Chinese media have reported that a North Korean envoy, currently visiting China, said they are ready for "dialogue with all the relevant parties".

Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae met senior Chinese official Liu Yunshan and discussed the recent crisis, which saw Pyongyang threatening South Korea and the US with missile strikes.

Liu said that China along with other concerned parties support denuclearisation and called for a return to talks.

Choe said North Korea is "willing to accept the suggestion of the Chinese side and launch dialogue with all relevant parties", according to Xinhua.

A retired Argentine military officer wanted for crimes committed during the 1976-1983 "dirty war" against the left has been was arrested in the Uruguayan capital, today.

The Uruguay National Police force arrested, Col Alberto Julio Candiotti, on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice issued at the request of an Argentine federal court.

The arrest came after the Uruguayan Justice Ministry had offered a reward of $20,000 for information that led to the whereabouts of Candiotti.

The military regime that Candiotti served killed over 30000 people during the 1976-193 conflict period. Candiotti was wanted for connection with abuses committed by his brigade between January 1978 and April 1979.

Amnesty laws passed in Argentina during the 1980s prevented the arrest of military  officers such as Candiotti, but recent amendments have paved way for a new string of prosecutions.

"This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly."

"This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life, it was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country. There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act. We will defeat violent extremism by standing together, by backing our police and security services, and above all, by challenging the poisonous narrative of extremism on which this violence feeds."

Kenya has called upon the United Nations Security Council to for all International Criminal Court charges against Kenyan political leaders to be dropped.

Speaking after a closed-door meeting with the council, Kenya's UN ambassador Macharia Kamau said,

"We have asked that these proceedings be terminated as soon as possible".

"How that will be done, by whom that will be done is yet to be determined, but clearly the proceedings need to end because they are not consistent with peace and justice in our country."

"If the court itself were to decide to terminate these cases owing to the weak and the frail nature of the evidence, this in itself would be satisfactory."

However AFP reported one anonymous diplomat as saying,

"There was a very firm response from ICC member states and the US that they must take their case to the court".

Kenya nevertheless seemed to have the support of South Sudan, with their President Salva Kiir stating,

"We will sit together with our brothers and sisters in Kenya".

"It seems that this thing has been meant for African leaders, that they have to be humiliated...we never accept it." 

Several foreign aid organisations have said that financial sanctions imposed by the United States are severely restricting their work in the country.

Save the Children, Concern Worldwide, Handicap International, Welthungerhilfe, PMU-AMI and Triangle Generation Humanitaire say they cannot receive money in North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank, which is the target of sanctions by the US treasury.

The US says the bank supports the nuclear missile program of North Korea. The EU has resisted imposing formal sanctions, citing concern about the operation of aid agencies in the country.

Read more here.

"Because of the decisions that have been taken by Hezbollah and the fact that they are fighting very harshly the Syrian population, we have decided to ask that the military branch of the Hezbollah would be considered as a terrorist organisation,"

"Many of us European countries are on this line and my guess is that it will be a decision that will be taken by Europe,"

The government has reversed its decision not to give Afghan interpreters the right to live in the UK.

Up to 600 Afghans, who worked on the frontline for a year or more, will be allowed to remain in the UK, after concerns were raised over their safety in Afghanistan.

One interpreter, "Abdul", told the BBC: "We risked everything to do this job. We are glad that the British government has recognised our service and the sacrifices we made for them."

Read more on the BBC here.

The World Bank pledged $1 billion to help fund development in Congo, provided there was a return to peace.

The World Bank President Jim Young Kim unveiled the proposed aid on the first day of his visit to the conflict ridden country with United Nations chief, Bank Ki-moon.

The official’s visit coincided with further clashes between Congo’s army and rebel M23 fighters, which flared up after 6 months of relative calm.

Ban Ki-moon described the World Bank proposal as a way to encourage immediate security with lasting political and economic solutions.

“We believe this can be a major contributor to a lasting peace in the Great Lakes region. This funding will help revitalise economic development, create jobs, and improve the lives of people who have suffered for far too long,” he said. 

The White House has admitted for the first time that 4 US citizens have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. wrote to Congressional leaders accepting US responsibility for the deaths of 4 individuals with US citizenship, but claimed 3 of these men "were not specifically targeted by the United States”.

His letter came a day ahead of an expected speech by US President Barack Obama, who according to Reuters, would lay out why the use of drone strikes was "necessary, legal and just".

Holder also noted that he wanted US counter terrorism efforts to "become more transparent to the American people and to the world", and added,

"Based on generations-old legal principles and Supreme Court decisions handed down during World War II, as well as during the current conflict, it is clear and logical that United States citizenship alone does not make such individuals immune from being targeted". 

Colombian authorities say the head of security for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who was also the right-hand man of the guerrilla group leader, has been killed.

El Negro Eliecerm, known by his nom de guerre ‘Timochenko’ was killed in a clash with army forces confirmed the Colombian Defense Minister, Juan Carlos Pinzon.

“Following a special operation by our military and police forces, this person was shot down along with a woman guerrilla who served as the chief of finances for the faction,” he said.

FARC is Latin America’s oldest guerrilla group and has been fighting the Colombian government since 1964.

The killing of the senior FARC leader comes 2 days after the FARC leadership called for more time to develop peace negotiations with the Colombian government.

See  also: ‘FARC says ‘more time’ needed for peace deal’ (19 May 2013)

Syrian troops have exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers along the ceasefire line in the Golan Heights.

Damascus said it had attacked an Israeli vehicle that crossed onto its territory, while Israel’s defence ministry said it returned fire after one of its vehicles was hit by shots from Syria.

The Golan Heights, illegally occupied by Israel since 1967, has seen several clashes recently.

Read more here.

At the launch of the paper, Salmond stated Scotland could ''more than afford to be independent'' adding,

"This document sets out the enormous attributes and key strengths of the Scottish economy across a diverse range of sectors. We have a vast array of human, financial and natural resources, which many other countries do not enjoy.

"Scotland has a strong onshore economy and vast offshore potential, as well as a highly educated workforce and world class technology and research.

"But despite all of these inherent economic strengths, Scotland's long-term economic growth has lagged behind that of comparable European nations, many of which do not have the natural advantages we do.''

"The explanation for that rests in the fact that Scotland's economic strength is not yet in Scotland's hands."

See the report from the BBC here