After weeks of fighting with government forces, Syrian rebels have captured Tafatnaz military airport, a key base in the north of the country.

The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, said that the fighting at the airport ended at 9am GMT and that the base is now entirely in rebel hands, although government jets have been bombing the base in attempts to destroy it.

Three Kurdish women activists - including a co-founder of the PKK - have been found shot dead in a Kurdish information centre in Paris, the BBC reports.

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls called the killings "intolerable".

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Thursday called the UN-Arab League envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, "flagrantly biased" and accused him of being one of those "conspiring against Syria and its people."

Amnesty International has released a statement urging for a full investigation into the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris, calling for ‘no stone to be left unturned’.

The human rights group’s Europe and Central Asia Programme Director John Dalhuisen said,

Condemning the deaths of two Indian soldiers in Kashmir, New Delhi summoned Pakistani envoy to lodge a "strong protest" against the incident on Wednesday.  

Accusing the Pakistani soldiers of crossing into the heavily militarised Line of Control in the disputed region of Kashmir, Indian officials described the mutilation of the soldiers bodies as "barbaric and inhuman".

In the first successful lawsuit against torture, an US defence contractor, Engility Holdings Inc, whose subsidiary body L-3 Services Inc. was accused in the torture of prisoners held at Abu Ghraib prison, has paid $5.28 million to the victims.

Another contractor, CACI is believed to be going to trial this summer over similiar allegations.

Japan has summoned China’s ambassador to the country this week, after Chinese vessels entered what Japan claims to be their territorial waters for over 13 hours.

2130 opposition prisoners were released by the Syrian government in exchange for 48 Iranians abducted in Damascus, while apparently on a pilgrimage five months ago.

The swap is the first major swap of the 21-month long civil war and was brokered by a Turkish humanitarian group and the Qatari government.

Loyalist protests in Belfast have resulted in a fifth consecutive day of rioting in the city, as a dispute over the flying of the Union Jack flag at Belfast City Hall continues.

The M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have declared a unilateral ceasefire.

The rebels are due to hold peace talks with the government soon and expressed hope that Kinshasa will reciprocate the move.

The Ugandan government has returned £3.26m of aid to the Irish government, after it was transferred to unauthorised recipients within the government.

A report by the auditor general of Uganda found that the funds from Ireland had been taken by officials in Prime Minister Patrick Amama Mbabazi’s office.

The chief of internet giant Google Eric Schmidt has begun a controversial private visit to North Korea, accompanied by the former governor of the New Mexico Bill Richardson.

Whilst the purpose of the trip remains unclear, Richardson told press that he planned on attempting to meet Kenneth Bae, a detained US citizen. Richardson went on to say,

“This is not a Google trip, but I’m sure he’s interested in some of the economic issues there, the social media aspect. So this is why we are teamed up on this... We’ll meet with North Korean political leaders. We’ll meet with North Korean economic leaders, military. We’ll visit some universities. We don’t control the visit. They will let us know what the schedule is when we get there,”

The visit has drawn sharp criticism from the US, with State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland saying,

“As you know, they are private citizens. They are travelling in an unofficial capacity. They are not going to be accompanied by any U.S. officials. They are not carrying any messages from us. Frankly, we don’t think the timing of this is particularly helpful, but they are private citizens and they are making their own decisions… they’re well aware of our views… They are not going on our behalf. No American official is going with them. They are not carrying any messages from us.

The highest court in Bahrain on Monday upheld the sentences of 13 leaders of the 2011 uprising.

The sentences, ranging from five years to life, were initially passed by a military court in June 2011, and later upheld by a civilian court in September last year.

All together twenty uprising leaders were sentenced, but seven are in hiding, leaving the remaining 13 to file appeals.

Speaking to Reuters, one of the defence lawyers, Mohammad al-Jishi said: "This verdict is final. No more appeals are possible. It is the last stage of litigation," and the country's main opposition group condemned the decision, stating, "These judgments confirmed the rulings issued before by the military court which were condemned by the whole world. I think it is accurate to call these rulings political persecution."

The spokesperson for the US State Department, Victoria Nuland, said:

"We regret today's decision,"

 "We're concerned that this decision further restricts freedom of expression and compromises the atmosphere within Bahrain for reconciliation."

"We call on the government of Bahrain to investigate all reports of torture, including those made by the defendants in this case, as it has pledged to do, and to hold accountable any who are found responsible,"

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered officials to use ‘State of Palestine’ on official documents, including passports, ID cards and driving licenses.

Abbas said the move would help bolster the Palestinian state "on the ground and build its institutions... and its sovereignty over the its land".