"We did express concerns quite strongly that one of the cornerstones of a vibrant democracy is a free press and respect for freedom of expression and called on Egypt to ensure that it is protecting those freedoms moving forward."

“The Egyptian Government was very much aware and has been aware that we made some comments here about media freedom and took note of those”.

"Such exclusion and discrimination bring to mind ideas of racist nature which the government of South Africa, more than any other, should have wholly rejected."

"This is in line with South Africa's stance that recognises the 1948 borders delineated by the United Nations and does not recognise occupied territories beyond these borders as being part of the state of Israel".

"A committee from the prosecutor general's office has completed its investigation into the crimes committed by Seif al-Islam from the start of the revolution on February 15 (2011) and has prepared the charge sheet,"

"We believe that this evidence is sufficient to condemn and judge him."

United Nations announced on Wednesday that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be attending a summit with leaders of 120 non-aligned nations next week in Tehran, despite a strong call to boycott the meeting by the US and Israel. 

Ban is expected to have “meaningful and fruitful discussions” revolving around human rights issues, nuclear program and the ongoing crisis in Syria with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and with top diplomats of the Iranian government.

"Australian governments, through commission and omission, had been complicit in allowing torturers, murderers and architects of the most gross inhumanity to come and live,in peace and without fear of consequences, in Australia."

"My  Australia. Our Australia. In the country that had taken in so many good and decent people who had rebuilt their lives and rebuilt the nation. Australia – which held itself up to the world as an exemplar of decency."

"There had been a gross distortion of decency, allowing fugitives to take places of refugees… with the result being a moral stain on our country."

“This decision almost screams from the rooftops that Australia lacks the will to redress a great historic wrong.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron has joined Barak Obama in warning Syria that any planned use or threat of use of their chemical weapons stockpile would be ‘completely unacceptable’.

A Downing Street official said that the two leaders spoke on the telephone and said that if Assad made such a move it "would force them to revisit their approach so far”.

Mr Cameron also discussed ways to increase support to the Syrian opposition with French president Francois Hollande.

The Ecuadorian deputy foreign minister, Marco Albuja, has confirmed that Ecuador will treat an extradition request from the Belarusian government for a former financial crimes investigator, Aliaksandr Barankov, with the same respect for human rights that guided its actions in the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

“Ecuador will put emphasis on not extraditing a citizen whose life is at risk, from the death penalty or life in prison,” Albuja told reporters.

Barankov is backed by activists in Belarus , where President Lukashenko has ruled for 18 years by, fixing elections, quashing free speech, jailing dissidents and keeping 80 percent of industry in state hands.

Defectors from the Assad regime were bribed by European countries along with Arab states to make the leap, reports The Times.

According to the newspaper, in May a meeting took place between European diplomats in Doha, Qatar, where it was agreed that Syrian officials should be "incentivised" to defect the regime and bring about its collapse.

The paper's source is quoted as saying:

“They came to the decision that publicly the Annan plan had to be supported, but privately they needed an alternative. Defections were not coming fast enough. They had to coerce and incentivise these guys to drive a wedge into the regime,”

“Bribes were never mentioned explicitly, there was no need. Everyone understood precisely and left the meeting on the same page.”

The Chinese state's media organ, Xinhua, has accused President Obama of intending to use Syria's chemical weapons as an 'excuse' for military intervention, after he warned that there would be 'enormous consequences' if there was any indication of Syria planning to use chemical or biological weapons.