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Military wages offensive as car bomb kill 11 in Syria

Syrian regime warplanes and troops on Friday blasted away at rebels close to Damascus, the day after a car bomb in a mainly Alawite northern district of the capital killed at least 11 people, a watchdog said. Fighter-bombers were hitting Duma... Full story

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Seven killed as Nigerian soldiers clash with Islamists

Nigerian soldiers have killed five gunmen believed to belong to the Islamist group Boko Haram while losing a soldier and a policeman during a gunbattle in the country’s volatile northeast, the military said on Thursday. Full story

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Egypt-UAE relations worsen with ‘Brotherhood’ arrests

Mistrustful ties between Islamist-run Egypt and the United Arab Emirates deteriorated further this week with the reported arrest in the UAE of more than 10 Egyptians allegedly spying for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Full story

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International operation nabs 245 child porn suspects

An international police operation into child pornography led to the arrest of 245 people and the rescues of 123 children, mostly in the US, the US immigration enforcement agency announced Thursday. Full story

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Pakistani Al-Qaeda suspect extradited from Britain to US

An alleged Pakistani Al-Qaeda operative accused of planning attacks in the United States, Britain and Norway was on Thursday extradited to America. Abid Naseer, 26, flew out of Britain from Luton Airport near... Full story

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In ‘rape capital’ Delhi, women turn to self-defence

After nearly three weeks of lurid reporting on a horrifying gang-rape in New Delhi, women in the Indian capital say they are more anxious than ever, leading to a surge in interest in self-defence classes. Full story

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Malala discharged from British hospital

The Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban as punishment for campaigning for girls’ education has been discharged from the British hospital treating her, but will return soon for more surgery, the hospital said Friday. Full story

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China kids’ shelter fire kills at least 7 children

A fire at a private shelter for orphans and abandoned children in central China has killed at least 7 children and left an unknown number of others injured. The official website China.org.cn says the fire broke out... Full story

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Philippine police rescue Indian, kill 4 abductors

Philippine officials say police have rescued a kidnapped Indian businessman whose severed finger was delivered to his family. Four abductors were killed in a shootout and another was arrested. Full story

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Israeli ex-spy chief criticises PM on Iran

A recently retired Israeli spy chief says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acted irresponsibly regarding Iran’s nuclear programme and accuses him of prioritising personal concerns over national interests. Full story

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Afghan militants freed by government

Afghanistan says it has released some 250 prisoners formerly held by the US in hopes that this will lead to reconciliation in the 11-year conflict. A Defence Ministry spokesman said that 80 were freed from prisons across... Full story

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Gunman kills seven in Philippines

A gunman with a semi-automatic pistol killed seven people and wounded 11 others during a drug-fuelled rampage in a slum near the Philippine capital on Friday, authorities said. Full story

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Arson attack kills two in Chile

Two people were killed in a suspected arson attack early Friday in southern Chile, authorities said, the latest in a wave of attacks the government has blamed on a radical indigenous movement. Full story

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Chavez suffers ‘respiratory insufficiency’

Hugo Chavez’s top lieutenants accused the opposition and the media Thursday of using the cancer-stricken Venezuelan president’s health to wage a ‘psychological war’ to destabilise the country. Full story

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Mali Islamist group says ends ceasefire with government

Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine said it has suspended a ceasefire it agreed with Mali’s government last month, accusing Bamako of making a mockery of peace talks by gearing up for war. Full story

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Angola detains nine exiled DR Congo officers over ‘plot’

Nine former military officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo have been arrested in Angola, suspected of hatching a plot to destabilise their homeland, their lawyer and a human rights group said Thursday. Full story

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