The Assad regime has agreed to withdraw its troops and heavy weapons from densely populated areas by the 10th April announced the United Nations-Arab League envoy, Kofi Annan.

Meanwhile the United States, Britain, France, Germany and other countries remained cynical over whether President Assad will keep his word.
 
The U.S. Ambassador, Susan Rice, said,

Japan’s defense minister, Naoki Tanaka, announced on Friday that the country's missile unit will intercept a North Korean rocket if it were to cross into Japan’s territory. The announcement came as North Korea prepares to launch a satellite into orbit at the middle of next month.

Rwanda’s Justice minister Tharcisse Karugarama has welcomed a decision by a French court to extradite Claude Muhayimana, a Rwandan with French-Rwandan dual citizenship.

Muhayimana is accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and crimes against humanity.

It is a remarkable gesture for France to have taken a step as the very first time a French court to agree that a genocide suspect should be extradited to Rwanda to face charges in a country a suspect allegedly committed the crimes, said Karugarama at a press conference in Kigali.

Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari, is due to visit India on Friday - the first visit by a Pakistani president since 2005.

Althought the visit is said to be a private pilgrimage to the shrine of Sufu saint in Ajmer, Rajasthan, President Zardari will have lunch with India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

The visit is being seen as a sign of improving relations between the two countries.

Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has won a seat in parliament after winning a by-election in Kawhmu, her party said on Sunday.

Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy contested 44 out of 45 seats up for grabs in Burma’s 664-seat parliament. Official results are not due until later this week.

Aung San Suu Kyi said in a statement:

"It is natural that the NLD members and their supporters are joyous at this point.

United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay has accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of being behind the systematic torture of children and the killing of civilians.

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Pillay said Assad could stop the killings immediately if he issued an order and that he would face justice for the crimes committed by the Syrian forces.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has confirmed the UK will double its non-military aid to the Syrian opposition.

An extra £500,000 will be provided to opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, both inside and outside of Syria.

The money will contribute towards the training for activists and journalists to help them get their stories out of Syria.

Speaking at Mansion House in the City of London, Mr Hague warned the regime that its reliance on violence was not only morally indefensible, but also futile.

The peace plan proposed by the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, expects the Syrian Government to implement the peace plan immediately.

The plan includes the need for an UN-supervised cessation of armed hostilities by all parties.

However, reports by activists indicate the Syrian regime is continuing its offensive against rebel forces and shelling the city of Homs.

Ahmed Fawzi, spokesperson for Mr Annan, told reporters in Geneva:

A coalition of Baloch political parties and figures welcomed the US intervention at the 19th session of the UN Human Rights Council, expressing concern over the deteriorating human rights siutation in Balochistan.

In a statement released last week the Baloch groups and Baloch leaders welcomed the intervention as "long-awaited, necessary, encouraging and in the right direction to address the human rights issue".

Speaking at a meeting in Seoul with his Chinese counterpart, President Hu, US President Barack Obama reiterated the integral importance of strong US-China relations.

Obama said,