A former leader of the Khmer Rouge has been released from prosecution, after she was found to be mentally unfit to stand trial.

80-year-old Ieng Thirith who reportedly suffers from Alzheimer's disease, has been released with "provisional conditions" by Cambodia's war crimes tribunal, as the court considers an appeal from prosecutors.

A court in Gaza has jailed four men for the kidnapping and killing of Italian pro-Palestine activist Vittorio Arrigoni.

Arrigoni was killed in March last year by hard line Islamists, after they kidnapped him and demanded the release of prisoners, held by Hamas authorities.

28-year-old Mahmoud al-Salfiti and 27-year-old Tamer al-Hasasna were convicted of murder and kidnapping and jailed for 35 years with hard labour.

Another two men were given lesser sentences for the kidnapping and sheltering a fugitive.

A NATO airstrike in eastern Afghanistan has killed at least eight women, according to local officials.

The attack, in a remote region of the Laghman,also injured at least seven women, with some of the injured reported to be as young as ten.

A NATO spokesperson conceded that civilians had died after an attack on insurgents.

Major Adam Wojack told the BBC that between five to eight civilians could have died and the attack was being investigated.

On Saturday Lakhdar Brahimi, the newly appointed UN envoy to Syria held his first meeting with Syrian President

Bashar al-Assad, hoping to find a political solution to the ongoing conflict.

Brahimi, a veteran Algerian diplomat, had previously described the mission as “nearly impossible”, particularly since UN observers on the ground were pulled out last month after facing attacks. 

More than 50 cities in China saw massive anti-Japan protests carry on for a second day, with the Japanese embassy and several Japanese businesses coming under attack.

Protestors in Beijing pelted the Japanese embassy with eggs and bottles as riot police held back crowds from storming the building. Protestors shouted slogans such as, "Return our islands! Japanese devils get out!" and held signs that read, "For the respect of the motherland, we must go to war with Japan."

The protests prompted US Defence Secretary to comment,

An opposition MP and critic of President Putin, Gennady Gudkov, was expelled from the Kremlin on Friday, for allegedly breaching the rules on business affairs.

Gudkov, a member of the opposition Fair Russia Party, is a former KGB colonel, and the first member of parliament to be expelled in 17 years. His expulsion leaves him at risk of arrest for previous crimes, having now lost his diplomatic immunity.

Amnesty International called on Egypt to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, when he arrives in Cairo on Sunday.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide charges, is due to meet the new Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi during a two day visit.

In a statement, Marek Marczyński of Amnesty International, said:

The US State Department has ordered the withdrawal of all non-essential diplomatic staff and their families from Tunisia and Sudan.

Embassies in both countries have been attacked in recent days, during protests over an anti-Islam film produced in the US.

Chinese boats entered disputed waters between China and Japan on Thursday, as the row over a set of islands claimed by both nations continues to worsen.

Six ships were sent by China to the contested area, with the Chinese foreign ministry stating,

"These law enforcement and patrol activities are aimed to demonstrate China's jurisdiction over the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islets and ensure the country's maritime interests."