"Our concerns are that an increasingly desperate Assad regime might turn to chemical weapons, or might lose control of them to one of the many groups that are now operating within Syria."

Nato has approved the deployment of the Patriot missile defence system on the Turkish border with Syria, as fears grow over the use of chemical weapons by Assad’s regime.

The sentences of two ex-paramilitary Bosnian Serb commanders have been upheld by the International Criminal Court.

The two former members of the 'White Eagles' Serb paramilitary group, were contesting their guilty verdicts, on the back of Serbian protests against the tribunal’s unfair targeting of Serbs.

The UN-established International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has handed over the case of a former Army Lieutenant Colonel to Rwanda for trial – marking the last case to be transferred by the UN tribunal.

Lieutenant Colonel Phénéas Munyarugarama faces charges of genocide, incitement for genocide, murder and rape amongst others.

The British and French governments have summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their countries, after Israel said it would build 3,000 more settlements in Palestinian territory.

The BBC quoted a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as saying:

The head of the United Nations Peace keeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) expressed disappointment at the recent suspension of Radio Okapi broadcasts, a radio station backed by the UN.

The well-known spokesperson of the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Jihad al-Makdissi, is reported to have fled the country on Monday, becoming the latest in a long line of defectors.

Makdissi worked in the foreign ministry for over 10 years, and spoke eloquantly in English, making him a prominent public face within the regime.

Rejecting criticism from the US and Europe, on the Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu's announcement of settlement expansion, Israel reiterated its intention to build more.

An official within Netanyahu's office said:

Burmese president, Thein Sein, has appointed opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi to head a commission to investigate the brutal crushing of a protest by police forces,that left several people injured last week.

A tribunal at The Hague has cleared former Kosovan Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj of war crimes for a second time, along with two commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

All three men were first acquitted of charges of torturing and murdering prisoners at KLA camps in 2008, before a partial retrial was announce by the tribunal two years later.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticised moves by Israel to allow the building of 3,000 settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Talking at a forum in Washington, in front of Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Clinton said that negotiations with Israel are the only way to a separate state for the Palestinians.

Amidst strong protests, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has announced a snap referendum on the new constitution drafted by the, Muslim brotherhood dominated, constituent assembly.

The legendary singer Stevie Wonder cancelled a concert for the Friends of the Israel Defence Forces (FIDF) in response to numerous complaints from organisations condemning Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.

In a statement, Wonder said: