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A court in Egypt has upheld death sentences on 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters over a 2013 attack on a police station near Cairo.

The men were convicted over the deaths of at least 11 officers in Kerdasa.

The attack took place after Egyptian military forces cracked down on Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi that July.

Hundreds of death sentences have been passed on Mr Morsi’s supporters but none has been carried out.

Human rights group Amnesty International says the death sentences follow grossly unfair trials and highlight Egypt’s disregard for national and international law.

Mr Morsi will face a new espionage trial on 15 February, Egypt’s official Mena news agency says.

He and 10 others will be charged with leaking “classified documents” to Qatar and Qatari-based broadcaster al-Jazeera.

Mr Morsi is already facing three other trials, including another case of espionage. He too could be given the death penalty if found guilty.

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The Nigerian army says it has repelled an assault by Boko Haram Islamist militants on the strategic north-eastern city of Maiduguri.

Defence Ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade is quoted as saying the attack was “contained” and the rebels suffered heavy casualties.

The militants attacked in the early hours of Sunday, and gunfire was reported on the streets of the city.

Last week’s assault by Boko Haram on the city was also stopped by the army.

Boko Haram began guerrilla operations in 2009 to create an Islamic state. It has taken control of many towns and villages in north-eastern Nigeria in the last year.

The conflict has displaced at least 1.5 million people, while more than 2,000 were killed last year.

Stray Bullets

Brig Gen Olukolade was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that “the terrorists incurred massive casualties” on Sunday.

“The situation is calm as the mopping up operation in the affected area is ongoing,” he added.

A number of eyewitnesses confirmed the army claim.

They also said that several civilians had been hit by stray bullets and bombs during the fighting.

The army was supported by vigilantes who recently have taken a central role in fighting the militants.

The military’s handling of the six-year insurgency has often been criticised.

Boko Haram at a glance

• Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing Western-style education – Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
• Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria – has also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Has abducted hundreds, including at least 200 schoolgirls Controls several north-eastern towns Has launched attacks on Cameroon

Boko Haram’s last attempt to take over Maiduguri a week ago was stopped by the military.

But the militants did succeed in capturing the town of Monguno – 125km (80 miles) outside the city and took over a military base.

With the insurgents gaining more and more territory Maiduguri – home to tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes because of the conflict – has been increasingly vulnerable.

Aid agencies have warned that the fall of the city would trigger a humanitarian disaster.

Analysts say that the rebels are stepping up their attacks ahead of elections in Nigeria on 14 February.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno and two neighbouring states in 2013, vowing to defeat the militants.

However, Boko Haram has stepped up attacks since then and there are fears that many people in the north-east will not be able to vote in the election because of the conflict.

The African Union (AU) has this week backed plans for a West African task force of 7,500 troops to fight Boko Haram.

Four of Nigeria’s neighbours – Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger – have agreed to contribute troops.

A former US army sergeant has pleaded guilty to involvement in a failed coup attempt in the Gambia last December.

Papa Faal, 46, who has dual American and Gambian nationality, was arrested after he returned to the US.

In court in the city of Minneapolis on Thursday, he admitted conspiring to carry out a coup and conspiring to export weapons without a licence.

The plotters had attacked the presidential palace in Banjul but were repelled by guards.

Several were killed and others, including Faal, escaped.

“The intent was not to kill anybody” unless they were fired on, Faal told the court.

“We were surprised by the fact that we had more resistance than anticipated.”

Faal said one person had given him funds to buy weapons and he had bought eight semiautomatic rifles in Minnesota.

He broke them down into their constituent parts and shipped them to Gambia hidden in barrels.

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Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste will not rest until his colleagues are released from prison in Egypt, his family says.

After 400 days behind bars, Mr Greste was freed and deported on Sunday. He landed safely in Cyprus, on his way to his native Australia.

Arrested in 2013, he was tried on charges that included spreading false news and aiding the Muslim Brotherhood.

Two al-Jazeera colleagues, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, remain jailed.

Mr Fahmy, who holds dual Egyptian and Canadian citizenship, could be freed if he renounces his Egyptian nationality, presidential sources say.

But there are still concerns about Mr Mohamed, an Egyptian who holds no dual nationality.

Mr Greste spoke about his concerns for his colleagues to his family after his release.

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At least 13 people have died and dozens have been injured in a fire at a plastics factory in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, officials say.

The cause of the blaze in the multi-storey Nasim Plastic building is still unclear, but it may have triggered by a faulty gas cylinder or boiler.

The fire was later brought under control. Fire-fighters are now searching through the rubble.

Factory fires are common in Bangladesh, where safety conditions are often poor.

In 2012, 112 workers died in a fire in the factory just outside the capital.

The country suffered an even greater tragedy in 2013 when the Rana Plaza garment factory complex collapsed on the outskirts of Dhaka, killing 1,135 people.