The former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic was accused of intending to ‘ethnically cleanse’ Bosnia of Bosniaks and Croats, the court heard on the first day of his trial.

Mladic is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide.

The former army general is accused of commanding Serb troops who killed over 8000 Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995 and in connection with the 44-month siege of Sarajevo during which over 10,000 people died.

The Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff has inaugurated a truth commission to investigate human rights abuses from 1946-1988, including those committed during military rule.

However, an amnesty law, passed by the military regime in 1979, means that no one can face prosecution for crimes committed during military rule.

"Brazil deserves the truth, new generations deserve the truth, and - above all - those who lost friends and relatives and who continue to suffer as if they were dying again each day deserve the truth," President Rousseff said.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two rebel leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he is seeking the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda and Sylvestre Mudacumura, both of whom are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

“When impunity prevails, persons like Bosco Ntaganda are encouraged to continue committing crimes. They increase their power through violence... Now more than ever is the time to arrest him," an ICC statement says.

File Photo (EUNAVFOR)

Naval forces of the European Union have conducted raids on Somali territory for the first time.

A UN convoy, escorting unarmed UN monitors, came under attack during a government crackdown on protesters in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria on Monday.

According to eye witnesses tensions were running high after a crowd of protesters arrived to mourn at the funeral of a fellow protester who had been killed by government forces. As the demonstration intensified, government forces opened fire at the protesters. Twenty people were killed, and three UN vehicles were damaged.

India's former foreign minister and leader of the opposition BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), Yashwant Sinha, called on the UK to withdraw its aid money stating that India did not need "that kind of assistance or advice".

Welcoming the Indian finance minister's comments that UK aid was "peanuts" relative to India's overall budget, Sinha said,

“You can tell the British public from our side that they can keep their money, use it for their own welfare, or divert it to some other country which is in greater need.”

NATO has criticised a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), urging it to investigate civilian deaths from air strikes during the alliance’s offensive against Colonel Gaddafi’s forces.

HRW claims in its report released on Monday that over 72 civilians were killed in 8 separate NATO air strikes.

“We're calling for prompt, credible and thorough investigations," HRW's Fred Abrahams told BBC News.

European Union foreign ministers have failed to agree whether to boycott the Ukraine during the forthcoming Euro 2012 football tournament, due to the treatment of former Prime Minister Julia Tymoshenko by the government.

China joined Japan and South Korea in condemnation of any further nuclear testing by North Korea.

Following a summit held in Beijing on Sunday between the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, the Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, and Lee Myung Bak of South Korea, the three countries deemed any future tests as "unacceptable".

Speaking to reporters after the meeting Lee Myung Bak said,

Israel faced increasing calls to take action on over 2000 Palestinian prisoners currently on hunger strike, including two who have refused food for 77 days, amid concerns for their health.

Palestinian groups state that a further six Palestinians are in a "critical" condition.

Egyptian mediators have continued attempts to negiotiate a deal in an effort to prevent current demonstrations in Gaza and the West Bank spiralling if one of the hunger striker was to die.