For the first time since July 2011, the Bahraini government and opposition held talks to try to solve the political deadlock and mass protests.

The protesters, mainly of Bahrain's Shi'ite majority, had demanded that the Sunni ruling family create a consitutional monarchy and call for elections.

Speaking to journalists after the talks, opposition negotiator Abdulnabi Salman, from the Democratic Progressive Tribune group, said:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has admitted that western pressure is affecting the country and said Iran is ready to enter talks.

Both Washington and Tehran have recently dropped hints about the possibility of talks over the nuclear programme.

"You pull away the gun from the face of the Iranian nation, and I myself will enter the talks with you," Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the 1979 revolution.

Swiss authorities have refused to re-open a case examining corruption accusations leveraged against Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, reported Pakistan's law ministry.

The accusations have seen Pakistan's Supreme Court take on the ruling Pakistan People's Party and called on Swiss authorities to re-open cases on Zardari and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who were alleged to have laundered at least $12 million in kickbacks through Swiss banks.

"It's worrying because the trend is pointing at exonerating political leadership from the responsibility of the genocide,"

The British Home Secretary Theresa May warned on Friday that an independent Scotland would have to earn trust before intelligence on terrorism and organised crime would be shared by other countries.

After independence, it could not expect to exchange intelligence with Westminister as currently takes place, she explained.

Criticising the Scottish National Party's plans for its own secret service, May said that they were poorly budgeted and based on "assumptions".

Twenty Tibetan protesters have been detained in the ethnic Tibetan area of Qinghai, announced the Chinese government.

The Tibeten protestors are calling for Beijing to allow greater religious freedom and the return from exile of the Dalai Lama.

A rocket attack on an Iranian dissident camp in Iraq has killed six people and injured dozens.

UN officials confirmed the attacks on Camp Hurriya, a former US base, currently used by Mujahadin-e-Khalq (MeK), an Iranian group calling for regime change in Tehran.

An Israeli football club’s move to sign Muslim players has resulted in its offices subjected to an arson attack.

No injuries were reported, however extensive damage was caused to Beitar Jerusalem’s administrative offices.

Beitar Jerusalem was the only leading team remaining in Israel which had not employed any Muslim players due to pressure from fans, until last month’s signing of two Chechen Muslims.

There were sporadic instances of violence in Tunis on Friday, as police and mourners clashed at the funeral of the assassinated opposition leader, Chokri Belaid.

Over 50,000 Tunisians came out onto the streets in Belaid's home district of Jebel al-Jaloud in Tunis.

Shouting anti-government and anti-Islamic slogans, the mourners called for a second revolution saying: "Belaid, rest in peace, we will continue the struggle."

Al-Qaeda linked, Islamist militant group 'Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa' (MUJAO), has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in the northern Mali town of Gao on Friday morning.

It is believed to be the first known suicide attack in Mali, since the French troops entered the north in early January.

The attack was carried out by an individual on a motorbike, who detonated his explosives after approaching a group of soldiers at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Gao.