On Friday the UN Security Council approved an arms embargo on South Sudan which will last until May 2019.

India's defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) report on Kashmir as "baseless", ANI reported. 

"The report was prepared while sitting somewhere else. The assessment made by UNHRC has no basis. They are not aware of the ground realities in Kashmir," Ms Sitharaman said. 

"The army is able to eliminate terrorists on the borders itself," she added. 

The United Kingdom will remain party to the European Convention on Human Rights after leaving the European Union, according to the Brexit white paper most recently published by the government.

Despite British Prime Minister, Theresa May, having previously backed leaving the ECHR, the white paper said, “the UK is committed to membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)” and that “the UK will remain a party to the ECHR after it has left the EU.”

Scotland's first minister and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon met with the Catalan president, Quim Torra on Wednesday during the newly elected leader's visit to Edinburgh this week. 

In a joint statement issued after the meeting the two leaders said "the way forward for Catalonia must be through peaceful and democratic solutions involving dialogue between the Spanish and Catalan authorities".

"In 21st century Europe, issues of self-determination must ultimately be addressed through democratic referendums", which should be "agreed between both parties and have corresponding international recognition," they added. 

Their meeting came as a Catalan minister, Clara Ponsati faces extradition from Scotland to Spain over Catalan's independence referendum. 

Bosnian Muslims marked 23 years since the Srebrenica genocide in a commemoration that saw the remains of 35 victims buried at the genocide’s memorial centre.

According to The Hague Tribunal and Bosnian state court, over 7000 Bosnian Muslims, mostly men and boys, were killed by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995.

The forces then carried out operations to conceal the crimes by using secondary and tertiary mass graves.

Cameroon’s government stated that it will open an investigation into a video that allegedly shows soldiers executing two women and their children, accusing them of being members of Boko Haram.

Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a declaration on Monday ending the war that existed between the two countries since the border conflict in 1998-2000. 

Despite a previous peace deal in 2000 the two countries remained in a state of no war no peace as the deal failed to be implemented. 

Life sentences handed to two former Rwandan mayors for their part in the Rwandan genocide were upheld by a French court on Friday.

Octavien Ngenzi and Tito Barahira had appealed after they were found guilty of crimes of against humanity, genocide and summary executions in 2016.

The UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein this week called on member states of the Human Rights Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court rejecting the country's assertion that it was a "body committed to the defence of human rights."

On Wednesday the Egyptian higher court, overturned a criminal court order that put 1,538 defendants on the country’s terror list, including the former president Mohamed Morsi.

An investigation by a team of UN human rights experts has concluded that mass rape, dismembering of civilians and cannablism took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo during conflict that began in 2016 in the Kasai region. 

Stating that both government troops and rebel fighters were suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, the team presented its findings to the UN Human Rights Council last week. 

Photograph: Twitter @PMOIndia

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the importance of “strong and stable” relations between India and China, stating it was “an important factor for global peace and progress”.

The United States announced that it has changed the name of its largest military command last week, in what officials say is a symbolic move that recognises the importance of India in the region.

"In recognition of the increasing connectivity of the Indian and Pacific Oceans today we rename the US Pacific Command to the US Indo-Pacific Command," said US Defense Secretary Mattis at a ceremony last week.

Almost seven months of direct rule from Madrid ended this weekend after a new Catalan cabinet was sworn in. 
 
Catalan's new leader and close ally of the previous leader, Quim Torra on Saturday sought to rebuild ties with Madrid whilst reaffirming his commitment to Catalonia's independence. 

Catalan's autonomy was suspended by Madrid after the region declared independence following a referendum last year.