Central African rebels capture 2 more towns

Demonstrators shout slogans and hold a placard reading ‘We need peace in RCA’ (Central African Republic) during a protest, in Bangui on Saturday. — AFP photo

Rebels in the Central African Republic captured two more towns overnight, the territorial administration minister, Josue Binoua, said on Saturday. ‘The rebels took two towns near Bambari,’ a town already under the control of the Seleka rebel coalition... Full story

Syria’s Alawite area Assad’s last resort: analysts

The last option for Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad, who is determined not to back down after 21 months of deadly conflict, is to battle to the end from a fortified Alawite statelet, analysts believe. Full story

Taliban vow war if US stay in Afghanistan after 2014

The Taliban on Saturday warned of a prolonged war in Afghanistan if any foreign troops stay after the end of 2014, as Kabul and Washington prepare to discuss the ‘residual’ US security presence. Full story

Thousands stuck in China airport as country freezes

Thousands of angry passengers were stranded after heavy fog delayed flights at a Chinese airport early on Saturday, as the country was shivered through its coldest weather in almost three decades. Full story

Walking linked to fewer strokes in women

Women who walk at least three hours every week are less likely to suffer a stroke than women who walk less or not at all, according to research from Spain that looked at thousands of people. Full story

7.5-magnitude quake hits off Alaska, triggers local tsunami

A major 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook an area in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the US state of Alaska early Saturday, triggering a potentially destructive local tsunami, the US government said. Full story

Two Pakistan charity workers shot dead

Unknown gunmen Saturday shot dead two Pakistani charity workers involved in an education project in the northwestern city of Charsadda, 80 miles from Islamabad, police said. Zakir Hussain, head of the education... Full story

Myanmar mediators urge Suu Kyi help in Kachin war

Mediators trying to broker a peace deal between the military and ethnic minority rebels in northern Myanmar on Saturday appealed to Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to help end the bloody conflict. Full story

Thousands flee wildfires in southern Australia

Thousands of people have fled wildfires raging on the Australian island of Tasmania that have destroyed at least 80 properties amid fears that at least one man died in the blaze, police said Saturday. Full story

Al-Qaeda financier among seven killed in Algeria

The Algerian army has identified one of seven armed Islamists killed east of the capital earlier this month as a key financier of the local affiliate of al-Qaeda, the El Watan newspaper reported on Saturday. Full story