The United States military’s prosecution of Iraqi war crimes received a huge blow today, after the US military’s highest court overturned a murder conviction against a US marine.

In what newspapers described as the most significant case against American troops from the war in Iraq, the Court of Appeals for Armed Forces concluded that the marine was improperly denied a lawyer when investigators questioned him in Iraq.

The Sudanese ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has warned expelled foreign aid groups not to re-enter the country.

The outgoing US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, has said that the lack of action in relation to the Syrian conflict was “a stain” on the organisation.

Rice, who will become President Obama’s national security adviser, said that although her time as ambassador was “remarkable”, she regretted not more was done on Syria.

"I particularly regret that the Security Council has failed to act decisively as more than 90,000 Syrians have been killed and millions more displaced," she said.

Bahraini activist Zainab al-Khawaja has been jailed for two months after she was found guilty of insulting the police.

Khawaja has already spent several months in prison and the latest sentence would mean she would be held until February next year.

Her father Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent human rights activist, is also in prison, serving a life-sentence for plotting to overthrow the Bharaini regime.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the deployment of a peacekeeping force in Mali today.

The UN peacekeeping force, MINUSMA, from the start of July, will take over peacekeeping responsibilities from the French army in Mali.

A former French Gendamarie officer has been accused of complicity in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, reports France24, as he was allegedly supplying arms to the government despite being aware of the genocide unfolding.

Three France-based human rights organisations - International Federation for Human Rights, French Human Rights League and Survie - filed an official complaint on Monday against Paul Barril, who was also a security advisor to African states.

The UN has announced that US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister will meet next week to discuss Syria.

UN, Russian and US diplomats held talks in Geneva, over organising an international conference to attempt to solve the Syrian conflict.

"The discussions were constructive, and focused on ways to ensure that the Geneva Conference on Syria can take place with the best chances of success," the UN said in a statement after the meeting.

A resolution on sexual violence in conflict was unanimously adopted by the 15 member UN Security Council on Monday.

The Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng has landed in Taiwan, after leaving China for the US last year.

Chen is thought to be planning to meet opposition politicians to discuss human rights. China is likely to be angered by the trip to the island, over which China claims sovereignty.

"I am impressed by the success of Taiwan's democracy. Taiwan should be proud of it," he said, saying that democracy was "an important treasure".