Syrian troops have clashed with army defectors and shelled rebel districts in Homs, killing at least 11 civilians a day after the government claimed it had begun a withdrawal ahead of the deadline for an international truce plan.

Amnesty report exposes shocking treatment of the transient population and appeals for new approach

Fresh doubts have been raised about the suitability of Azerbaijan to host May's Eurovision Song Contest, as it emerged that two local musicians who insulted the country's president during a concert may have been tortured by police over recent days.

Nato has failed to properly investigate or provide compensation for civilian deaths caused by its air strikes during the seven-month operation in Libya that helped bring about the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Amnesty International says.

Amnesty compiles new evidence of treatment inflicted by brutal regime

Russell Brand stole the show as American and British comics vied for laughs in New York

A photography exhibition opposing discrimination across Europe opens in Croatia this weekend. We showcase the inspirational pictures

Almost a year after the start of the Libyan uprising that led to the ousting and killing of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, new research suggests more than a third of its citizens would rather return to being ruled by a strongman than embrace democracy.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in London yesterday to show solidarity with protesters in the Middle East and North Africa.

The temptation to cover the work of Bob Dylan has proven irresistible to successive generations of artists, so it's no surprise that this album – compiled to honour 50 years of Amnesty International – runs to 72 tracks and four discs.

The controversial fabric wrap around London's showpiece Olympic Stadium will stay despite the resignation of an ethics watchdog over the link between the Bhopal disaster and Dow Chemical Company, which is backing the hi-tech design, London 2012 said today.

Questions have been raised about the UK's line between decency and realpolitik