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Foreigners abducted by Islamist militants in Algeria
Two foreign nationals, one of them British, have been killed and several abducted in an attack by Islamist militants on a gas facility in eastern Algeria, state media report.
Several people were also wounded when a bus carrying workers from a gas facility near In Amenas was targeted.
After being repelled, the militants travelled to the facility, taking an unknown number of workers hostage.
Militants linked to al-Qaeda claim to have been behind the incident.
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Raja Pervez Ashraf: Pakistan Supreme Court orders arrest of PM
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of PM Raja Pervez Ashraf and 15 others over corruption allegations, raising fears of a political crisis just months ahead of an election.
Mr Ashraf denies accepting bribes when approving power generation projects as minister for water and power in 2010.
Analysts say that the move is unlikely to lead to his immediate removal.
It comes as a populist cleric led thousands of protesters in Islamabad, demanding the government resign.
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Mali conflict: France to increase troop numbers
President Francois Hollande says more French troops are to be deployed in Mali to support the 750 in the country countering an Islamist insurgency.
Mr Hollande said new air strikes overnight had "achieved their goal". One target was the town of Diabaly, which rebels entered on Monday.
West African military chiefs are meeting in Mali to discuss how an alliance with the French will work.
France began its intervention on Friday to halt the Islamists' advance south.
Late on Monday, the UN Security Council unanimously backed the intervention.
'Really scared'
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British special constable shot dead by bandits in Kenya
A British man who was killed in Kenya on Saturday was a special constable with the Metropolitan Police.
Jamal Moghe, 26, from Wembley, north-west London, also worked as a civilian employee of the Met based at Ealing in west London.
He is believed to have been killed by bandits while travelling on a charity trip.
Ealing borough commander Andy Rowell said: "We were all shocked and saddened to hear of Jamal's death."
Mr Moghe was a criminal exhibits officer in Ealing and also worked as a special constable - a volunteer police officer - in his home borough of Brent.
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Guatemalan mayor Carlos Castillo Medrano shot dead
The mayor of the eastern Guatemalan town of Jutiapa has been shot dead as he waited to have his hair cut at a barber's.
Witnesses say Carlos Enrique Castillo Medrano, 39, was killed by two unidentified men who shot at him six times before escaping on a motorbike.
His death came as President Otto Perez Molina addressed the nation to mark his first year in office and hailed "a historic decline in violence".
Murders were down by some 10%, he said.
"We have had 526 fewer homicides in 2012 than in the previous year," said Mr Perez Molina in his state-of-the-nation address.
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Cairo train derailment leaves 19 dead
A military train carrying army recruits has derailed south of Egypt's capital, Cairo, killing 19 people and injuring more than 100, officials say.
The train was heading to an army camp in Cairo when a carriage became detached and crashed into a goods train in the Badrashin area of Giza.
Egypt's prime minister visited the scene, but was led to safety after being abused by angry bystanders.
Egypt's roads and railways have a notoriously poor safety record.
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US shoots down Death Star superlaser petition
The White House has rejected a petition to build a Death Star - a huge battle-station armed with a superlaser as seen in the Star Wars films.
In a playful response, a senior US government official said the Obama administration "does not support blowing up planets".
The official also said the cost - about $850 quadrillion - was too high.
More than 34,000 people had signed the petition, saying the project would spur job creation and strengthen defence.
They also wanted the government to begin construction by 2016.
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UK assumes presidency of G8 group
The UK is assuming its year-long presidency of the G8 group of nations.
The presidency - which rotates through the G8 members - means it will host the annual leaders' summit and choose the global priorities that are discussed.
June's summit is to be held at Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, while topics discussed will include tax havens.
The G8 is made up countries who have, historically, been the richest in the world - France, the US, Russia, Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada and the UK.
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Can an emboldened President Obama address gun control?
I am in London as I follow news of this terrible slaughter. The president is so right - every parent will feel this tragedy deep in their hearts.
But politics is never far away.
Only hours before, I had been explaining to British friends that most people in the UK just did not get the American attitude towards guns, with many regarding it as a sort of crazy aberration.
But it is just different.
Americans believe they have a right to own guns, not just for sport or hunting but for self defence. That right is embodied in their most revered political document, the constitution.
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Gabrielle Giffords launches gun control campaign
A former US congresswoman who survived a gunshot wound to her head during a mass shooting has launched a campaign against gun violence.
Gabrielle Giffords' Americans for Responsible Solutions initiative aims to raise money for gun control efforts.
It comes as the White House holds talks with groups representing gun-owners, victims and the video game industry.
A school shooting in December that killed 20 children and six adults has fuelled debate over gun violence.
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