A Swedish scientist has been appointed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to head a probe into allegations of chemical weapon usage in Syria.

A spokesperson for the UN said that the terms for the mission were being finalised but that work was under way for the mission to be dispatched quickly.

South Korea has signed an agreement with the US to respond together in the eventuality of North Korean “provocations”.

The military plan provides for US assistance should North Korea fulfil its recent threats.

"This allows both nations to jointly respond to the North's local provocations, with the South taking the lead and the US in support," South Korean defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said on Monday.

"It will have the effect of preventing the North from daring to provoke us."

Egypt's prosecutor general ordered the arrest of five prominent political activists on Monday, on allegations of inciting violence near the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters last week.

At least 130 people are reported to have been hospitalised after protests outside the headquarters turned violent on Friday.

The prosecutor's orders come after a threat from President Mursi who warned on Sunday that "necessary measures" would be taken against politicians found to be involved in the violence.

Seven former military and police personnel have been jailed for "crimes against humanity committed in the international context of genocide", by a court in Argentina, earlier this week.

The individuals werefound guilty of crimes committed during the country's military rule from1976-83, where some 16,000 people were thought to have disappeared.

The head of the Syrian National Congress (SNC), Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, has resigned from the opposition movement, according to a statement on his Facebook page.

Al-Khatib said he resigned because he wanted to work without the constraints that being part of an institution placed on him.

"I announce my resignation from the National Coalition, so that I can work with a freedom that cannot possibly be had in an official institution," he said in the statement.

The Free Syrian Army announced on Sunday that it does not recognize the opposition coalition's choice of provisional prime minister, reports Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologised to Turkey for the deaths caused by a commando raid on an aid flotilla, which attempted to breach the blockade on Gaza, and agreed to compensate the relatives of the deceased.

"The prime minister made it clear that the tragic results regarding the Mavi Marmara were unintentional and that Israel expresses regret over injuries and loss of life," a statement by Netanyahu’s office said.

The suspected war criminal General Bosco Ntaganda has arrived at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, after surrendering at the US embassy in Rwanda.

Gen Ntaganda has been charged by the ICC with 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"This is a good day for victims in the DRC and for international justice," ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme

The resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has been accepted by President Michel Suleiman.

Mikati's resignation is said to have sparked clashes in the northern port city of Tripoli, where reports claim heavy weaponry such as mortar bombs were involved.

Mikati resigned after a ministerial meeting on Friday was deadlocked by a dispute with Hezbollah.

US President Barack Oabama paid a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial site in Israel, as part of his 3 day visit to the country.

The President  with Israeli prime Minister Netanyahu and President Peres, lit the 'Eternal Flame' and took part in a 10-minute ceremony, which concluded with a prayer for the souls of martyrs.

Speaking at the memorial in Jerusalem, President Obama stated,

“Nothing equals the wrenching power of this sacred place".