BBC News with Fiona MacDonald.
An Algerian military operation to free a group of foreign hostages from their Islamists captors at a gas plant is reported to be over. The Algerian authorities have confirmed that hostages have been killed, as well as some of the militants. Reports suggest the facilities are still being searched. At least four foreign hostages have been freed, while 600 Algerian workers have also reached safety. Sebastian Usher reports.
The Algerian Communication Minister broke his government silence with the concession that its military operation has led to foreign hostages being killed or wounded but give no figures. He said his country was forced to act when the militants refused to negotiate. It's still unclear how many hostages may have died or made it to safety. Nationals from several countries are among the hostages. The British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he wasn't made aware of the military operation before it happened, and would have preferred to have been informed beforehand.
One of the hostages who's made it to safety is Stephen McFaul. He's 36 and from Belfast within Algerian on his Irish passport. His mother Marie says she won't let him work in Algerian again. "I'm delighted, I just can't describe how happy I am. I didn't think we'd have got this so soon, you know, we always hope. Look at the eyes we had it. So we're just so happy he is coming back to us, will not let him to go back again. Look at we all sat and next going to talk to him and be more tears in talk, I'm sure."
Heavy fighting has been continued in Mali where French troops have joined the Malian army in trying to halt a rapid advance by Islamist forces. French forces are continuing to bombard the town of Diabaly which was captured earlier this week. Malian soldiers are trying to drive Islamist fighters from Konna, whose capture prompted the French intervention. The French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the number of French military personnel in Mali had now reached 1400, more than a thousand more are still to be deployed. Several West African countries have also agreed to send troops.
The United States has officially recognized the Somali government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years. Speaking in Washington after meeting the Somali president, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the day as a milestone. Jane O'Brien has sent this report from Washington.
Somalia's step towards democracy and stability marks a rare success in the region that increasingly worries the US. African Union forces backed by the US have driven al-Qaeda linked insurgents out of the capital Mogadishu and most other cities. The US remains Somalia's biggest donor of emergency aid and development funds, but its recognition of the government could open the door to greater international support.
World News from the BBC
The son of the ousted Lybian leader Muammar Gaddafi has appeared in court for the first time since his capture during the uprising against his father's rule. Saif al-Islam attended a criminal court hearing in the western town of Zintan, charged with undermining state security. Saif al-Islam is wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, but Lybia has resisted extradition requests, saying they want to prosecute him at home.
A cleric in Pakistan, who has been demanding the resignation of the government, has said he struck a deal to end four days protest in the capital Islamabad. Tahirul Qadri and tens of thousands of his supporters have been camped outside government buildings since Sunday. Orla Guerin reports.
The deal was reached after hours of negotiations inside a bomb-proof container surrounded by a throng of flag waving protesters. This has been home to their leader Tahirul Qadri for the past three days since he swept into the capital denouncing Pakistan's leaders as inept corrupt thieves. The cleric secured some concessions, but not his key demands, including the immediate resignation of the government.
After a lengthy debate, the Greek parliament has expected to vote later on whether politician should face a criminal investigation from mishandling an inquiry into suspected tax evaders with a Swiss Bank account. The former Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou is at the center of this scandal after three of his relatives were removed from a list of the suspects, he denies any wrongdoing.
The International police organization INTERPOL and football's world governing body FIFA says the amount of money now being made through match-fixing is equivalent to the profits made by Coca Cola. Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble told a conference in Rome that organized crime gangs use illegal betting and match-fixing to launder vast sums of money, particularly in east Asia.
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