A former Serbian paramilitary commander who had fled to Australia, has begun a war crimes trial in Croatia, after being extradited last year.

Dragan Vasiljkovic pleaded not guilty to charges related to the torture and execution of Croatian soldiers during the Balkan conflict, stating that his actions were only part of protecting his homeland.

"He knew that Croatian civilians and prisoners were systematically beaten on a daily basis," said prosecutor Zivana Beros.

The United Kingdom has reportedly blocked efforts to establish an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes in Yemen, by refusing to support European Union efforts at the UN Human Rights Council.

A proposal by the Netherlands for an international inquiry had to be replaced instead with calls for  the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) dispatch a mission “with assistance from relevant experts, to monitor and report on the situation ... in Yemen, ”without British support for the initial proposal, reports the Guardian.

Minister from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation reaffirmed their support for the self determination of the Kashmiri people this week.

In an annual meeting, 57 members of the OIC called for UN Security Council resolutions to be enforced and said the international community needed to take a more determined role in the region.

Pakisatan’s Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz criticised the Indian government’s actions in the region at the meeting.

See more from the Daily Times here.

A historic peace agreement was signed today in Cartagena, Colombia, between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC).

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Cuban President Raul Castro were amongst thsoe present as the Colombian president and FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez, signed the peace accord, with a pen made from a bullet.

The foreign ministers of the United States and several European countries issued a joint statement accusing Russia of violating a ceasefire in Syria, as UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "appalled by the chilling military escalation" in the city of Aleppo.

Fierce fighting has taken place in the Syrian city of Aleppo, as a shaky ceasefire collapsed and the government launched a massive offensive to retake the city.

The Syrian military has gained ground in the north of the city with its fresh offensive. The east remains under Syrian opposition control, though government shelling meant that repairs at the Bab al-Nayrab pumping station, which supplies water to 250,000 people, were not carried out.

In retaliation opposition groups reportedly shut down the Suleiman al-Halabi station, which pumps water to 1.5 million people in the government-held west of Aleppo.

Hanaa Singer, the Unicef representative in Syria, said,

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch wrote a joint letter to the UN Human Rights Council this week, urging member states to initiate an “international, independent investigation into civilian deaths and injuries in Yemen".

“The council has missed critical opportunities to address alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen," said the letter. "No valid human rights-based reason has been identified that would justify failing to create an international inquiry."

Thousands of civilian deaths have occurred with millions more facing malnourishment and displaced from their homes.

The merger of the German drug company Bayer, one of the world’s largest producers of crop protection chemicals, and Monsanto, a US producer of genetically modified seeds, has raised concerns amongst activists battling the problem of food insecurity around the world.

The Summit on Refugees and Migration took place yesterday at the UN General Assembly in New York this week, with world leaders pledging to adopt a plan aimed at protecting the rights of refugees and migrants. 

193 member states agreed to the “New York Declaration” – a commitment to respond to the needs of refugees and migrants, as well as to find solutions for future humanitarian disasters.

As many as five million people in Somalia do not have enough to eat, warned the UN with hundreds of thousands of children acutely malnourished and requiring urgent assistance.

A report by the global body released this week states that up to t40 percent of the population have been affected by food insecurity amidst conflict between al-Shabab and the African Union backed Somalian government.

"The situation is of serious concern and comes at a time when we are already facing multiple drivers of needs, including drought and risk of flooding, conflict and access constraints - as well as increased refugee returns," stated the UN.