Shells slammed into the central Syrian city of Homs today, killing more than two dozen people, activists said, as Syria’s government defied ceasefire demands and international efforts to boost the rebels.

Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan is joining a handful of international political figures at a conference on Spain’s Basque conflict aimed at encouraging an end to the violence of the armed group ETA.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned that the global financial crisis cannot be used as “an excuse for inaction” in the worsening battle against “wrenching hunger” across the developing world.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is due to address a conference on global hunger in Dublin today.