BBC News with Kathy Clugston
As fighting rages in many parts of Syria between the army and rebels, the United Nations envoy Kofi Annan has expressed grave concern at the escalating violence and the government's use of heavy weapons. He said many civilians were trapped. The United States said it feared the Syrian government was preparing a new massacre in al-Haffa in Latakia province. Jim Muir reports from Beirut.
Kofi Annan has clearly alarmed that the ceasefire he brought about in April has gone completely up in flames. He expressed grave concern, in particular, at the heavy bombardment of Homs by government artillery and the army's use of tanks and attack helicopters in Latakia province near the coast. These are all weapons Mr Annan wanted to see withdrawn to barracks as the very first steps in a pacification process. The United Nations military observers confirmed that attack helicopters were being used against Rastan, a rebel-held town just to the north of Homs.
A convoy carrying the British ambassador to Libya has been attacked in Libya's second city Benghazi. An embassy spokesman described the incident as serious and said two protection officers were injured. Reports say the convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade close to the British consulate office. There's been a spate of recent attacks against foreign targets in Libya. Last week, a roadside bomb went off near the US embassy in Benghazi.
The United States has withdrawn its negotiators from Pakistan after talks failed over reopening Nato's supply routes to Afghanistan. Pakistan blocked the supply routes from Karachi last November after US forces mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at a border post. From Washington, Kim Ghattas.
The talks started seven weeks ago and have been marred by other issues like American drone attacks, Pakistani pride and a general history of mistrust between the two countries. Pakistan has also been asking for $5,000 for each of the 5,000 trucks that made the journey on average before the closing. But traffic is expected to increase when troops start departing Afghanistan. In the meantime, Nato has reached a deal to bypass Pakistan and transport military equipment out through central Asian countries like Uzbekistan.
Next month's summit of the African Union has been moved to Ethiopia after Malawi last week refused to host the gathering. Malawi said it didn't want the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to come to the summit, because he's wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Mary Harper reports.
The AU has insisted all along that President al-Bashir comes to the meeting. But Malawi, in particular its new President Joyce Banda, has been standing up to the AU. Mrs Banda has said welcoming the Sudanese president to Malawi risk damaging relations with donors. Malawi recognizes the ICC and is keen to restore foreign aid flows. These are restricted after donors accused her predecessor, President Bingu wa Mutharika, of political repression. Mary Harper.
World News from the BBC
A spokesman for the Egyptian Interior Ministry has told the BBC that the former President Hosni Mubarak is suffering from problems with his breathing and blood pressure. But he denied reports that Mr Mubarak was in a coma. There have been conflicting reports about the state of the ousted leader's health since he was jailed for life last week for ordering the killing of protesters.
Here in Britain, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has dismissed suggestions that the government was involved in a conspiracy with the tycoon Rupert Murdoch before the last election. Mr Osborne told an inquiry into media ethics, but he'd taken no view on a multibillion-dollar bid by Mr Murdoch's empire to gain control of the broadcaster BSkyB.
"The claim is that there is some vast conspiracy where the Conservative Party knows before the general election that News International wants to bid for more of Sky, that we sign up to some deals in return for their support. And then when we get into office, we hand over BSkyB. It is completely nonsense."
Plans have been approved to build the world's biggest optical telescope in Chile. The observatory to be constructed in the Atacama desert will have a main mirror 40m in diameter to collect light from the night sky. Astronomers say the extremely large telescope will provide insight into distant planets and the formation of galaxies.
The Nobel Foundation says it's cutting the amount of money at awards to Nobel Prize winners because of the economic crisis. The foundation says poorer economic conditions in recent years have meant the returns of receives on its capital have not kept pace with its costs. Future Nobel Prize awards will be cut by 20% to just over $1m.
One of the two host countries, Ukraine, have won their opening match in the 2012 European Football Championships. They beat Sweden by 2 goals to 1 in Kiev. In the earlier match in Group D, France and England drew 1-1.
BBC News
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