Meanwhile Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Israel and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency meeting of the Arab League.

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said a report on the UN's failure to protect civilians during the last month of the civil war in Sri Lanka will have profound implications for the global body. Barbara Plett reports.

Ban Ki-Moon said he was determined that United Nations draw the appropriate lessons from the report. He said events in Syria are the latest reminder that the UN's core mission to protect civilians is crucial. The report concludes that the UN failed at every level to do so in Sri Lanka, pointing out its reluctance to publish casualty figures, its decision to withdraw staff from the war zone and its failure to report evidence of widespread government shelling. The Secretary General has made the document public and said he would organize a senior level team to advise him on the way forward.

Protests have been taking place across the Europe against rising unemployment, spending cuts and tax increases. Strikes were called in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy. Union officials say rallies were held in 23 European countries including France and Germany.

World News from the BBC

President Obama has spoken for the first time about the scandal that led to the resignation of the CIA director David Petraeus. In his first press conference since he was re-elected last week, Mr Obama said he had no reason to believe that national security hadn't been compromised. Paul Adams reports from Washington.