Amnesty International has accused Bahrain of lacking seriousness with regards to human rights, after the kingdom cancelled, for the second time, a planned visit by the UN's Special Rapporteur on torture.

Rapporteur, Juan Mendez, said he was 'deeply disappointed' and added:

“This is the second time my visit has been postponed at very short notice. The authorities seem to view my visit as an obstacle rather than a positive factor to the reform process,"

A court in Brazil has sentenced 23 policemen to a total of 156 years for the killing of inmates in a Sao Paolo jail.

111 prisoners were killed during a massacre in Carandiru jail, after two rival prison gangs clashed. 13 of those killed were shot by the convicted policemen.

"We never thought they would come in and kill people randomly, as not everyone had joined the rebellion," former prisoner Jacy de Oliveira told BBC Brasil's Luis Kawaguti.

Chechen groups leading the Islamist insurgency against Russia have distanced themselves from the Boston bombings.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the elder of the two brothers named as suspects, made a trip last year to the North Caucasus, creating speculation that the men had links to extremist movements in the region.

However a statement from militants operating in Dagestan said:

Amnesty International has criticised the decision made by a Guatemalan judge to suspend the genocide trial of former dictator  Efrain Rios Montt, stating that it risks strengthening impunity and weaking rule of law.

Sebastian Elgueta, researcher on Guatemala at Amnesty International said in a statement,

The US has doubled the aid it provides to the Free Syrian Army.

Secretary of State John Kerry announced the new $123m non-lethal aid package at a meeting of countries opposed to President Assad in Istanbul.

"The situation in Syria is horrific. It is horrible." Kerry said.

The Secretary accused the Assad regime of "using ballistic missiles against innocent people" and "using his air force to rain down terror on the people of his country".

Formula 1 Chief Bernie Ecclestone has called the Bahrain government ‘stupid’ for choosing to host the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, as pro-democracy protests escalate leading up to the race.

Speaking to the BBC, Ecclestone said,

"The government here were stupid, in a lot of ways, to put this race on... It is a platform for people to use protesting.”

As thousands of protestors took to the streets, Ecclestone went on to say,

A Guatemalan judge has suspended the trial of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, who faces charges of genocide, ruling all action taken from November 2011 as illegal.

Judge Carol Patricia Flores was removed from the case in February 2012, before being reinstated recently. Her decision to restart the trial effectively renders all action by the prosecution useless, meaning the trial will have to restart. Flores went on to state,

Serbia has agreed a landmark accord with Kosovo to normalise relations between the two countries.

The accord, brokered by the EU, comes after months of intense discussions between the Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

"The negotiations have concluded. The text has been initialled by both prime ministers," said EU diplomat, Catherine Ashton.

A French family who were held captive in Nigeria for two months after being kidnapped from Cameroon have been released.

Gunmen claiming to be from Nigerian militant group Boko Haram earlier released videos threatening to kill the family if authorities did not release fellow militants held in Nigeria and Cameroon.

French president Francois Hollande denied that a ransom was paid.

The Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, has formed a committee to consider an amnesty for Boko Haram, that will be inaugurated next Wednesday.

The committee will consist of 25 members including military figures, academics and politicians, has been given 60 days to look at dialogue and disarmament, as well as supporting the victims. The committee will be chaired by the President's Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki.