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Car Bomb In Syria Kills Dozens

A car bomb has killed at least 41 people in a rebel-held village near the Syrian town of al-Bab, sources in the region and monitors say.

The explosion destroyed a rebel security post in Sousian, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The village is 8km (5 miles) north-west of al-Bab, from which Turkish-backed rebels pushed so-called Islamic State fighters on Thursday.

Turkey says the rebels have «near complete control» of the city.

The attack killed 35 civilians and six rebel fighters, Reuters reported, citing sources in the region. It said the target was a rebel checkpoint.

Civilians were gathering to seek permission to return to al-Bab when the bomb exploded, the opposition-run Qasioun news agency said.

Situated just north-east of Aleppo, al-Bab has about 100,000 inhabitants in the centre and about 50,000 more living in the suburbs. It fell to Syrian rebels in spring 2012 and was in IS hands by early 2014, when it became home to many foreign jihadists and their families.

The rebels say they are now working to clear the heavily mined town.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last year that the capture of al-Bab, the jihadist group’s last major stronghold in Aleppo province, would be the prelude to taking Raqqa, seen by IS as its capital in Syria.

VX Nerve Agent Killed Kim Jong-nam

Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, was killed by a highly toxic nerve agent, says Malaysia.

Mr Kim died last week after two women accosted him briefly in a check-in hall at a Kuala Lumpur airport.

Malaysian toxicology reports indicate he was attacked using VX nerve agent, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.

There is widespread suspicion that North Korea was responsible for the attack, which it fiercely denies. It responded furiously to Malaysia’s insistence on conducting a post-mortem examination and has accused Malaysia of having «sinister» purposes.

Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Friday that the presence of the nerve agent had been detected in swabs taken from Mr Kim’s eyes and face. One of the women Mr Kim interacted with at the airport on 13 February had also fallen ill with vomiting afterwards, he added.

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Asylum Seeker Charged With 20 Murders By Austrian Authorities

An asylum seeker charged by Austrian authorities with 20 murders in Syria has had his case adjourned until the end of March.

The 27-year-old man, who was arrested in western Austria in June, faces the charge of «murder in the context of terrorism». He is accused of shooting unarmed or wounded soldiers following a battle in Homs, Syria. His lawyers have said that he was severely traumatised at the time.

The man — who has not been named — denies the charges. According to Der Standard, he is a stateless Palestinian who grew up in a refugee camp in Homs.

Austrian media said the suspect told others at a refugee shelter that he had shot dead government soldiers when he was fighting with an Islamist rebel group called the Farouq Brigade, linked to the Free Syrian Army.

According to reports, the suspect was placed under investigation when officials were alerted to his account of events in Syria last year.

Austria is unable to extradite the man to face charges in Syria because of the ongoing civil war. The decision to try him in the country for his alleged crimes committed elsewhere is thought to be a first in Austria. Killing injured soldiers is prohibited under the Geneva Convention.

Officials have said the actions that he has allegedly described qualified as terrorism and could be prosecuted under international counter-terrorism agreements.

Geert Wilders Security Official Leaking Information To Criminal Gang

A Dutch security official meant to protect anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders has been arrested on suspicion of leaking his location to a Moroccan criminal gang.

Police said the official was of Moroccan descent but not a bodyguard.

Mr Wilders, who has called some Moroccans «scum», told Prime Minister Mark Rutte the breach was «unacceptable».

Opinion polls suggest Mr Wilders’ populist Freedom Party could win most seats in next month’s election.

The officer from the DBB security team was detained on Monday for «sharing classified police information in the private sphere», police spokesman Dennis Janus confirmed to the Associated Press news agency. The DBB is responsible for security around the Dutch royal family, diplomats and high profile politicians, like Mr Wilders, based in the Netherlands.

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WWII Bomb Detonated Off The Isle Of Wight

A World War Two bomb containing 290lb (131kg) of «high explosives» has been found in Portsmouth harbour.

The ordnance was discovered by a dredger in the water in the early hours, the Royal Navy said.

Specialist divers at the scene said the bomb posed a «very serious threat». It was towed out to sea and detonated.

All ferries were stopped and trains between Portsmouth and Southsea station and Portsmouth Harbour were suspended, but have since started running again. There were also extensive road closures in the area, affecting access to Gunwharf Quays.

The Royal Navy said the device, believed to be a German SC250 that weighs 500lb (226kg), was removed from the harbour before being «safely» blown up in the sea off the Isle of Wight.

Lt Mike St Pierre, the officer leading the bomb disposal team, had said: «Despite being old, these devices can pose a very serious threat.»

Hampshire Constabulary said it had «activated a pre-arranged multi-agency plan» with Ministry of Defence Police, the Royal Navy, Portsmouth City Council and other organisations. «Our priority is to ensure public safety and minimise community disruption while the ordnance is detonated by the Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal,» the force said. It advised residents to stay in their homes, open the windows and move away from the outer walls.

Dredging is being carried out to deepen and widen a four-mile (7km) channel to allow the the navy’s new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers to dock.

Several devices have been found in the harbour since work started in September.

The most recent discovery was a British-made Armstrong Whitworth device found in the early hours of Friday morning, the Royal Navy has said.