Leaders of the Group of Eight nations on Tuesday condemned "in the strongest terms" any use of chemical weapons in Syria and called on all sides to allow U.N. investigators to look into their alleged use, as they wrapped up their two-day summit in Northern Ireland. In a communique released after the summit, the leaders also vowed to cooperate in reducing terrorism risks, while calling on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs, which Pyongyang has pursued despite international sanctions against it.

The Mali government and Tuareg rebels signed a ceasefire accord Tuesday paving the way for presidential elections in the troubled west African state next month. The agreement, reached after 10 days of tense negotiations, will enable Malian troops to enter the Tuareg-held city of Kidal to secure the polls scheduled to take place on July 28. The two sides agreed to halt hostilities and for Tuareg rebels, who took part in an uprising last year that brought the country to its knees, to be restricted to set areas. Long-term peace talks will start after the election.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four from U.S. forces were killed in an attack on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity, just as the United States prepares for talks this week with the Taliban. The official said insurgents attacked the base with some kind of indirect fire, leaving open the possibility it was hit by rockets or mortar rounds. No further details were immediately available. (Reporting by David Alexander, writing by Phil Stewart)

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain urged the world on Tuesday to learn from the mistakes of history as it stands by and watches Syria's bloody civil war while Canada's defence minister, Peter MacKay, reiterated the Canadian government's decision not to arm the Syrian rebels. "There's an old line about those who refuse to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them," McCain told reporters at the Canadian embassy.