The US Secretary of State John Kerry said that he hoped an agreement on Iran's nuclear program would be reached within months on Monday, amid improved ties between Tehran and the West.

At a news conference on Monday, Kerry said, "through diplomacy we have an absolute responsibility to pursue an agreement."

A peace deal between M23 rebels and the Congolese government is yet to be signed, after government officials asked for more time to study a proposed document.

A Congolese government spokesperson told the AP, that the accord will wait as the government "makes up its mind", with Uganda's deputy foreign minister stating whilst they were happy with the document having a "declaration" the rebellion was over, they were not prepared to have an "agreement" with M23 rebels.

See the full report from AP here.

The Congolese M23 rebels will sign a peace agreement with the Congolese government on Monday, after giving up their struggle during an offensive by the United Nations backed Democratic Republic of Congo army, last week.

Commenting on the latest developments, the united Nation’s Peace envoy, Mary Robinson, said

Washington remains sceptical about Iran's willingness to roll back its nuclear programme, according to US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Although some progress was made in talks between Iran and the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany, no deal was reached.

Kerry told press:

"We are not blind, and I don't think we're stupid,"

A Guardian special report looked at the work the the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) does in identifying victims from mass graves and bringing suspected war criminals to justice.

The report, entitled 'From Bosnia to Syria: the investigators identifying victims of genocide', quotes Adam Boys, the organisation's chief operating officer, as saying,

"You simply cannot kill tens, hundreds or thousands of people and expect to get away with it"

Iran's Deputy Minister for Trade and Mining was shot dead by unknown assailants in Tehran on Sunday night, according to reports.

Safdar Rahmat Abadi was shot in the head and chest as he got into his car on Sunday night, said the IRNA, who quoted police officials as saying,

"Investigations show that two shots were fired from inside the vehicle,"

A former army chief has called for severe punishment for the Royal Marine sergeant who was convicted of murdering an Afghan militant.

Lord Guthrie, a former chief of the defence staff, told the Observer that “murder is murder”.

"My view is that the military should observe the highest standards, and if some crime is committed, like everybody else they should pay the price. I don't know whether there were any mitigating circumstances, but murder is murder."

Rwanda has welcomed a decision by Danish courts to uphold an extradition of a genocide suspect, after a decision was made on the defendant’s final appeal.

51-year-old Mbarushimana, who was arrested in Denmark in 2010, is wanted on charges of genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, murder and extermination.
The verdict was described by Rwanda as "a vote of confidence in Rwanda's judicial system", and if extradited, will see Mbarushimana become the genocide second suspect to be sent back from Scandinavian countries. 

Saudi Arabia is preparing to give the rebel Jaysh al-Islam millions of dollars, in an attempt to defeat Bashar al-Assad’s regime and counter the increasingly powerful al-Qaeda affiliated groups in the country.

"There are two wars in Syria," said Mustafa Alani, an analyst for the Saudi-backed Gulf Research Centre, to The Guardian. "One against the Syrian regime and one against al-Qaida. Saudi Arabia is fighting both."

A British sergeant has been found guilty of murdering an Afghan insurgent, who was shot dead as he lay injured after an air strike.

Judge Blackett told the marine, identified only as Marine A:

"Marine A, this court has found you guilty of murder. The mandatory sentence prescribed by law is imprisonment for life.