In commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from jail, Mandela's image will be printed on five new South African bank notes — 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand.

Announcing the news, current president, Jacob Zuma, said,

“It is my honour and pleasure to announce that new South African banknotes will bear the image of President Mandela, the first President of a free, democratic South Africa."

“It is a befitting tribute to a man who became a symbol of this country’s struggle for freedom, human rights and democracy."

“With this humble gesture, we are expressing our deep gratitude as the South African people, to a life spent in service of the people of this country and in the cause of humanity worldwide.”

The notes will feature an image of Mandela taken in 1990, the year of his release.

In 1962, Mandela was arrested and convicted of sabotage, along with other crimes, and sentenced to life in prison.

A front-line anti-apartheid campaigner within the African National Congress (ANC), Mandela was one of the forming members and subsequent leader of the ANC's military wing - MK or Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation).

The ANC was outlawed as an unlawful organisation in 1960, and was until 2008, on the United States' terrorism watch list, along side Nelson Mandela and other ANC members.

In 1964, during his trial, Mandela defended the actions of the ANC and the justification for the actions of Umkhonto we Sizwe, in a speech - 'An ideal for which I am prepared to die'.

See here for speech in full and original recording.

Extracts reproduced below:

"Some of the things so far told to the court are true and some are untrue. I do not, however, deny that I planned sabotage. I did not plan it in a spirit of recklessness, nor because I have any love of violence. I planned it as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation, and oppression of my people by the whites."

The king of Saudi Arabia, in an uncharacteristic outburst, criticised the veto of the UN Security Council resolution on Syria as "absolutely regrettable".

In a national televised address, King Abdullah said,

“We are going through scary days and unfortunately what happened at the United Nations is absolutely regrettable,”

“No matter how powerful, countries cannot rule the whole world,”

Citing the increasing sanctions imposed on Iran, India's minister of trade, Rahul Khullar, said Friday, there is no reason why India should not "tap that opportunity", and announced the visit of a "huge" Indian delegation to IRan later this month.

Khullar is reported to have said,

“If Europe and the US want to stop exports to Iran, why should [India] follow suit? Why shouldn’t we tap that opportunity?”

A man, believed to be a monk, has set himself alight in South-Western China, protesting against the Chinese government, becoming the 20th such person to do so in the past year alone.

The condition of the person is unknown, but marks an increasingly violent time in the region, the likes of which have not been seen since deadly riots in 2008. Protests against Chinese authorities have been growing over the past year, along with the self immolations, through which at least 13 people have died.

A minister has been charged for the role he played in a massacre that killed scores of people in the Guinean capital Conakry in 2009.

Over 157 people were killed and at least 100 women were raped during an attack by Guinean troops on civilians protesting against military rule.

Colonel Tiegboro Camara is the most senior official charged in coinnection with the killings.

Members of the European Union and several Gulf countries have recalled their ambassadors to Syria.

Germany, France, Spain and Belgium announced the move today along with the Gulf Cooperation Council, whose members are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The Gulf Cooperation Council also expelled Syrian envoys to their member countries from Syrian Embassies.

The EU will keep its head of delegation in Damascus to observe events “on the ground,” bloc spokesman Michael Mann said.

A man accused of committing war crimes, while one of the leaders of a faction during the Liberian civil war, has been ordered to leave the US.

George Boley Sr. was the head of the Liberian Peace Council, which is accused of massacring dozens of villagers between 1994 and 1995 and of recruiting child soldiers.

Mr Boley, 62, lived near New York with his family and worked as a school administrator.

A trial in 2010-11 ruled that Mr Boley committed atrocities in Liberia and resided in the US without valid documents.

"Your days are numbered. It is time and past time for you to transfer power responsibly and peacefully."

Official archives unearthed years after the end of civil war in Guatemala are aiding the prosecution of war crimes suspects, including senior military officials.

The evidence found within the archives is reported to be sufficient enough to start new cases, bringing yet more perpetrators to trial, even now.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been summoned for questioning by members of Parliament, marking the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that that a President has been summoned.

Ahmadinjead’s opponents and MPs have been threatening to take similar steps for some time as Iran faces a sharp economic downturn and rise in inflation and international tension over its nuclear program.