A rebel group in Syria, the Free Syrian Army, the FSA has confirmed to the BBC that Al Qaeda fighters are active inside the country. An FSA officer told the BBC that anti-government forces had been offered money and weapons by Al Qaeda but it had been rejected. Alastair Crooke, a former British intelligence officer who studies Islamist militants said they were increasing in number.

"The hard element of the opposition, they armed the combat-experienced people who come up from either Libya or Iraq not only are at the

vanguard

, but they are actually pushing out all other forms of opposition."

Polling stations have closed in Egypt after the second day of voting in the first free presidential election there. If there's no outright winner, the two leading candidates will go into a run-off next month. Those standing include several Islamists as well as ministers from the era of the former president Hosni Mubarak. Counting at the votes have begun at some polling stations. The results are expected to be announced by Tuesday at the latest. There are no exact

turnout

figures yet.

World news from the BBC.

The head of the Vatican Bank Ettore Gotti Tedeschi has been sacked after a vote of no confidence from the bank's board of directors. The Roman Catholic Church said Mr Gotti Tedeschi who's under investigation for alleged money laundering had failed in the primary functions of his office.

Two days of talks in Baghdad over Iran's disputed nuclear program have ended with negotiators saying despite differences, there's still some hope of progress. The European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton spoke of common ground. James Reynolds reports from Baghdad.