The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has said that an UN inquiry has shown that officials at the “highest level”, including President Bashar al-Assad, have authorised war crimes and human rights violations in Syria.

A Commission of Inquiry into Syria has produced "massive evidence... [of] very serious crimes, war crimes, crimes against humanity."

Responsibility was to be found "at the highest level of government, including the head of state", Pillay said.

Protests in Thailand intensified today as Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, rejected demands to step down.

Explaining the reasons behind her dismissal of demands she said,

“Anything I can do to make people happy, I am willing to do…. But as prime minister, what I can do must be under the constitution.”

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) has ended a ceasefire agreement with the Malian government, in force since June.

The Tuareg separatist group made the move after clashes between protestors, who demonstrated against a visit by President Oumar Tatam Ly, and Malian troops.

"What happened is a declaration of war. We will deliver this war," the MNLA's vice-president, Mahamadou Djeri Maiga, told AFP.

The British Premier, David Cameron, flew to China with intention of establishing a multi-billion-dollar free trade deal between Beijing and the European Union, on  Sunday.

Cameron, accompanied by the largest ever British business delegation to another nation, emphasised the UK’s desire to play an important role in China’s expansion as the world’s second biggest economy.

"Border police in the night were searching for illegal Palestinian workers,"

The verification of Iran’s commitment to curb nuclear activities under a deal agreed last week may take some time, according to the head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) .

Yukiya Amano said he could not confirm when the inspections could begin.

"It will take time because it is a quite complicated task and we would like to properly prepare and do the job properly,” he said.

Burmese authorities say they have charged 93 people in connection with last month’s sectarian violence in the western town of Thandwe.

The government announced that the specially appointed investigation team had made dozens of arrests in relation to assault, arson an violence between Buddhists and Muslims.