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Gauging Russia's reactions to Syrian strike scenario
There are two subjects Russians talk about a lot: history and geography. In recent days, there's been much public discussion of both.
Russian officials and the media have been constantly recalling "Yugoslavia - 1999", "Iraq - 2003" and "Libya - 2011" as examples of Western military intervention which resulted in regime change.
The suspicion in Moscow is that the West is plotting to add "Syria - 2013" to the list.
One of the headlines this week in the Russian government daily Rossiskaya Gazeta was: "Will Obama risk repeating the Libyan-Iraqi scenario in Syria?"
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Alberto Carrillo the Juarez cartel boss caught in Mexico
The security forces in Mexico have arrested the alleged leader of the Juarez drug cartel, Alberto Carrillo Fuentes, also known as Ugly Betty.
He was detained in the western state of Nayarit without offering resistance.
Mr Carrillo Fuentes, 47, is the third alleged top cartel leader to be caught this year in Mexico, where the authorities have been waging an intense campaign against drug gangs.
He faces charges of drug trafficking and organised crime.
'Family business'
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US intelligence agencies black budget detailed
A breakdown of US intelligence's multi-billion dollar "black budget" has been revealed in files disclosed by leaker Edward Snowden to the Washington Post.
The CIA's budget is the most expensive, $14.7bn (£9.5bn) out of $52.6bn in total for 16 intelligence agencies, according to the files.
Two of those agencies are also actively hacking into foreign computer networks, reports the Washington Post.
The US has not made public a breakdown of the total intelligence budget.
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Rwanda condemns 'bombing' DR Congo
Rwanda has accused government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo of deliberately shelling its territory, killing a woman and wounding her baby.
Ten bombs fell on Rwandan territory on Thursday and the "provocation can no longer be tolerated", said Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo.
A Congolese army spokesman denied the allegations.
UN and Congolese forces have been pounding M23 rebels on the Congolese side of the border since last week.
DR Congo and the UN accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, a charge it denies.
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Muslim Brotherhood Leader Mohammed Badie arrested
The most senior leader in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, has been arrested in Cairo.
Mr Badie, who was wanted over alleged incitement to violence and murder, has been temporarily replaced as "general guide" by his deputy, Mahmoud Ezzat.
In another development, Egypt's ex-vice president Mohamed ElBaradei is to face trial on charges of breaching national trust after resigning last week.
Almost 900 people have been killed in the country since Wednesday.
Among them are 36 Islamist protesters who died in a prison van in Cairo on Sunday.
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Fake Bomb Detector maker Jailed for 7 Years
A businessman who sold fake bomb detectors around the world has been jailed for seven years.
The devices made by Gary Bolton, 47, were simply boxes with handles and antennae, the Old Bailey heard.
The prosecution said he sold them for up to £10,000 each, claiming they could detect explosives. The trial heard the firm had a £3m annual turnover selling the homemade devices.
Bolton, of Redshank Road, Chatham, Kent, had denied two charges of fraud.
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Musharraf arrested over assassination of Benazir Bhutto
Pakistani ex-President Pervez Musharraf has been charged in connection with the 2007 assassination of opposition leader and former PM Benazir Bhutto.
The former military ruler has denied charges of murder, criminal conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder.
It is the first time a current or ex-army chief has been charged with a crime in Pakistan. Mr Musharraf says the charges are politically motivated.
Ms Bhutto was killed at an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
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Radioactive leak discovered at Fukushima
Radioactive water has leaked from a storage tank into the ground at Japan's Fukushima plant, its operator says.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said the leak of at least 300 tonnes of the highly radioactive water was discovered on Monday.
The plant, crippled by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, has seen a series of water leaks and power failures.
The tsunami knocked out cooling systems to the reactors, three of which melted down.
An employee discovered the leak on Monday morning, Tepco said in a statement.
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Two Hostages Freed from Bavarian Town Hall
German police have arrested a man who was holding two people hostage at the old town hall in Ingolstadt in Bavaria.
The two captives have been released unharmed following a raid by armed officers. The 24-year-old hostage taker has been injured and taken to hospital.
The building was cordoned off after the siege began at around 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT).
The situation forced German Chancellor Angela Merkel to cancel a planned campaign visit to the town.
A police commando unit stormed the building at 17:50 local time (15:50 GMT), freeing the hostages and shooting their captor.
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David Miranda Heathrow detained at Heathrow
No 10 was "kept abreast" of the decision to detain David Miranda, the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, a spokesman has said.
Mr Miranda was held at Heathrow for nine hours on Sunday, while in transit from Germany to Brazil.
He has launched a legal challenge over the police's use of anti-terror laws to detain him and seize his property.
But Home Secretary Theresa May said the police must act if someone had "highly sensitive stolen information".
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