Northern Ireland could have a different relationship to the European Union’s single market compared to the rest of the United Kingdom following its exit from the EU, said the leader of the British province.

Northern Ireland’s First Minster Arlene Foster has repeatedly said she wants to avoid having a “hard border” with customs checks with the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking to Reuters on Saturday, Ms Foster said that Northern Ireland may seek a special status in relation to either the customs union or the EU’s single market.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said she was “deeply concerned” over the spate of extrajudicial killings that have taken place in the Philippines since President Rodrigo Duterte came in to power earlier this year.

Fatou Bensouda said she was "deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the republic of the Philippines seem to condone such killings".

Almost 3,000 people are thought to have been killed since Mr Duterte launched a crackdown on the drug trade in June. As many as 1,566 suspects have died in police custody.

The cities of Fowler and Madera in California have recognised the 1984 killings of Sikhs in India as genocide, last week.

The total number of American cities that have labelled the killings as genocide now stands at eight.
Kerman City Council member Bill Nijjer posted on social media:

“I’m very proud to announce that the City of Madera has passed a Resolution recognizing the 1984 Anti-Sikh Violence as GENOCIDE. Thank you to the Madera citizens who showed great leadership on this great accomplishment.”

Gambia announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after accusing the tribunal of acting towards the “persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially Africans”.

The announcement follows the withdrawal of South Africa and Burundi earlier this month.

Allegations of bias against Africa have been a common criticism presented against the body, with Gambia’s information minister Sheriff Bojang stating, “there are many Western countries, at least 30, that have committed heinous war crimes against independent sovereign states and their citizens since the creation of the ICC and not a single Western war criminal has been indicted”.

Opposition supporters rallied throughout Venezuela against the incumbent socialist President Nicolas Madura, reports Reuters

The rally was led by a coalition of opposition leaders who criticise Mr Maduro of preventing a change in leadership and resorting to dictatorship/

Maduro said he was convening a special Committee for the Defence of the Nation at his presidential palace on Wednesday.

The opposition have been calling for a recall referendum, alleging that the president won the most recent elections on fraud.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression David Kaye has released a report on the violations of freedom of expression globally. 

The report includes a survey of official communications with governments that have reportedly violated international human rights law in the area of freedom of expression. Trends show that governments utilize national security and public order justifications to restrict media, activists and critical voices. He states, “Many times governments provide not even the barest demonstration that such restrictions meet the legal tests of necessity and proportionality.”

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein said that violence in the Syrian city of Aleppo “constitutes crimes of historic proportions” and should be immediately brought before the International Criminal Court, in a statement released his week.

The statement reads, 

The town of Srebrenica, which saw the genocide of 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Serbian forces in 1995, has seen a Serb nationalist who denies the killings were a genocide elected as its mayor.

Mladen Grujicic was elected to the post earlier this month to the dismay of Bosnian Muslims in the town. Mr Grujicic continues to deny that the massacre constitutes genocide, despite international criminal rulings. “When they prove it to be the truth, I’ll be the first to accept it,” he said.

The town, which previously had a Muslim majority population, is now 55% Serbian.

Local politician Zulfo Salihovic, was one of the town’s Bosnian Muslims who voiced concern.

The South African government has begun a formal withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, after beginning official proceedings according to media reports.

An "Instrument of Withdrawal" document has been signed by South Africa's foreign minister and sent to the United Nations, report several media outlets, who have obtained copies of the document.

"The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court," it says.

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a decree on Tuesday for Burundi to undertake proceedings to leave the International Criminal Court , reports Reuters.

The decision to remove the country from the ICC came after a parliamentary vote saw 94 parliamentarians vote to leave the ICC whilst 2 voted to remain within its jurisdiction.

Last month, a United Nations report named officials accused of orchestrating the torture and killing of political opponents in a damming report.