A proposal from Republicans in the House of Representatives has been rejected by Democrats, continuing the shutdown of the federal government.

The proposal would have raised the debt ceiling beyond the current $16.7tn, but Democrats rejected the suggested amendments to Obama’s healthcare law.

In a letter addressed to the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, Human Rights Watch urged Abbott to discuss rights issues with Asian leaders, and refrain from giving them a ‘free pass’.

Manchester’s airport is going to see a huge transformation worth £800m, partly funded by a Chinese construction company.

George Osborne, currently on a tour of China, announced the deal between Beijing Construction Engineering Group, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), UK construction group Carillion, and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund which will see ‘Airport City’ being built by 2028, creating over 16,000 jobs.

The largest group in Syria’s opposition coalition says it will not take part in the proposed United Nations peace negotiations arranged in Geneva.

The African Union has called on the International Criminal Court to defer the trial of the Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta.

The trial, due to start in November, is on charges of crimes against humanity.

The AU has agreed during the summit in Addis Ababa that they would back immunity for sitting leaders of African countries.

UK Chancellor George Osborne has announced that visa restrictions for Chinese nationals will be relaxed, in order to make it easier for visitors from China.

"These changes will streamline and simplify the visa application process for Chinese visitors, while ensuring the system is strong and secure," said Osborne.

Spain’s highest criminal court has agreed to hear a lawsuit against former Chinese President Hu Jintao, as part of an investigation into whether genocide was carried out in Tibet.

Leaders of African Union members are currently meeting to discuss a withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the court is treating Africans unfairly and that it is specifically targeting African nations.

The UK Ministry of Justice has confirmed that convicted war criminal and former president of Liberia Charles Taylor will serve his 50-year prison sentence in Britain.

Justice minister Jeremy Wright told parliament in a written statement that, "former President Taylor will now betransferred to a prison in the UK to serve [his] sentence".

The Obama administration has cut back on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military aid to Egypt, in what the US is describing as a “recalibration” of aid.

According to State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, Washington has suspended the delivery of jets, tanks, missiles and helicopters to Egypt,

“pending credible progress toward an inclusive, democratically elected civilian government through free and fair elections”.

In a program that has lasted over 30 years, $1.3 billion of military aid has been annually sent to Egypt from the United States.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had said,

"by no means is this a withdrawal from our relationship or a severing of our serious commitment to helping the government".

A senior U.S. official had been quoted by Voice of America as saying,

"the United States will not support actions that run contrary to our interests and our principles."

Burmese authorities announced  today that they had signed a preliminary peace agreement with ethnic Kachin rebels in the north of Burma.

The US government has decided to suspend some parts of the aid it supplies to the Egyptian military.

Aid for counter-terrorism operations and border security will remain unaffected, but deliveries of tanks and aircraft will be stopped, due to the crackdown on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood after President Mohammed Morsi was overthrown in a coup.