Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the US, Saudia Arabia, Turkey and Qatar of backing “terrorists” trying to overthrow his government.

In an interview on Sunday with Germany’s ARD network, Assad said that he does not fear the same fate as Gaddafi or Mubarak, claiming that he was still in power because he had the support of his people and adding:

The student activists, who were arrested by Burmese authorities over plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a protest and subsequent crackdown by the government, have been released.

Around 300 people gathered in Rangoon on Saturday to mark the anniversary, despite the arrests.

Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi has ordered the country’s dissolved parliament to reconvene, a move which the Washington Post has described as “a bold stroke that will test the limits of the fledgling government’s power and provoke a co

The International Criminal Court will hand out its first ever sentence to the Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga, for using child soldiers in his rebel army in 2002-2003.

The status facilitates procurement of defence equipment and military training, without involving any security commitments.

Addressing the media after meeting Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Clinton said,

A senior general in the Syrian Republican Guard has reportedly defected to Turkey, making General Manaf Tlas is the first of such seniority to defect.

The news was reported by the website Syria Steps, which is believed to have close links to the Syrian security forces.

The website asserted, "His escape does not mean anything."

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the UN to use the threat of sanctions to help implement change in Syria, whilst President Bashar Al-Assad suffered the setback of the defection of his most senior generals.

Addressing the Friends of Syria meeting in Paris, the US diplomat also outlined Russia and China as the main obstacles on the way to peace in Syria.

Burmese authorities detained over two dozen members of a banned political organisation, during a raid at the headquarters of a student activist group in Rangoon.

The students were preparing to mark the 50th anniversary of a major protest, by students, against the country’s former military regime.

Northern Ireland Police are to launch an inquiry into the army’s killing of 13 civilians 40 years ago, as confirmed by Chief Constable Matt Baggott.

On 30th January 1972, on what is now known as Bloody Sunday, soldiers of the British Army shot 26 unarmed protesters and bystanders at a march in Derry, Northern Ireland, against ongoing internment without trial.

Two former leaders of the junta in Argentina have been jailed for the systematic theft of babies from political prisoners.

Jorge Videla and Reynaldo Bignone were jailed for 50 years and 15 years respectively, by a court in Buenos Aires.

Over 400 babies are thought to have been taken by members of the security forces during military rule between 1976 and 1983.

The UN Human Rights Council has appointed an investigator to focus on human rights abuses in Belarus, amidst “grave concern” over torture allegations and mistreatment of prisoners.

The resolution to appoint a special rapporteur was approved based on the findings of an April report which suggested serious human rights violations since the authoritarian country’s presidential elections in December 2010.

The Kenyan energy ministry has announced it is cancelling crude oil imports from Iran following threats of sanctions.

The US embassy in Nairobi had warned the Kenyan government of the importance of cutting revenue to Iran after Kenya signed a deal to import 4 million tonnes of crude oil from Iran last month.