the country. The United Kingdom will continue to support the people of Syria and the Arab League to find an end to the violence and allow a Syrian-led political transition."

"The Syrian regime's actions display President Assad's cold-blooded cynicism in the face of mounting international pressure for the UN security council to do its utmost to end the bloodshed."

"The time is long past for the international community, particularly those that have so far sheltered the Assad regime, to intensify the pressure to end over 10 months of violence."

However, Russia defended its decision to veto the resolution, criticising it for making too few demands of opposition armed groups.

Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin said

"Some influential members of the international community unfortunately...have been undermining the opportunity for political settlement, calling for a regime change, pushing the oppositionists to power,"

Last night the Syrian military escalated attacks on the city of Homs, in one of the bloodiest nights since protests started in March last year.

Over 200 people are thought to have been killed in Homs alone, with reports of indiscriminate mortar attacks by the military.

Syrian embassies in various Western cities, including London and Washington, saw protests by Syrian activists.

The embassies in Cairo and Berlin were stormed by dozens of demonstrators chanting slogans against Assad’s regime.

The most senior Khmer Rouge official yet to face charges has been jailed for life.

Duch, formerly known as Kaing Guek Eav was found guilty of crimes against humanity and jailed in 2010 for 35 years.

He appealed the decision, claiming he was a junior official following orders and would have been killed if he didn’t obey the commands.

However his appeal was rejected and judges increased his sentence to a life term.

The appeal court judges held that the initial sentence of 35 years did not "reflect the gravity of the crimes".

"The crimes by Kaing Guek Eav were undoubtedly among the worst in recorded human history. They deserve the highest penalty available," Judge Kong Srim said.

Duch was in charge of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, where over 15,000 men, women and children, who were accused of being enemies of the Khmer Rouge, were tortured and executed.

Over 2 million people are thought to have died during the Khmer Rouge regime’s brutal reign in Cambodia.

Leon Mugesera was charged with plotting genocide, incitement and distribution of arms on Thursday, for his part in the 1994 genocide.

Mugesera was recently deported, after losing his fight against deportation, which started over 16 years ago.

Speaking at court in Kigali, he said,

"I'm not ready to begin,"

"I need more time to find a lawyer. I've asked the prosecutor to wait. Within one or two months I will know who my lawyer will be."

In 1992, Mugesera made an infamous speech where he called on the Hutu community to kill the Tutsis, calling the Tutsis "cockroaches" and "scum".

Stating that the Syrian president's fall was "inevitable", the White House urged countries to consider carefully their stance on Syria, as a draft resolution was debated at the UN Security Council.

The White House's spokesperson, Jay Carney, speaking Monday, said,

"We believe that the Security Council must not permit the Assad regime to assault the Syrian people, while it rejects the Arab League's proposal to a political solution. We do support the Arab League's role in this process. Governments that act to prop up Assad's regime will find themselves in a small minority and criticised for abetting further human rights violations."

"It is important to look at where this process is heading."

"Assad's fall is inevitable, and so as governments make decisions about where they stand on this issue and what further steps need to be taken, with regard to the brutality of the Assad regime, it is important to calculate into your considerations, the fact that, he will go."

"The regime has lost control of the country, and will eventually fall. We are discussing with the Russians and other partners how best to use all the levers at the command of the international community and the United Nations, to press the Syrian government to stop its appalling, and ultimately ineffective and harmful repression."

"We're working with all our partners and we believe that it's important that the Security Council take action."

"This is an atomic bomb for the Elysee [the presidential office] which didn't see it coming."

“Ties between France and Turkey are going to ease.”

"There had been a risk of a rift. For now, this rift appears to have been avoided."

“since independence of the Republic of South Sudan, Khartoum has committed a range of atrocities in border regions that have claimed countless lives and displaced hundreds of thousands.  It has incited and armed rebel groups with the apparent objective of undermining the new country.”

"Governor Romney is committed to protecting innocents from war crimes and other atrocities, ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches those desperately in need, holding accountable those leaders who perpetrate atrocities, and achieving a sustainable peace for all who live in Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan."

The UN’s nuclear watchdog has praised ‘good’ talks with Iran during a visit to discuss its controversial nuclear programme.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have said the Iranians were determined to address all issues.

"But of course there is still a lot of work to be done and so we have planned another trip in the very near future," the IAEA’s deputy director, Hermann Nackaerts told reporters.

In a statement, the organisation detailed its plans for a follow up visit in late February.

Iran has described the talks as ‘positive and constructive’, as global tension over its nuclear programme and sanctions by the US and EU intensified.

Iran has been accused of attempting to build capacity to develop nuclear weapons; however Teheran is vehemently denying the claims, insisting its nuclear programme is for the generation of nuclear power.

"The victims of Mugesera's speech are finally going to get justice. It's unfortunate that the extradition took so long, but it's still good news. It sends an important signal to all those who are being sought by Rwanda for their role in the genocide."

“The French have been the most disappointing, because, every other day, they arrest someone, the following day he is out. They have been the worst performing. They even failed to get the two cases that the ICTR gave them to take off.”

“If they can’t extradite them, let them try them in their own countries,” he added.

“is a strong message to genocide fugitives that they won’t live in comfort forever.

The long arm of the law will get them eventually.”

Speaking at the annual African Union summit, the secretary general of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, urged African countries to uphold the rights of civil, political, economic, social and cultural institutions, in order to boost stability and development.

From the summit, held in the capital of Ethopia, Addis Ababa, Ban Ki Moon said, 

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a promise to all people in all places at all times,”

“I salute your efforts to build African prosperity and grow intra-African trade. Our challenge is to transform Africa's potential into progress for all,”

“Yet below the surface [of Arab Spring protests], there was deprivation, exclusion, abuse. Events have proved that repression is a dead-end. Police power is no match for people power seeking dignity and justice,"

Iran has threatened to hit back at EU sanctions with its own embargo.

The move would pre-empt the EU ban on oil imports due to take effect in July and would hit struggling EU economies hard.

Mohammad Karim Abedi, a member of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said a ban may last up to 15 years.

"We will change the threat into an opportunity for Iran and cut Iran's oil supplies to the Europeans for five to 15 years," Abedi was quoted as saying by Fars news agency on Sunday.

"We will not leave enemies' sanctions unanswered and we will impose other sanctions on them in addition to closing Iran's oil supplies to Europe."

"Banning oil imports from the Islamic Republic of Iran, but delaying the implementation of this ban for six months indicates Europe's fear," the Vice-Chairman of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Hossein Ebrahimi, told Fars.