An European delegation cancelled a planned trip to Iran, after their request to meeting two jailed activists was refused.

Iran's ambassador told the EU that it was 'impossible to guarantee that the members of the European Parliament could meet jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and filmmaker Jafar Panahi', reported Reuters. 

In a written statement, Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, said:

The UK government has rejected requests by the US to use British bases to support an eventual attack on Iran.

The Guardian reported on Thursday that the US also lobbied for the use of British bases in Cyprus, Diego Garcia and Ascension Island, but British authorities said that legal advice suggested that any pre-emptive strike on Iran could be illegal.

The Chinese foreign ministry has blocked The New York Times' English and Chinese language websites, whilst also banning searches for “New York Times” on search engines and micro blogs.

The New York Times was accused of smearing the country’s reputation after releasing a report that outlined appropriation of wealth by the Chinese Head of government, Wen Jiabao, who had distributed assets worth $2.7 within his extended family.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) have demanded that the Burmese government take immediate action to stop sectarian violence against the Rohingya Muslim population in the Arakan state.

HRW has obtained satellite imagery which shows extensive destruction of homes and properties in a predominantly Rohingya Muslim populated coastal town.

The Burmese government needs to ensure aid and protection for Rohingyas and Arakanese in the Western state, HRW said.

Deputy Asia director at HRW, Phil Robertson said:

"Everyone in this area is with the revolution,"

The Sudanese government has said it will report Israel to the United Nations, over explosions in an arms factory, which Khartoum claims was caused by Israel.

Israel has not commented on the claims, but the Sudanese envoy to the UN, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, said Israel had entered Sudanese air space three times in the last few years.

Sources from Sudan told the BBC that the factory is thought to have been operated by Iranians.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, met with Kosovo's Prime Minister Thaci Pristina on Thursday, to discuss the country's progress towards EU membership.

Speaking after the event Hague said:

"As I have discussed with Prime Minister Thaci, a new chapter in EU/Kosovo relations is opening. This is enormously positive for Kosovo. But Kosovo will now need to make progress against the same conditions and be treated the same as any other country in the Western Balkans.

Progress towards EU membership will benefit all of Kosovo’s citizens. But it will require hard work and fundamental reforms in areas such as the economy, rule of law, the fight against corruption, electoral reform and public administration. I am pleased to have discussed some of the plans for these reforms during my meetings and welcome Kosovo’s commitment to the reform process.

The appointment of a civilian judge to investigate the responsibility of three prominent former Egyptian generals for the abuse of protesters is an opportunity for President Morsi to push for accountability for abuses committed under military rule, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday.

"Every single fate in this genocide is a suffering beyond understanding. Every single fate fills me with sorrow and shame,"

A Russian military official has claimed that weapons from the US have ended up in the hands of Syrian rebels.

Gen Nikolai Makarov said to the Interfax news agency that the origin of surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles, including US-made Stingers, should be “cleared up”.

"We have reliable information that Syrian militants have foreign portable anti-aircraft missile systems, including those made in the USA... it should be cleared up who delivered them," Gen Makarov told reporters.