The former president of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, has been declared healthy enough to stand trial at the International Criminal Court, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity, stated judges on Friday.

Judges noted that Gbagbo was well enough to take part in the proceedings against him and found that he was fit enough to stand trial, after complaints from the defendant over his health.

Thousands of Libiyans flooded central Benghazi today to rally for autonomy of the eastern region of Libya, Cyrenica.

Staging a pro-federalism rally, the activists called for the creation of a semi-autonomous region of Cyrenaica, which contains almost three quarters of Libya’s accessible oil reserves.

The European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has offered Burma over £62 million in development aid.

The chief met President Thein Sein to discuss plans to boost trade after ending of decades of sanctions.

The European Commission President’s visit is one of many visits to Burma by Western officials since the beginning of the reforms.

The Burmese government also published details of a new foreign investment law which will look to encourage investment from overseas companies.

The Chinsese authorities must address the "deep-rooted frustrations with human rights" in Tibetan areas, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, which have led to "desperate forms of protest, including self-immolations".

Speaking on Friday, Pillay said:

“I have had several exchanges with the Chinese Government on these issues. But more needs to be done to protect human rights and prevent violations,”

“I call on the Government to respect the rights to peaceful assembly and expression, and to release all individuals detained for merely exercising these universal rights.”

“I recognise Tibetans’ intense sense of frustration and despair which has led them to resort to such extreme means, but there are other ways to make those feelings clear. The Government also needs to recognise this, and permit Tibetans to express their feelings without fear of retribution.”

“Social stability in Tibet will never be achieved through heavy security measures and suppression of human rights,”

The UN has said that Syrian opposition fighters may have committed war crimes.

A video, which appears to show the execution of Syrian soldiers, surfaced after rebels seized army checkpoints all over Syria.

The video shows rebels assaulting captured soldiers, before shooting at the cowering group.

The spokesperson of the UN High Commission for Human Rights, Rupert Colville, said on Friday that it looked like the victims "were no longer combatants and therefore, at this point, it looks very like a war crime".

Uganda has outlined its intentions of withdrawing its peacekeeping forces from conflict hotspots, following UN allegations that suggested it was supporting the Congolese rebels.

The security minister, Wilson Mukasa, described the decision as “irreversible” and said another cabinet minister was travelling to New York to explain Uganda’s position.

Describing Uganda’s intentions, Mukasa stated,

An US diplomat for East Asia, Kurt Cambell, stressed that the US would not shy away from raising concerns over the human rights situation in Cambodia at the upcoming summit East Asian Leaders. Campbell, stated that the U.S was concerned about the actions Cambodia regime had taken against opposition groups, civic organisations, and individuals.

Serbia must acknowledge Kosovo’s borders will not change and are not debatable, said the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, as the United States and European Union urge the two countries to cooperate on trade and security.

Speaking after a meeting with Kosovo's president, Clinton said:

The Swiss government has agreed to implement 50 of the 86 recommendations made by other member states at the UN Human Rights Council, during the country's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) this week.

The Swiss government indicated that a response to the remaining 30 recommendations would be provided at the next session of the council, due to take place in March next year. Four recommendations were rejected.

UN human rights experts have said that Turkey is using a vague counterterrorism law to prosecute activists, lawyers and journalists.

The UN Human Rights Committee reviewing Turkey’s human rights record said that some provisions within its Anti-Terrorism Law are incompatible with international law and that there have been severe restraints on the right to due process since the law’s passing in 1991.