Geneva-based NGO, UN Watch, has slammed the election of Sudan to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and called on the United States, European Union and UN chiefs to condemn the appointment.

Criticising Sudan as “genocidal, misogynistic and repressive” Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch labelled it an “outrage”.

“Electing genocidal Sudan to a global human rights body is like choosing Jack the Ripper to guard a women’s shelter. This diminishes the credibility of the United Nations human rights system and casts a shadow upon the reputation of the organization as a whole.”

“Sudan, whose leader was indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity, will now help choose the members of the Commission on the Status of Women, the executive of UN Women, and UNICEF, which protects children’s rights,”

In an interview to Russia Today, besieged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has denied that war crimes have been committed by his government forces and instead said he is fighting against “terrorism”.

Bahraini authorities deployed the paramilitary National Guard on Saturday in a move to further clamp down on public protest, reports AP.

Last month, the authorities banned all protests and public gatherings.

In a statement on Saturday, the government said the National Guard would patrol "strategic locations" where arson attacks and violent clashes have taken place.

The UK will end giving financial aid to India by 2015, announced the International Development Secretary, Justine Greening.

She announced that no new grants will be made from immediate effect and the ongoing programme will be restructured and phased out by 2015.

The Iraqi government has cancelled an arms deal with Russia worth £2.6 billion due to concerns over “corruption” within the Iraqi government.

The spokesman of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the BBC that the prime minister had suspicions over his own team.

The deal would have made Russia Iraq’s second largest arms supplier after the US.

The Iranian Defence Minister has confirmed that shots were fired at  US military drone last week, which they claimed had invaded their airspace.

The confirmation of the incident comes within 24 hours of the Pentagon revealing it to the public, even though the attack happened on the 1st of November, just days before the US Presidential election.

Brig Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s Defence Minister said,

India and Canada came to an agreement on Tuesday, to allow the exportation of Canadian uranium and other nuclear supplies for energy production in India. Almost four decades since India used Canadian nuclear technology to develop its first atomic bomb in 1974, the agreement finally came during an official visit by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper who hopes it will “play a greater role in meeting India’s growing energy needs.”

Newly re-elected US President Barack Obama has announced that he will visit Burma later this month, as part of a tour of South East Asia, making him the first American President to visit the country.

Obama is set to visit both  opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi  and Burmese President  Thein Sein, when he visits the country from the 17 to 20 November as part of a trip that will see him visit Thailand and Cambodia.

The Bahraini government has revoked the citizenships of 31 human rights activists.

A statement, published by the interoior ministry, said that the activists have “undermined state security” and under Article 10 of Citizenship Law, the “re-evaluation of nationality” was permitted.

The UN criticised the move, saying it "could aggravate the situation in the country" and urged the government "to lift them without delay".

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The UN Security Council extended the non-African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia for another four months, following Uganda’s threats to pull out its peacekeeping troops.

The peacekeeping mission was expected to be prolonged for another 12 months, but a shorter term as been allocated to allow for a review of the necessity of a peacekeeping mandate. The move follows an appeal by the African Union (AU) to repeal the current arms embargo.