The British FCO minister Alistair Burt, condemned the violence against Arab Israeli residents by Jewish settlers earlier this week.

Burt said:

An independent Unite Nations expert expressed concerns about the specific situation across various states of Sudan, which have been littered with on-going clashes and hostilities.

Eight alleged members of an al-Qaeda linked network have been arrested in the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

Those detained, all Spanish citizens, are suspected to have been recruiting individuals to fight in Syria and other countries.

The arrests were made in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa.

A senior Taliban spokesperson has said they are willing to swap a captive US soldier held since 2009 for 5 senior militants held at Guantanamo Bay.

In an exclusive telephone interview with the Associated Press from the Taliban office in Qatar, spokesman Shaheen Suhail said that army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl "is, as far as I know, in good condition".

The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Rami Hamdullah, gave in his resignation today, after only two weeks.

An attack by armed militants on an UN office in Somalia has left at least 15 people dead.

Four gunmen entered the UN Development Programme office, after a suicide bomber blew up a car at the entrance of the compound, according to the BBC.

Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The US has been forced to reverse its position on talks with the Taliban, just a day after announcing formal talks with the movement.

Anger from the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai at the presence of the white Taliban flag at the newly opened Doha office of the Taliban, and that the office was accredited to the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" - the name used when the Taliban held power - forced the US to say that it had "never confirmed" a meeting.

A ceasefire deal has been signed in Mali with Tuareg separatist insurgents, allowing government troops to return to the last rebel-held town ahead of presidential elections next month.

Mali's minister of communication told the Guardian:

The new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, has said he will make the country’s nuclear programme more transparent. Speaking at a news conference after his surprising victory, Rouhani said the sanctions on Iran were “unfair”.

Rouhani said his government would work towards "constructive interaction with the world", while thanking Iranians for "choosing moderation".

The US is to commence direct peace talks with the Taliban said White House officials, on the condition that the Taliban renounce violence, endorse the Afghan constitution and denounce al-Qaeda.

The talks are expected to start next week at the Taliban's newly opened political office in Doha, Qatar.

In a statement, the Taliban said:

 The United Nations said on Tuesday that 140,000 people remained displaced in Burma’s western Rakhine state, a year after the Buddhist-Muslim clashes left 200 people dead.

In its first direct comment on reports that emerged over a week ago of US surveillance of the internet, China called on US authorities to provide the 'necessary explanation', reports Reuters.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, said on Monday:

The prospect of agreement on how to end the war in Syria looked grim at the G8 summit as Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin remained stiff in their diplomatic pleasantries.

Russian president Putin said: