7. Syria: Putin backs Assad and berates west over proposal to arm rebels

Russian president says backing 'those who kill their enemies and eat their organs' flouts Europe's humanitarian values

A diplomatic breakthrough on the Syrian civil war at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland appeared unlikely when the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, chastised the west for considering arming Syrian rebels, saying they ate human organs. He said Russia by contrast was arming the legitimate government of Syria.

Speaking after a difficult meeting with Putin in Downing Street, David Cameron claimed both men were in agreement on the need to end the human catastrophe of the civil war. But there was little to suggest the two men made progress on how to convene a fresh Syrian peace conference in Geneva, let alone who should attend, or its agenda.

The Russian leader said he wanted to help broker a peace deal for Syria, and he hoped the G8 summit in Northern Ireland could advance that process. Putin insisted his government was "not breaching any rules" in supplying weapons to Bashar al-Assad's "legitimate government" and called on partner G8 countries to respect the same rules.

8. Eta expected to announce definitive end to four decades of violence

In a historic step for Spain, the armed Basque separatist group Eta is this week expected to announce a definitive end to more than four decades of violence, according to sources close to the negotiations.

With the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan flying into the Basque country on Monday for talks and a recent call from several hundred Eta prisoners for an end to violence, sources in the Basque country and others involved in the process say the group will make a significant announcement shortly.

Eta is already observing what it terms a "permanent" ceasefire, called in September 2010, though it has broken previous unilateral truces that it had deemed permanent.

While it was unclear exactly what words Eta would use in its forthcoming statement, it looks set to be an irreversible step towards the end of a group that has killed more than 800 people in bomb and pistol attacks across Spain over the past 43 years.

A public appeal from Annan and fellow mediators, including the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, for Eta to embrace peace will provide the group with an excuse for declaring its readiness to abandon arms, according to sources. Radical Basque separatist political leaders would then imitate moves by Adams during the Ulster peace process when, in 2005, he appealed directly for the IRA to lay down its weapons.

Eta was expected to react quickly, though it would stop short of announcing its dissolution. It may follow the IRA's lead by calling on its members to use exclusively peaceful means without disbanding. Those with experience of Eta, however, insist that the group remains unpredictable.

9. Beijing threatens to invade Taiwan if peaceful reunification moves fail

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Taiwan to protest against China’s proposed anti-secession law yesterday as the National People’s Congress in Beijing prepared to rubber-stamp a bill that seeks reunification with the island.

The Taiwanese are worried that the law, which is sure to pass through the annual parliament this week, will be used by China as a legal basis for invasion. While the bill does not specify which actions may provoke a Chinese invasion, it is seen as a strong display of sabre-rattling.

The National people’s Congress is generally a ceremonial talking shop where laws drawn up behind closed doors by Communist Party’s top cadres are given the stamp of approval by grassroots representatives. However, the profile of the congress has been raised this year by Taiwan featuring so prominently on the agenda.

Beijing claims that Taiwan is a renegade territory and has not ruled out reunification by force. It has claimed sovereignty over the island since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when the defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan from the Communist-held mainland.