Thank you for all your comments. Here is a roundup of the day's developments:

Syria

• Opposition activists have accused government forces of using chemical weapons in attacks on rebel-held areas in the Damascus suburbs. The death toll is unclear, with different groups issuing different estimates, but most put the figure in the hundreds. Leading opposition figure George Sabra claimed 1,300 have been killed, while the Local Coordination Committees, put the death toll at 1,360. Other figures were significantly lower. Leading opposition figure d The Guardian cannot independently verify the figures.

• Numerous graphic videos have been posted online, showing people (many of them children) without wounds with a range of symptoms including constricted pupils, difficulty breathing, foaming at the mouth, and shaking or fits. Other videos show dozens of corpses lined up. Experts have said that they appear to show evidence of use of a poisonous gas but it is impossible to tell which one without further investigation.

• The alleged attacks took place as a UN inspections team is in Damascus to investigate previous incidents in which chemical weapons are claimed to have been used. The team only has a mandate to visit specific sites, as agreed with the Syrian government, but the head of the mission, Swedish scientist Ake Sellstrom, said it "should be looked into". However, that would require a member state to approach the UN secretary general first.

• The Syrian government denied the attacks describing the reports as "completely baseless". Syria's ambassador to Russia said the reports were "fabricated and aimed at misleading international inspectors". But state media reported that "a series of operations were carried out against the armed terrorist groups in the villages of Jobar, Irbeen and Zamalka", all areas that were allegedly subjected to the chemical weapons attack. And pro-government media in Damascus claimed that the military has launched its largest offensive since the start of the conflict, with artillery and air attacks paving the way for a ground offensive.

• The UK, France, Germany, the EU and the Arab League were among those who expressed concern about reports of the attacks and called for the UN to investigate the allegations, with UK foreign secretary William Hague and French president Francois Hollande both saying they would refer the matter to the UN.

Hague said:

These reports are uncorroborated and we are urgently seeking more information. But it is clear that if they are verified, it would mark a shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Egypt

• The former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak could be freed from prison on Thursday, his lawyer told Reuters, after a court ordered his release in a corruption case that was the last remaining legal grounds for his detention. Leaving the Cairo prison where the court convened, Fareed el-Deeb said: "The court decided to release him." Asked when, he said: "Maybe tomorrow." Mubarak, 85, is being retried on charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his downfall. However, he has served the maximum amount of pre-trial detention permitted in that case.