Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, made clear today that Moscow would not mediate on behalf of countries offering Bashar al-Assad asylum, in a push to make him quit Syria.

Speaking to journalists, Lavrov said:

Talks between Farc and Colombia have made progress said both sides prior to the Christmas break.

In a statement, the government's lead negotiator, Humberto de la Calle said,

Renewed clashes between rival communities in Kenya's Tana river region have killed at least 39 people.

While some say the latest attack by Pokomo farmers on the Orma village of Kipao was political, police have claimed that it was a retaliation for the killing of over 100 villagers earlier this year.

South Sudan’s armed forces have admitted to shooting down a United Nations helicopter killing all four crew members, earlier on Friday.

The United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide has released a statement warning of a risk of growing sectarian violence in Syria, as violence continues in the country.

In a statement expressing concern that religious or ethnic groups may be increasingly targeted, Adama Dieng said,

An Israeli-Arab MP, Haneen Zoabi, has been barred from re-election by Israel's electoral authority on Wednesday, citing her presence on the Gaza flotilla in May 2010.

The UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has jailed one of the key organisers of the Rwandan genocide to 35 years behind bars.

The last trial by the ICTR saw Augustin Ngirabatware convicted of genocide, incitement to commit genocide and rape as a crime against humanity.

US soldier Robert Bales could face the death penalty, if he is found guilty of the murder of 16 Afghan civilians, the US Army says.

Sgt Bales is accused of committing the killings In Kandahar province on March 11 this year.

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday authorised a military intervention led by African states to help defeat Islamist militants in northern Mali.

Russian President Vladmir Putin has warned of the conflict in Syria continuing “forever” and has insisted that Russia is not propping up the Syrian regime.

Speaking at a news conference, Putin said,

British Prime Minister David Cameron has stated that there is a ‘strategic imperative to act’ in Syria and called for wider support for the Syrian opposition, including supplying arms to Syrian rebels.

Speaking in the House of Commons Cameron said,

Beijing has warned Australia against continuing the discrimination against Chinese companies seeking to invest in Australia, saying it could jeopardise Astralia's future role in China's growth.

Australia recently banned Chinese firm Huawei from working on the National Broadband Network (NBN).

The European Court of Human Rights has told Russia to pay over 500,000 Euros to the families of eight men apparently abducted by security forces in Chechnya.

The men who disappeared between 2002 and 2004 are all presumed dead.

The vice-president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BHCR), Sayed Yousif al-Muhafdha has been detained at a protest commemorating the death of two Bahraini protestors.

Prosecutors ordered that Muhafdha was to be detained for a week due to a pending investigation that claimed Muhafdha had broadcast false information on Twitter.