The former chief of a CIA unit based in Milan has been arrested in Panama.

Robert Seldon Lady was convicted in absentia by an Italian court for the kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in 2003.

The cleric, known as Abu Omar, was then reportedly flown to Egypt and tortured.

The Arab League has expressed its support for a plan to recommence peace talks between Palestine and Israel.

US Secretary of State John Kerry proposed his plan to the league in Jordan and said he was hopeful both countries "would soon be able to come and sit at the same table".

The International Criminal Court has said that two witnesses have withdrawn from testifying at President Uhuru Kenyatta’s case over security concerns.

ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah told the BBC: "The prosecutor might seek to add other witnesses in the future if suitable replacements for these witnesses are forthcoming."

The International Criminal Court told Libya today, that it must hand over the son of Moammar Gadhafi so he can face charges of crimes against humanity.

President Juan Manuel Santos has met with members of the rebel ELN after they surrendered their arms. The second largest rebel force in the country has around 1,500 members and this is the largest ELN group to lay down their arms.

The US burger chain McDonald’s, one of the largest and most instantly recognisable brands in the world, is due to open their first branch in Vietnam in 2014.

The president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli has said that a ship, sailing under the North Korean flag, was found to be carrying military equipment when stopped on the Panama Canal.

The 35-member crew is reported to have resisted the boarding of the ship and the captain attempted to commit suicide.

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today rejected European Union guidelines that banned member states from funding projects in Jewish settlements.

The Burmese president Thein Sein is due to visit the UK and will meet British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Thein Sein will discuss trade, aid, democracy and human rights with the PM, but human rights organisations have urged Cameron to raise concerns about continuing violence against Muslims and repressive laws.

The Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal today found, the former leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party, Ghulam Azam,  guilty of, planning, conspiracy, incitement and complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1971 conflict.

The Congolese town of Kamango has been attacked by members of the Ugandan rebel Allied Democratic Forces on Thursday.

Over 30,000 were forced to flee the border town after the attack. The Congolese army has now retaken the town from the rebels.