Tunisia faces a general strike Friday, with tens of thousands expected to take to the streets after the murder this week of a leftist opposition leader that sparked violent clashes with police.
The United States on Wednesday tightened sanctions on Iran to further choke off its oil income, saying it was necessary to increase pressure on Tehran over its suspected nuclear weapons program.
Syria's army has launched a fierce assault around Damascus, blasting rebel strongholds and sealing the main entrances to the capital, witnesses said, as prospects for peace talks dimmed.
French-led forces have killed hundreds of militants in fighting to reclaim northern Mali and with the rebels' last bastion secured, France said Tuesday it will begin withdrawing troops in March.
Agreeing a venue for the next round of talks between Iran and six world powers on Tehran's nuclear drive was hard enough. Achieving progress will be tougher still.
Seen by some as emblematic of the Mediterranean landscape and cuisine, the olive tree in fact has its domesticated roots in Kurdish regions, said a study Wednesday that seeks to settle an age-old debate.
Africa, India and other developing countries are awash in fake or sub-standard drugs for tuberculosis, fuelling the rise of treatment-resistant strains of TB.
Some of them call an orphanage home. One used to spend her days selling plastic bags. And this month, the Afghan teenagers are taking the stage of the most prestigious US concert halls.
French fighter jets have pounded Islamist supply bases in northern Mali seeking to flush the insurgents out of hiding, as France and the US on Monday called for African troops to quickly take over the operation.
The United States has strongly backed a move by Syria's opposition chief to open dialogue with President Bashar al-Assad in a bid to end 22 months of warfare that has cost tens of thousands of lives.
An Iraq war veteran believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder has been charged with killing a former Navy SEAL whose exploits in the same conflict were detailed in a best-selling book.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Sunday that fresh talks with world powers on Iran's nuclear drive would be held in Kazakhstan on February 25.
The former head of Iran's central bank, Tahmasb Mazaheri, has been found in possession of a cheque worth 54 million euros ($70 million) by German authorities.
Timbuktu has been part of three empires, survived invasions and had countless rulers, and it met its 10-month occupation by Islamist extremists with the stoicism of a city that has seen centuries of history.
Israel has implicitly confirmed it staged an air strike on Syria last week, with President Bashar al-Assad accusing the Jewish state of trying to further destabilise his war-torn country.
