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The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hassaid the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will haveto drop his unity pact with Hamas, if he wantsUS-backed peace negotiations to continue. In aninterview with the BBC, Mr. Netanyahu said he would never negotiate with the Palestiniangovernment that was backed by Hamas which he called a terrorist organization. Yolande Knellreports.

“After a five-hour-long meeting, Israel Security Cabinet said it had unanimously decided not tonegotiate with the Palestinian government backed by Hamas. It also threatened further financialsanctions against the Palestinians. Israel, like the United States and the European Union,considers Hamas to be a terrorist group. The US State Department, which helped to brokerIsrael-Palestinian peace talks, has said it's still making efforts to bring the two sides backtogether.”

Russian forces based on the border with Ukraine have been ordered to carry out military drills.The defence ministry said it was responding to Ukrainian government assertions that it hadattacked checkpoints set up by pro-Russian militants in the east of the country. SteveRosenberg reports.

“In Moscow, Vladimir Putin warned that if Kiev used the army against its own people that wouldbe a crime against the people and would have serious consequences. Within an hour, Russiahad announced fresh military exercises near the Ukrainian border, provoking an angryresponse from Kiev. In a televised address, Ukraine's Acting President Oleksandr Turchynovaccused Russia of defending terrorism and of moving from verbal threats to a show of force.”

A prominent television presenter in Pakistan, who was shot and injured last week, has blamedthe country's intelligence agencies for the attack. In a statement issued from his hospital bedin Karachi, Hamid Mir said that he felt most vulnerable from Pakistan's military intelligenceagency the ISI. Kim Ghattas reports.

“Amir Mir read a statement on behalf of his brother and said Hamid had received countlessthreats from state actors and militant groups like the Taliban, but that he felt most threatenedby the intelligence agencies like the ISI. And he blamed them for failing to keep Hamid safe.Amir Mir had made the same allegations the day of the shooting on Geo TV, the news channelappeared to distance itself from the accusations later on. But this latest statement was givenprime-time prominence on Geo TV, and would have intensified the standoff between the newschannel and the military.”

The government of South Sudan has withdrawn its case against four senior officials accusedof plotting a coup last December, which sparked rebellion in which thousands of people havebeen killed. The suspects, who were accused of treason went on, trial in March. Seven othersalso arrested last year were released in January.

World News from the BBC

The Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Internet as a project. In remarks at amedia forum in St. Petersburg, he said the worldwide web was originally developed by theAmerican spy agency. He said recent revelations about the extent of US Internet surveillancefrom the whistleblower Edward Snowden showed that they were involved in what he called aninformation confrontation.

The authorities in Mexico say they rescued 44 Guatemalan migrants from captivity and arrestedsix alleged human traffickers. They were found at a house near the Guatemalan border and arebeing held by the authorities until they can be returned home.

The Pacific nation of the Marshall Islands is suing all nine nuclear arm states for what it says astheir flagrant violation of international law. It accuses them of failing to pursue thedisarmament negotiations stipulated under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. All ninehave been pursued through the International Court of Justice as Anna Holligan reports.

“The United States used the Marshall Islands to test hydrogen and atomic bombs. One ofthem generated an intense fireball, and widespread radioactive contamination. Now ananti-nuclear group is supporting the Islands in using that history to try to force other states tostick to a promise to discuss giving up their nuclear weapons. The other countries listed in thelawsuit include Russia, Britain, China and France, all members of the Non-Proliferation Treatyplus Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea.”

A mysterious British graffiti artist Banksy has condemned an exhibition of his work inLondon, saying it'd been organized without his consent or involvement. The exhibitioncalled Stealing Banksy features pictures salvaged from the walls where he painted them, whichwere later be sold at auction. Banksy said it was disgusting that people were allowed to displayart on walls without getting permission.