Orla Guerin reporting in Cairo: ”The target is very high profile” Five people have been killed and nearly 70 wounded after three blasts in the Egyptian capital that appeared to target the police force. The attacks began with a powerful car bomb that exploded outside the police headquarters in central Cairo, killing four people and wounding 51. Within hours, two other blasts occurred elsewhere in the city, killing one person […]

Daniel Sandford in Kiev: ”Nobody knows how long [the truce] will hold” Ukrainian opposition leaders are due to meet President Viktor Yanukovych, a day after the first deaths in protests that have gripped Kiev for two months. One of them, former boxer Vitali Klitschko, has said he will lead pro-EU protesters “on the attack” if snap elections are not called. Mr Yanukovych has asked the speaker of parliament to hold […]

Leaked pictures ‘show evidence of starvation, beatings and strangulation’ There is clear evidence that Syria has systematically tortured and executed about 11,000 detainees since the start of the uprising, a report by three former war crimes prosecutors says. The investigators examined thousands of still images of dead prisoners reportedly smuggled out by a defector. The report says the evidence implicates “agents of the Syrian governments”. Damascus has denied claims of […]

Iran has begun curbing uranium enrichment under a deal which will also see international sanctions eased, the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA) says. Earlier, centrifuges used for enrichment were disconnected at the Nantaz plant, Iranian TV reported. The move is part of a nuclear deal reached with the US, Russia, China and European powers last November. By the end of the day, Iran should be able to resume petrochemical and other […]

  A senior IMF official and four UN employees were among 21 people killed in a suicide bomb and gun attack on a restaurant in Kabul, officials say. Wabel Abdallah, the head of the IMF’s Afghanistan office, and the UN civilian staff died in what UN chief Ban Ki-moon said was a “horrific attack”. Canadians, Lebanese and a Briton were among the 13 foreign victims; the other eight were Afghans. […]

  Syria’s foreign minister has said Damascus is ready to offer a prisoner exchange with rebels. Speaking in Moscow, Walid Muallem also said he had presented a ceasefire plan for the second city Aleppo to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. The moves came as the opposition Syrian National Coalition prepares to meet in Istanbul to decide whether to go to next week’s peace conference. The coalition is under Western pressure […]

Tributes have been pouring in for a Pakistani teenager who was killed on Monday when he tackled a suicide bomber targeting his school in the Hangu area. Aitzaz Hasan, 15, was with friends outside school when they spotted a man wearing a suicide vest. Despite the pleas of his fellow students, he decided to confront and capture the bomber who then detonated his vest, his cousin told the BBC. Aitzaz […]

  The Chinese ice-breaker that helped rescue passengers stranded on the Akademik Shokalskiy vessel in Antarctica is now stuck itself. An Australian ice-breaker carrying the rescued passengers is no longer on standby and is returning to shore. On Thursday, a helicopter from the Chinese ship, Xue Long, transferred 52 passengers from the Akademik Shokalskiy to the Aurora Australis. The Russian boat has been trapped by thick floes of ice since […]

The negative effects of global tourism STORY HIGHLIGHTS Documentary explores fallout from mismanaged tourism in developing world Filmmaker uses dramatic examples from around world Films looks at “dark tourism,” travel to sites associated with suffering and danger A new documentary suggests tourism is out of control in parts of the world, irreversibly damaging the environment and indigenous cultures. “Gringo Trails,” a film more than a decade in the making by […]

A bus has plunged down a deep gorge in the western Indian state of Maharashtra killing at least 27 people, police say. Reports said the driver lost control of the bus after it collided with a truck near Malshej Ghat, a tourist area about 160km (99 miles) from Mumbai. A senior police officer said the bus was carrying 40 people and rescue work had begun, Associated Press reported. Road accidents […]