The United Nations human rights Chief, Navi Pillay, commenting on a report released by her office today, condemned the ‘rampant’ and ‘routine’ use of torture by Syrian authorities.

At least seventy people were killed and over 124 injured when a bomb ripped through a crowded bus station near the Nigerian capital Abuja early Monday, reports said. The death toll was expected to rise.

EU foreign ministers said today that they would expand a list of names targeted by EU sanctions, as pro-Russian activists occupied more buildings in the eastern regions of Ukraine.

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague , told reports that the seizure of official buildings “is something that is being planned and brought about by Russia.”

Canadian defence and diplomatic officials have been quietly working on plans for possible Canadian military missions in Syria, the Ottawa Citizen reports.
 
Internal documents obtained by paper show the defence ministry has drawn up at least five scenarios for which Canadian forces should prepare.
 

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on Sunday held a rare meeting without US mediator Martin Indyk present, as they try to salvage peace talks before a deadline of April 29, the Wall Street Journal reports.
 

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, in a telephone call to the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, threatened fresh sanction against Russia, reports the Financial Times today.

135 civilians were killed by gunmen  in North-east Nigeria this week, reports the BBC.

A senior state senator, Ahmed Zannah said today the militants are from the Islamist Boko Harim movement.
The Nigerian official further added that attackers targeted a teachers training college and abducted several women.

China’s economic planner announced this week that restrictions on local firms investing overseas would be eased, reports Reuters.

New legislations will mean that from May 8, Chinese firms planning to invest less than $1 billion overseas will not need to seek approval from the National Development Reform Commission (NDRC), announced the commission.

The US government today imposed sanctions on the Crimean division of Ukraine’s national gas company, Chernomorneftegaz, reports the Financial Times.

The Iran's nominated ambassador to the United Nations, Hamid Abutalebi, was denied a US visa today due to his involvement in the seizure of the US embassy in Iran over 30 years ago, reports the BBC.

A spokesperson from Iran’s mission to the UN, Hamid Baaeui, describing the decision as ‘regrettable’, said that the decision violated international law.

Ukraine’s interim prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, outlined the possibility of devolving powers to areas of eastern Ukraine, that have seen a surge of protests demanding self-rule.

The prime minister travelled to eastern Ukraine to hold talks with activists who had seized a government building, reports the BBC.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry today, condemned a United States Senate resolution that deemed the massacres of a speculated 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 a genocide, reports Reuters.

Protesters that had occupied Taiwan’s parliament for 3 weeks, left parliament today and vowed to continue their campaign against a trade pact with China through other means, reports Reuters.

The United States Senate adopted a resolution today calling on the Senate to commemorate the Armenian genocide, reports the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Executive Director of the ANCA, Aram Hamparian, urging Obama to acknowledge the Turkish cover up of genocide, said,