BBC News with Charles Carroll
The United States says it’s planning for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestinians in Washington with the first talks due on Monday. Earlier, the Israeli cabinet approved the release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners. Katy Watson reports from Washington.
Less than two weeks after John Kerry visited Jordan and announced an agreement establishing a basis for peace talks, Israel and Palestinians at a meeting in Washington, but this statement was carefully worded - these meetings will serve as an opportunity, it said, to develop a plan for how both sides can begin negotiations in the coming months. In other words, these are talks about talks. It's far more than has been achieved in the past few years and it's a welcomed development but it's still very early days.
The Egyptian interim President has extended to his Prime Minister the right to give the army powers of arrest. The move follows a warning by the Interior Minister that the authorities will respond forcefully to any disruption of security. The campaign group Human Rights Watch has accused the security forces of using excessive force against protesters from the Muslim Brotherhood. Jim Muir reports.
In the latest development, that some are seeing as ominous, the interim President Adly Mansour has issued a decree authorizing the interim prime minister to allow the armed forces to arrest civilians that could be a prelude to crack down on the pro-Morsi protest camp around the mosque in eastern Cairo, though it could also relate to attacks by militant gunmen on security forces in the Sinai peninsula and elsewhere. It's added to the tense situations surrounding the mosque which thousands of Morsi's supporters have made the focal point of their round the clock protest.
There have been explosions outside two courthouses in the latest unrest in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. The city has also seen a string of assassinations including at a prominent secular activist. Rana Jawad reports.
The spokesman of the military command center in Benghazi Mohamed al-Hijazy told the BBC that the cause of one of the blasts was anti-tank explosives placed under a car near the court. Ten residents from nearby apartment blocks behind the courthouse were injured from the impact of the bombing. One of the courts partially collapsed. Mr. Hijazy says he believes that some of the prisoners who escaped jail yesterday were responsible for the latest incidents. There was a mass prison break over the weekend which saw more than 1,000 inmates run free.
South African officials say an audit has shown that almost 1,500 members of the police force have committed criminal offences. The two-year survey also highlighted, what it called, serious challenges in maintaining discipline in the force. The Police Minister said the authorities were determined to root out unwanted elements from within the police, but the opposition Democratic Party has called the findings hugely embarrassing for the government.
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The people of Mali have voted in a presidential election meant to give the country a fresh start after French-led forces prevented an Islamist takeover last year. The election appears to have passed off largely peacefully despite threats of violence by Islamist rebels. A strong turnout was reported in the capital Bamako, but it's unclear how many people voted in the northern town of Kidal where Tuareg separatists remain influential.
The Party of the Zimbabwean Prime Minister says one of its senior members has been arrested after he presented evidence of alleged fraud to the electoral commission. The MDC, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, has been in a fractious and uneasy coalition with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party. Brian Hungwe reports.
Morgan Komichi was arrested on Sunday after allegedly making claims that a ballot paper has been found in a dustbin at a local hotel following a special poll designed for security forces last week. His party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai gives a warning at a rally on Sunday that should President Mugabe lead the elections don't be consequences: Mr. Tsvangirai and Mr. Mugabe are the main contenders. This is the third time they've faced off in the polls. The election takes place on Wednesday.
The authorities in Brazil say more than three million people gathered on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro to attend the mass celebrated by Pope Francis, marking the end of a weeklong Roman Catholic Youth Festival. Pope Francis encouraged young Catholics to go out of their parishes to help others. He announced the next Catholic World Youth Day will be held in the Polish city of Krakow in 2016.
Costumes which featured in the classic film The Sound of Music are due to be sold at an auction in Hollywood later today. Among the lots are the floral-print outfits worn by the Von Trapp family children which in the film were made by old curtains by their singing governess Maria, who was played by Julie Andrews.