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."

General Tlas is believed to have fled to Turkey.

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.

The French President, Francois Hollande echoed the US calls, while the Syrian opposition pushed for a no fly zone.

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.

Special branch police detained members of the All Burma Federation of Students unions (ABFSU), an umbrella organisation for student unions in Burma, that also provides a voice for academic freedom and student rights.

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.

Of the 26 that were shot 13 died immediately or shortly after the shoooting.

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.

A total of seven former members of the military and police force were found guilty of the theft of 34 babies.

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.

"There are sanctions that are in place for people that are buying oil and products from Iran - there would be repercussions," the US ambassador in Nairobi, Scott Gration, said earlier on Wednesday.

Libyan diaspora cast votes in six countries - Canada, UK, US, UAE, Jordan and Germany.

Whilst some had recently fled, many had left Libya a long time ago, at some point during Gaddafi's 42-year rule.

Protesters clashed with police in Kiev after Russian was made a regional language in the predominantly Russian regions of Ukraine.

Many say the measure threatens Ukraine’s sovereignty after 20 years of independence from the former Soviet Union.

The bill was approved , after Ukraine’s parliament voted in a surprise proposal, giving those against the bill inadequate time to cast their ballots.

Uzbekistan withdrew from a defence alliance between Russia and former six former Soviet satellite states - Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CTSO) - on  Monday.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry said the decision stemmed from their opposition to recent attempts to strengthen military cooperation within the CTSO.

Russia remains sceptical, and believes the withdrawal paves the way for a us base in uzbekistan preceding the NATO pullout of Afghanistan.