A French court has upheld a 25 year prison sentence for genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity to a former Rwandan intelligence agent.

Pascal Simbikangwa was originally found guilty of genocide in a 2014 trial, leading to the former presidential guard member lodging an appeal. His prosecution was the first in France over the 1994 genocide, which left around 800,000 people dead.

The Afghan Taliban has called for direct talks with the United States and recognition of its political office in Qatar, as part of a series of proposals put forward this to work towards a political solution.

Voice of America reported Qatar-based Taliban spokesman, Sohail Shaheen, as stating “there is need for America and its allies to come to the table for direct talks with the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) for negotiating an end to the occupation”.

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for an immediate end to the hostilities in Syria and access for humanitarian aid, as fighting continues to rage in Aleppo between the Syrian government and opposition forces.

The resolution was passed 122 votes to 13 as the Syrian army grew closer to recapturing east Aleppo, in a massive offensive that has Russian backing.

"This is a vote to stand up and tell Russia and Assad to stop the carnage," said US Ambassador Samantha Power.

Malawian police arrested a resident who had been previously convicted of committing genocide in Rwanda but had been living in the country for the past 13 years. 

"Yes, we effected the arrest of Vincent Murekezi today on instructions from the director of public prosecutions," the police chief spokesperson James Kadazera told AFP.

Mr Murekezi was convicted in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment. 

Justin Lynch, an Associated Press freelancer, says that he had been deported from South Sudan for being too critical of the government.

He recently reported on the alleged abuses of ethnic violence committed by government troops. The spokesperson for the president said that they were unaware of the incident.

According to AFP global news agency, Mr Lynch was the last foreign reporter living in South Sudan and had been in the country for about a year.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has downplayed allegations that a genocide is taking place against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and instead called on the international community to give the government "a bit of time, space and patience".

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Annan said that the international community must be “very, very careful” in using the word genocide. He instead went on to say that:

The former Lords Resistance Army commander, Dominic Ongwen, who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Uganda pleaded 'not guilty' as his trial opened at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday. 

Mr Ongwen who was reportedly abducted by the LRA as a child said he too was a victim. 

"It is the LRA who abducted people in northern Uganda, killed people in northern Uganda and committed atrocities in northern Uganda. I'm one of the people against whom the LRA committed atrocities. It is not me who is the LRA," Mr Ongwen told the judge. 

Malaysia's prime minister, Najib Razak this weekend urged action over the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. 

“UN please do something. The world cannot sit by and watch genocide taking place,” he told thousands who had attended a rally in Kuala Lumpur condemning Myanmar's military's attack on Rohingya villages

“The world cannot say it is not our problem. It is our problem,” he added. 

Colombia’s Congress approved a revised peace deal with the FARC on Wednesday. 

By seeking approval through Congress, the government avoided another national referendum, which in October turned down the initial deal by a narrow margin.

In the upcoming weeks FARC rebels are said to leave their camps and relocate to sites throughout the country, where they will disarm under the supervision of UN officials. 

UN human rights experts have warned of an impending genocide in South Sudan, after a commission found that ethnic cleansing is already underway in the country as violence continues.

 “The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it,” said the Chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka. The commission carried out a 10-day visit to the country and will report to the Human Rights Council in March.