The British government has called on the EU to lift sanctions on the supply of weapons to the main Syrian opposition.

In a discussion paper circulated to other EU members, the UK proposed two options to change the sanctions, which are coming to an end at the end of the month.

Spain’s Constitutional Court has declared that a sovereignty declaration passed by Catalan’s regional parliament earlier this year has been suspended, as pro-independence politicians vowed to push on.

The decision, made earlier this week, means that the Constitutional Court has suspended the declaration for the next five months, while they hear a central government appeal that claims it is illegal.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said the Turkish army of endangering the group's peaceful pullout accusing the army of ongoing military activity.

In a statement, the PKK said:

Prominent British scientist Professor Stephen Hawking has withdrawn from a major Israeli conference to support the academic boycott of the country.

A statement by the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine , released with Professor Hawking’s approval, said it was his own decision.

Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has issued an unofficial order to stop the approval of plans for new Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank.

Russia and the USA have been praised by the UN-Arab League envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, after both states agreed to holding an international conference to help find a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is due to meet Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.

Kenyan rights groups have condemned the visit to the UK, saying the invitation is a betrayal.

Turkey has called on both Canada and France to weigh up their recognition of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as genocide against their trading relationships with the country in recent weeks, as they push for killings to not be labelled genocide.

Carla Del Ponte of the UN independent commission of inquiry on Syria confirmed on Sunday that testimonies collected from casualties and medical staff suggest that Syrian rebels have used the nerve agent sarin. See here.

Speaking in Italian to a Swiss-Italian TV network Del Ponte said: 

German police have arrested a man accused of being a guard at the notorious Auschwitz extermination camp during the Second World War.

Hans Lipschis, 93, claims he was only a cook but prosecutors concluded there was “compelling evidence” of his involvement in crimes.

The crimes against humanity trial of Kenya's new vice president William Ruto was postponed on Monday by International Criminal Court judges.

The trial date was initially set for May 28th but has been postponed due to a number of administrative issues.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Bashar al-Assad, labelling him a 'butcher' in his strongest attack on the besieged Syrian President.

Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan told a cheering crowd,

"If God permits, we will see this butcher, this murderer, receive judgement in this world... and we will praise (God) for it".

The Syrian government has accused Israel of coordinating with terrorists to carry out targeted air-strikes on Syrian soil.

In a letter, sent to the UN, the government said a number of casualties were caused by the second consecutive day of attacks.

At least three people have died in clashes between police and protesters in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

A further 60 are reported injured, after up to half a million supporters of Islamist group Hefazat-e Islam took to the streets of the city calling for the hanging of aetheists and other insulters of Islam.