Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Twenty-four people, mostly children, were killed Thursday when a blaze tore through a Malaysian religious school, trapped in their dormitory by metal grilles on the windows. Pupils and teachers inside the Islamic study centre in downtown Kuala Lumpur screamed for help as helpless neighbours looked …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia On Thursday began major joint military exercises with Belarus along the European Union’s eastern flank — a show of strength that has rattled nervous NATO members. Named Zapad-2017 (West-2017), the manoeuvres, scheduled to last until September 20, are taking place on the territory of …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Wednesday renewed her call for the immediate arrest of a senior Libyan commander wanted for war crimes, amid allegations he has killed more people. Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf Al-Werfalli “stands accused of serious crimes. I therefore call again on …

Lome, Togo | AFP | Lawmakers in Togo will begin to look at a constitutional reform bill from as soon as the end of this week, the head of the National Assembly said on Wednesday. Parliamentary groups and commissions met to read the government proposals, which came after opposition calls for …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | His family has ruled Togo for more than 50 years but President Faure Gnassingbe has in the last week faced unprecedented public pressure to step down. He and his country stand alone in West Africa in resisting calls for constitutional reform, even as parliament begins …

Washington, United States | AFP | US forces in Somalia conducted three air strikes on Islamist Shabaab targets Wednesday, killing six fighters with the Al-Qaeda linked group, the US military said. The pre-dawn operation occurred in southern Somalia about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south of Mogadishu. The strikes were conducted under …

Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi will address the crisis engulfing Rakhine state next week, in her first speech since scores were killed in violence that has sent nearly 380,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh and sullied her reputation as a defender of the oppressed. A …

Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Saudi authorities have called on the public to supervise and report on the social media activities of fellow citizens, while issuing broad definitions of “terrorist” crimes. “When you notice any account on social media spreading terrorist or extremist ideas, please report it immediately,” …

Paris, France | AFP | Two UN experts who were killed six months ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo were deliberately misled about the safety of the place where they were shot dead, French radio said Wednesday. In an investigative report published on its website, Radio France International (RFI) …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A former South African minister was convicted on Wednesday of brutally beating two women at a Johannesburg nightclub after one of them called him gay. Ex-deputy higher education minister Mduduzi Manana pleaded guilty to three counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm …