The German President Joachim Gauck has called human rights "the foundation of all human co-existence" and said Germany will support the pursuit for universal human rights across the globe, during his speech at the first day of the 22nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Gauck called for a global fight for human rights, irrespective of a country’s size or international standing and said responsible countries should always speak up for the rights of the individual, "even if that sometimes means criticizing neighbors or friends".

"For me, human rights remain the foundation of all human co-existence, the precondition for us to be able to use fulfil our incredible potential as people, to change our lives for the better," he said.

The German president added that human rights were "not just universal, but indivisible as well. Economic, social and cultural rights belong inseparably with political and civil freedoms."

Gauck said that the Council had to “act on behalf of all humanity in cases where States did not live up to their commitments" and that human rights were far too often violated and ignored. He mentioned examples like the death penalty, violence against women, discrimination on the basis of colour or origin, and the intimidation of human rights defenders.

He added that Germany would always support the work of the Council and that four guiding principles were important to Germany; speaking openly about human rights violations, intervening quickly to prevent such violations, taking appropriate action, and helping human rights organisations in their job.

A UN brokered accord has been signed by 11 african states in order to bring peace to the Democratic Re0ublic of Congo, which has been plagued by fighting between rebels and government forces.

The deal was signed in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the Ethipian capital Addis Ababa.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has given US special forces two weeks to leave Wardak province in the centre of Afghanistan.

Afghan soldiers with the US troops are accused of being behind disappearances and torture.

The US said it took all allegations seriously but could not comment on this issue "until we have had a chance to speak with senior government officials".

The Norwegian government has decided to extradite a Rwandan citizen back to the country, after having sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment for his role in the 1994 genocide, marking Norway's first such extradition.

The Nordic Page stated that Norwegian State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Paul Lønseth hailed the move as "a milestone in the pursuit after the genocide in Rwanda".

The Cuban president Raul Castro announced that he would retire after his second term ends in 2018.

Castro made the announcement on Sunday during a speech broadcast nationally, saying, "this will be my last term".

The announcement came after the Cuban National Assembly elected him to a second five year term at the opening of the new parliament.

Castro will be 86 years old in 2018.

Syria's main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, said it had decided not to attend a summit of the Friends of Syria in Rome next month, and also turned down invitations for talks in Washington and Moscow.

In a statement, the coalition said:

"The international silence on the crimes committed every day against our people amounts to participating in two years of killings,"

The Iranian government has announced the discovery of new uranium deposits and said it will expand its nuclear programme.

The announcement comes a few days before talks with Western powers about sanctions over its development of nuclear technology.

Iranian media reported that the new finds have trebled Iran’s uranium reserves.

A US jury has found a Rwandan woman guilty of lying about her role in the country's 1994 genocide, leading to her citizenship being stripped.

43-year-old Beatrice Munyenyezi, who was on trial for lying on US government citizenship forms, was accused by the prosecution of having a "front-row seat" to the slaughter of Tutsis who killed and ordered rapes, playing an active role in the genocide.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Malian government to investigate and prosecute soldiers accused of committing torture, summary executions and other atrocities in the fight against Islamist militants in the country’s north.

The HRW report said its investigations had found that Malian troops had carried out several abuses against members of the Tuareg, Arab and Fula communities.

The organisation called on Malian authorities to,

The Indonesian army has claimed that eight of its soldiers were killed in attacks by armed men in Papua.

Army spokesperson Jansen Simanjuntak told the BBC that two attacks in the district Puncak Jaya saw the soldiers ambushed with guns. Two of the attackers were also reported to have been killed.

Papuan rebels have been fighting for independence from Indonesia for over four decades.