Comment by Dr Andrew Wallis, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge, as published in The Guardian:

A French court has ruled it will block the extradition of a leading genocide suspect to face trial in Rwanda .

The letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon

Western countries are in talks to draft a UN resolution aimed at pressuring president Saleh to step down, Reuters reported.

Ethnic Serbs have constructed a new roadblock in northern Kosovo, after NATO peacekeepers removed a previous barricade.

Helicopters and heavily armed NATO troops removed the roadblock, amidst protest by Serb residents.

But a few hours after the peacekeepers cleared the roads, Serbs constructed a new barricade further down the road.

US senator John McCain, currently leading a Republican delegation to Tripoli, asserted that the Libyan revolutionaries were 'an inspiration to the world', particularly to aspiring activists in Syria, Iran, China and Russia.

McCain said,

Twenty Bahraini nurses and doctors were charged on Thursday with committing 'crimes against the state', after treating injured protesters during protests earlier this year and publicly denouncing the Bahraini government on international media.

The group, charged by a military court, received sentences ranging from ten to fifteen years.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, condemned the trial, stating,

"These are worrying developments that could undermine the Bahraini government's moves towards dialogue and the reform needed for long-term stability in Bahrain."

"I call on the Bahraini judicial authorities to follow due process carefully and transparently. Cases before the special tribunals should be transferred to regular civilian courts."

An Egyptian court has jailed former Information Minister Anas al-Fekky to seven years in jail.

Al-Fekky, who was a close and powerful ally of Mubarak, had been accused of corruption charges, along with the former head of State TV, Osama el-Sheikh.

"But in our world it will be a significant first step. It will be the first time there has been a resolution against Syria and it will be talking about sanctions."

The move comes as the existing European oil embargo leaves Syria desperately seeking new customers, causing them to shift their gaze to the East, just as Iran did with China when they too faced sanctions.

Australia is to lift all gender-based restrictions on military combat positions, paving the way for female soldiers serving along-side their male colleagues on the frontlines, in roles previous denied to them, including Special Forces units, infantry and certain artillery roles. 

The propsed changes will put Australia into a small group of conventional state militaries that have ensured equality for female soldiers - namely, Canada, Israel and New Zealand.

Announcing the proposed changes, Stephen Smith, Australia's Defence Minister, said,

“We have an Australian Army that’s been going for 110 years, an Australian Navy that’s been going formally for 100 years, and an Australian Air Force that’s been going for 90 years, and last night, we resolved to remove the final restrictions on the capacity of women to serve in front-line combat roles,”

“In the future, your role in the defense force will be determined on your ability, not on the basis of your sex.”