British Prime Minister David Cameron has pushed EU leaders to discuss a commitment to arming or providing logistical military support to Syrian rebels at a European foreign ministers meeting on 31st January.

In what has been described as a major diplomatic victory for Cameron, the EU has instructed its foreign ministers "to work on all options to support and help the opposition and to enable greater support for the protection of civilians" and that the EU should work for "political transition... towards a future without President Assad and his illegitimate regime".

Russia has for the first time accepted that opposition rebels in Syria may defeat the current government around Bashar al-Assad.

Deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Assad’s forces are “losing more and more control and territory”.

“Unfortunately, we cannot rule out the victory of the Syrian opposition,"

A memorial dedicated to Kurdish victims of the Halabja genocide, where tens of thousands were killed by chemical weapons, has been unanimously approved by the Hague City Council.

The memorial, proposed by the Halabja Memorial Committee, is planned to be placed near the building of the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), with Harry van Bommel, an MP from the Socialist Party saying,

Two Reuters cameramen were assaulted by Israeli soldiers in Hebron, West Bank on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

The soldiers punched the cameramen, forced them to strip in the street and let off a tear gas canister in front of them, leaving one of the victims in need of hospital treatment.

Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avital Leibovich said that "the regional brigade commander was ordered to open an investigation," but no further information will be provided until the investigation is complete.

Sudan may face more charges for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur, announced the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda.

Fatou Bensouda told the United Nations Security Council that war crimes including bombings, bombardments, the blocking of humanitarian aid and direct attacks on civilian populations, continued to be committed by Sudan.

The Security Council ambassadors requested strong efforts to arrest indicted war criminal Al-Bashir and several others to trial.

Israel will withold Palestinian funds in the form of tax revenues from the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in response to the state's UN observer status bid.

Israel's foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said:

"The Palestinians can forget about getting even one cent in the coming four months, and in four months' time we will decide how to proceed,"

A former Bosnian Serb General has been found guilty of genocide and sentenced to life at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

Zdravko Tolimir, who is said to have been the ‘right hand’ of Ratko Mladic, who used to be the head of intelligence, was convicted for his involvement in the Srebrenica killing, where over 7,000 Bosniak men and boys were massacred by Serb forces.

The United Nations Security Council roundly condemned the launch of a long-range rocket by North Korea, following global criticism of the move by Pyongyang.

A statement by the Security Council said,

"Members of the Security Council condemned this launch, which is a clear violation of the Security Council resolutions 1718 and 1874."

The government of El Salvador has been ordered to investigate a massacre which left around a thousand people dead during its civil war.

The current government apologised for the massacre in January, with President Mauricio Funes weeping while asking for forgiveness.

However the Costa Rica based Inter-American Human Rights Court ruled that the killings by government soldiers in and around El Mozote have to be investigated.

The United States announced it would now recognise the Syrian opposition coalition as "legitimate representative of the Syrian people".

In an interview with ABC News, US President Barack Obama said,

"We've made a decision that the Syrian Opposition Coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population, that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the Assad regime."