Arab Spring

The bloodshed in Syria has continued despite an Arab League agreement to end the violence and remove tanks from the streets. Tanks were filmed shelling a civilian neighbourhood in the restive city of Homs within 12 hours of the agreement (see 9.56am). Activists said up to nine people were killed in the area.
• Activists and opposition group have expressed anger at the ineffectiveness of the deal, but analysts said it was too early to say write it off already. President Assad's regime highlighted that the agreement involves stopping violence on both sides, suggesting it will continue to justify its violent crackdown as a defence against armed groups.

Gaza

• Two Palestinians were killed in missile strikes from an Israeli helicopter gunship after gunfight on Israeli side of the border. Residents said the men were farmers; the Israeli Defence force said they were terrorists.

• The Israeli navy said it would prevent two yachts carrying pro-Palestinian activists from breaking Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. "[We] will take whatever measures will be necessary," an Israeli official told Reuters.

Egypt

• The blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah will remain in prison after an appeal against his 15-day detention failed, according to unconfirmed reports. There had been hopes that the prominent opposition figure would be freed. Later today, the newly formed Mina Daniel Movement, named after a young activist killed during last month's Maspero massacre, will hold its first march against the military council.

Libya

• The prosecutor of the international war crimes tribunal said he will "impartially and independently" examine allegations of crimes committed by Nato and opposition forces during the fighting in Libya. At the same time, prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said he is pursuing Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam and the former military intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, both of whom have been charged with alleged war crimes.