Over 40 people where killed in bomb blasts in Pakistan whilst the UK prime minister visited the country to hold talks with the newly elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif. 

One bomb by checkpoint near a Shiite Muslim mosque in the south-western city of Quetta killed over 20 people, whilst a car bombing in Peshawar, killed 17. 

One of the UK's top generals in Afghanistan has told the Guardian that the West should have tried to talk to the Taliban over a decade ago as it would have been easier to find a solution in 2002 when the Taliban were on the run.  

General Nick Carter said,   

"Back in 2002, the Taliban were on the run."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said during a visit to Afghanistan that the Taliban should join the political process.

"I believe that the Taliban, watching all this progress, are beginning to realise that they are not going to secure a role in Afghanistan's future through terror and violence but by giving up their arms and engaging in a political process.

"But let me make absolutely clear this peace process is for Afghanistan to determine.

Human Rights Watch urged the European Union High Representative, Catherine Ashton, to push for the immediate release of 13 high profile activists that were detained in Bahrain for peacefully exercising their rights.

The EU director at Human Rights Watch, Lotte Leicht, warned of the consequence of not acting stating,

The United States cut its long standing trade benefits with Bangladesh on Thursday in move said to be in response to the poor working conditions within the country's garment industry. 

Although the move is thought not to have a significant impact on Bangladesh's export industry, it is believed that it could encourage similar a move by the European Union, which would have a bigger impact as it is duty free. 

In a statement Obama said, 

The army captain who led the coup in Mali last year has apologised to the people of the country.

Captain Amadou Sanogo said he wanted "to ask for forgiveness from Malians as a whole" for the coup which overthrew the government, leading to conflict with Tuareg rebels and Islamists, who gained control of the north of the country, costing hundreds of lives.

The conflict eventually forced intervention from France, who deployed ground troops to regain northern Mali and bring it back under government control.

After being refused entry to Syria, inspectors appointed by the United Nations, have entered Turkey to gather information about the possible use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war.

The United States and its European allies have concluded that the Syrian government used chemical weapons, which Washington described as the determining factor that pushed them to arm the Syrian rebels.