A convoy of vehicles carrying weapons inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has come under attack in Syria, according to the latest reports.

The team were travelling to the site of an alleged chlorine gas attack, in the opposition held Kafr Zita in the Hama province, when they reportedly came under attack from a roadside bomb. The OPCW has stated that “all team members are safe and well”.

The Syrian government claimed that some of the inspectors had been kidnapped, a report that has yet to be verified. State news agency Sana'a cited the government as saying,

The leader of the Colombian rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) , speaking on the 50th anniversary of the group’s formation, said that he organisation was working towards peace, reports the BBC.

Timochenko said that the group ‘dreams of an effective peace’ and warned that the group would never agree to a ‘humiliating surrender,’ despite entering peace-talks with the Colombian government.

The Philippine government today, defended a recent pact that allowed the US to expand its military presence in the region, stating that it was within the constitution, reports the Associated Press.

US military presence would help deter China from encroaching on Philippine land argued the Armed Forces chief of staff, responding to concerns that the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement violated a constitutional legislation that banned foreign military presence.

A man accused of being a war criminal involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide is to be deported, after losing his appeal at the Federal Court of Canada.

The court ruled that 59-year-old Jean Berchmans Habinshuti's fears of persecution by the current Rwandan government were “speculative at best”, noting that he was employed by the Rwandan government from 1992 to 1999, before serving as a Member of Parliament from 1999 until 2003.

Canada's Immigration Minister had submitted that Habinshuti was a “prescribed senior official” in the Rwandan government and could “exert significant influence on the exercise of government power”.

A resolution at the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court was blocked by Russia and China last week, despite securing the backing of 65 countries and the rest of the Security Council.

Earlier 58 countries and over 100 NGOs had written to the Council, urging them to pass the resolution. Before the vote,  United Nations deputy secretary general Jan Eliasson also called upon the Council, stating,

Eurosceptics and far-right parties have made significant gains across Europe in the European Parliament's election. (See here for UK and here for EU results).

In France the far-right party, the National Front, led by Marine Le Pen came out top with 25% of the votes across the country. The ruling Socialists party, led by President Francois Hollande, came in third with just 14%.

The National Front has campaigned for France to exit Europe and impose limits on immigration, including the reintroduction of border controls.

In the UK, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) swept through England, winning 25.7% of the votes and 23 MEPs.

Labour and Conservatives came in second and third, with just over one percent between them, whilst the Liberal Democrats saw significant losses, coming in fourth place after the Greens.

US President Barack Obama has congratulated the newly sworn-in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a statement earlier today and called for a strengthening of the relationship between the two countries.

A statement released by the White House said,

Pope Francis visited the West Bank in what was seen as a symbolic acceptance of Palestinian statehood in a trip to the Palestinian region today, whilst labelling the failure of talks between Palestine and Israel unacceptable, reports The Guardian.

The pope, during his visit to the Middle-Eastern region, broke tradition and bypassed Tel Aviv to fly directly in to the West Bank.