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A woman sentenced to death for marrying a Christian flew to Italy today and met privately with Pope Francis. Meriam Ibrahim, 27, was sentenced to be flogged and hanged to death in Sudan for marrying a Christian and converting from the Muslim faith to Christianity. Ibrahim's story drew outrage from people across the globe as it went viral on social media under the "#savemeriam" hashtag and world leaders condemned the harsh sentence.

The mayor of a Netherlands city has apologized for suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughter should be kicked out of the country. Pieter Broertjes, mayor of Hilversum , made the comment during a radio interview today, The Guardian reported.  His dig at Maria Putin, who reportedly lives in South Holland, comes as the Netherlands mourns victims of a Malaysia Airlines flight that was shot down by a missile in Ukraine last week. 

( Nigeria ) Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has called on the Federal Government to urgently take steps to halt the escalating security challenges in the country, which he said has reached an embarrassing proportion. Reacting to the twin bombing in Kaduna on Wednesday, targeted at Islamic cleric Dahiru Bauchi and former Head of State and All Progressives Congress, APC chieftain, General Muhammadu Buhari, the former Vice President said a situation where a former Head of State and key opposition figure could be targeted by terrorists or hatchet killers is a dangerous development, which should not be taken lightly by any responsible Nigerian.

Fifteen people were killed, including a baby, when an Israeli shell Thursday slammed into a United Nations-run school in the Gaza Strip sheltering Palestinians fleeing fighting between Hamas and Israel 's army, medics said. Emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said at least another 200 people were injured, with more bodies and wounded expected to arrive at nearby hospitals, reports AFP. It was the latest in a number of Israeli strikes on schools and hospitals in the embattled Palestinian territory, as the death toll from a 17-day operation to halt rocket fire by Gaza militants topped 770.

The International Monetary Fund warned Thursday that recent economic sanctions imposed against Russia could have a severe impact that would ripple through the region. "On a regional level, there's bound to be some impact," especially through trade channels, IMF spokesman William Murray said at a news conference, reports AFP. Murray said the impact was expected to be felt in economies "that have very active and direct trade links with Russia , particularly in eastern and central Europe and central Asia ."

( Nigeria ) Nigeria ’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has expressed concern over the prolonged delay in the release of the abducted Chibok girls by members of the Boko Haram sects.  Jonathan expressed the concern when she met with Nigerian community on Wednesday in Windhoek , Namibia . She empathised with family members of the girls and the entire Chibok community, saying that soon the girls would be released.

( Nigeria ) The Nigeria Football Association, NFA board on Thursday in Abuja passed a vote of no confidence on its Chairman, Aminu Maigari, and approved his immediate dismissal from the board. The board, which said the action was on grounds of financial misappropriation, misapplication and maladministration, mandated its First Vice-Chairman, Mike Umeh, to act as Chairman pending new elections.

A large shipment of weapons from Vietnam which Finnish customs officers detained last week was en route to Ukraine for guarantee maintenance, Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Hai Binh said on Thursday, reports Itar-Tass. “The weapons were dispatched as part of Vietnam’s military technical cooperation program with Ukraine. That was in full compliance with international laws,” the Vietnamese officials explained refusing to elaborate on what types of weapons were discovered in the arrested container.

(Nigeria) The Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has faulted  the political tension building up in the state, following the ongoing campaign tour of Governor Rotimi Amaechi under the pretext of tour of local government areas of  the state. The party said same was a clear case of arrant disregard for the rule of law and violation of the Electoral Act as Amaechi and his political office seekers were using the tour to the communities, wards and villages to campaign and solicit for votes from the unsuspecting members of the areas visited for the APC.

Donetsk self-defense fighters are battling with the Ukrainian army near the populated areas outside the city, the press office of the Donetsk People’s Republic said on Thursday citing the republic’s Defense Minister Igor Strelkov, reports Itar-Tass. The battle is raging near the villages of Marynivka and Dubrovka, the press office said. The militia’s casualties include about 50 people, “mostly wounded fighters", and also two tanks, two fighting infantry vehicles and one armored personnel carrier while enemy losses “are several times greater”, Strelkov was quoted as saying.

Britain is "gravely concerned" by the high number of civilian casualties resulting from Israel 's military operation in Gaza , Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Thursday. Speaking on his first official visit to the region since taking over as Britain's top diplomat, Hammond said London would do everything it could to help broker a quick end to the hostilities which have so far claimed the lives of more than 740 Palestinians in Gaza, 34 Israelis, mainly soldiers, and a Thai worker, reports  AFP.

Rescuers said Thursday they had recovered black boxes from the Taiwanese aircraft which crashed in torrential rain killing 48 people, as angry relatives blamed authorities for the worst air disaster in a decade. The discovery of the black boxes -- which record cockpit voice and other in-flight data -- raised hopes of an answer to what caused the domestic TransAsia Airways flight to crash in Magong in the Penghu island chain Wednesday, with just 10 survivors, reports AFP.

 Air Algerie’s passenger plane has crashed in the Republic of Niger, Algerian TV reports. There were 116 people on board. According to preliminary reports, 80 of them were citizens of France. Earlier it was reported that Air Algerie lost communication with one of its flights en route from the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou to Algeria’s capital, the city of Algiers. According to the air carrier, air traffic control services have lost connection with the plane 50 minutes after it departed from Ouagadougou. Spanish air carrier Swiftair reported that all the crewmembers of the missing plane — two pilots and four flight attendants — were citizens of Spain. McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jet belonged to Swiftair, but was operated by Air Algerie.

( Nigeria ) At least 82 people were killed on Wednesday in two suicide bombings in the north Nigerian city of Kaduna, one aimed at opposition leader and ex-president Muhammadu Buhari and another at a moderate Muslim cleric about to lead a crowd in prayer, reports Reuters The attacks bore the hallmarks of Islamist group Boko Haram, which considers all those who do not share its views to be enemies. But it may also have been linked to politics before the 2015 elections.

United States   security services have finally briefed journalists on the ill-fated Malaysian Boeing 777 that crashed in Ukraine ’s Donetsk region on July 17, reports Itar-Tass. The US briefing took place three days after the Russian Defense Ministry had held a similar briefing in Moscow . Russian generals who took part in the Moscow briefing demonstrated space images of deployment of Ukraine ’s anti-aircraft units, video recordings of the Rostov aviation hub with flight routes and corridors in the crash area; they analyzed a fake video showing the transportation of an unknown Buk missile complex that was circulated in social networks.

( Nigeria ) The Chairman, Governing Council of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, on Wednesday criticised the high rate of poor time management in the country. Odinkalu, who spoke at a two-day Public Hearing on Electoral Accountability on Wednesday in Abuja , said it was disheartening that many Nigerians did not keep to time.

( Nigeria ) The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, said no less than 200,000 barrels of crude oil were lost to oil theft daily in Nigeria . The Director, Shipping Development Department of NIMASA, Mr Warredi Enisuoh, stated this at a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos . Enisuoh described the rate of oil theft in the country as disturbing and attributed it to the nation’s inability to track ships “in real time” in Niger Delta.

( Nigeria ) The Defence Headquarters said on Wednesday that the missing crew member of the crashed Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 helicopter had been found alive.  This information is contained in a statement signed by Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information, in Abuja . The statement stated that the crew member, an engineer, earlier declared missing because his body could not be at then crashed site, resurfaced at the military headquarters in Maiduguri .

( Nigeria ) Popular Islamic cleric based in Kaduna State, Shehu Dahiru Bauchi and Major General Muhammadu Burari (rtd)), were suspected targets of two bomb explosions in different parts of Kaduna metropolis Wednesday by suspected Boko Haram insurgents but they escaped. Spokesperson for the Department of State Security, DSS and member of the National Information Centre, NIC,  Marylyn Ogar confirmed the incident involving the cleric at a briefing by the NIC in Abuja .  “Of course, you know that Imam Shehu Bauchi holds annual Ramadan prayers. Now, we don’t want to be too forward because his convoy missed being hit by the whiskers and of course, we don’t want to be presumptuous also by saying it was targeted at him. So, investigation is still ongoing,” Ogar said.

Militia forces and Ukrainian troops are engaged in fierce fighting in the country's southeast while the death toll continues to rise, reports Itar-Tass. Eleven people were killed in the Donetsk Region, the local administration said. Ukrainian troops seized Donetsk airport and reached the city's outskirts while the central part of Donetsk remains under the control of the militia forces.

( Nigeria ) The Abuja Command of the Department of State Services, DSS, has arrested four suspected kidnappers over the alleged kidnap and murder of a woman at Gwagwalada area in the Federal Capital Territory . Briefing newsmen on the arrest on Tuesday, Mr Ibrahim Halilu, the Assistant Director in charge of Operations at the command, named the victim as Mrs Edith Chunedu. Halilu said that the late Chinedu, a proprietress of Chelson Group of Schools and Chief Executive Officer of Grants Micro Finance Bank, was kidnapped at her residence in Gwagwalada on June 29.

( Nigeria ) The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS , said it had arrested a human trafficking kingpin, Muntari Hamidu, 30, and five victims in Katsina State . The State Comptroller of NIS, Mr Emmanuel Ogbumuo, who disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Katsina, said the suspect had been on the watch list for a long time. Ogbumuo said the suspect was arrested in Maimujiya, a border town with Niger Republic , by a combined Immigration Border Patrol Team and the Nigerien police on Monday.

A total of 32 Israelis and 650 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave, since the start of Israel’s Protective Edge military operation in Gaza on July 8, reports Itar-Tass. Over nearly 16 days, Palestinian radicals have fired over 2,300 rockets against Israel from Gaza. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) data, 29 servicemen have been killed and some 200 wounded, with one private listed as missing. Three Israeli civilians have died and some 300 have been injured.

Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of manipulating data held by its air traffic authorities concerning the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last week, reports Itar-Tass. "According to the latest information, Ukrainian security forces, without notifying international organisations, are engaged in some secret work with the databases and personnel of Ukrainian air traffic services, both military and civilian," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

Defense Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, DPR, Igor Strelkov, has imposed a ban on reporters’ work in combat zones “out of considerations for safety and security", the DPR press service said Wednesday. “The ban is introduced to secure personal safety of mass media workers and to assure information security of self-defense forces brigade,” it said, reports Itar-Tass.

An explosion has occurred in central Kaduna killing at least 10 people, a witness has said, reports Premium Times. The blast occurred Wednesday afternoon along Isa Kaita road which leads to the popular Murtala Square . A witness said the explosion is believed to have targeted the convoy of a prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, who was on his way to the Square.

One of two planes with the Boeing 777 victims’ bodies has arrived Netherlands from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Ukraine' Commission for the Investigation of the Circumstances of the Malaysia Airlines plane crash said earlier on  Wednesday that the two planes carried the remains of the crash victims had left the country “The plane left the Donetsk International Airport with forty coffins on board,” the commission said in its report.

At least 51 people were killed and seven more injured when a TransAsia plane failed to make an emergency landing in Taiwan, Xinhua news agency reported. The plane had to make an emergency landing in Penghu County. The plane was flying from Gaoxiong to Magong. Preliminary reports say 58 people were onboard.

The militiamen of the self-proclaimed Donets People’s Republic, DPR, have shot down two strike fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force, reports Itar-Tass. The Novorossiya agency reported on Wednesday that “the parachute of one of the pilots was found; he managed to hide in the forest.” “Two Ukrainian military planes were shot down from MANPAD after the DPR militia positions near Saur-Mohila east from Donetsk were attacked,” the message says.

The bodies of 16 victims from a Malaysian airliner that crashed in east Ukraine remain at the crash site, the press office of the Donetsk People’s Republic said on Wednesday, reports Itar-Tass. “As of now, another 16 bodies remain under the plane fuselage debris at the crash site. The remains will be evacuated after survey specialists arrive and do the necessary work,” the press office said. A refrigerator rail car designated for this purpose is already staying at the Torez railway station. A rail car with the crash victims’ belongings collected at the crash site is also at the railway station, the press office said. “It has been sealed and placed under security.”

( Nigeria ) The Nasarawa State House of Assembly on Wednesday asked the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Suleiman Dikko, to constitute a seven-man panel to probe ``alleged gross misconduct” leveled against Governor Umaru Al-Makura. The legislature took the decision during plenary on Wednesday which lasted for about 20 minutes. Majority Leader of the House, Mr Godiya Akwashiki (PDP- Udege/Loko) moved the motion for the setting up of the probe panel in line with the provision of the 1999 constitution as amended.

( Nigeria ) The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has said that it will begin enforcement of the new drivers’ licence and number plate on August 1. The Lagos State Sector Commander, Mr Chidi Nkwonta, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the decision followed the new court judgment.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a bill on partial mobilization into law, the press service of the president said, reports Itar-Tass. On Tuesday, the Verkhovna Rada passed the decree by 232 votes. According to the press service, the law comes into effect on the day of its adoption. This is already the third mobilization announced in Ukraine this year.

The aggravation of military confrontation between the Israeli army and Palestinian radicals has caused mass suspension of international flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, reports Itar-Tass. On Tuesday, more than 70 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in the territory of Israel, including the capital. Moreover, the unstable situation persists around the international airport Ben Gurion. As a result, 15 companies from 10 countries have suspended flights to Israel to date.

United States Secretary of State, Mr John Kerry arrived in Israel on Wednesday to boost efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, a U.S. Embassy official in Tel Aviv told Xinhua. The Secretary of State, who came from Cairo where he had met with Egyptian officials, is scheduled to travel between Jerusalem and Ramallah throughout the day.

Ukrainian forces have recaptured Donetsk airport and reached the city's outskirts, a militia commander said on Wednesday, reports Itar-Tass. However, the city itself is under the militia control, said Igor Strelkov, the defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Flight recorders from the Boeing 777 that crashed in the Donetsk Region have been delivered to Britain under control of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, Ukrainian Ministry for Regional Development's press office reported on Wednesday, reports Itar-Tass. The black boxes arrived at Farnborough military airport in central England for examination by the international group of specialists in Farnborough laboratory dealing with air accidents with NATO aircraft in Europe .

Russia’s Transaero airline on Tuesday instructed the crew performing flight 311 from Moscow to Tel Aviv to return to the home airport, reports Itar-Tass. The plane left Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport at 20:45 and was scheduled to land at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at 23:50 local time. However it made a U-turn in midair and proceeded back to Moscow because of the deteriorated security situation in Israel.

A United States federal appeals court delivered a stinging and potentially crippling blow to President Barack Obama's health care law Tuesday, ruling that insurance subsidies may not be available to millions of users, reports AFP. In a judgment it said has "major consequences," the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Obama administration cannot subsidize Americans who purchased their coverage through a government website, and that tax credits established under the 2010 law can only be issued to residents of states that set up their own so-called exchanges for buying insurance.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Tuesday blasted as unacceptable the number of Palestinian casualties as Israel continued its bloody offensive on Gaza . "It's unacceptable that a country be threatened by rockets, but the response has to be proportionate," he said in a televised interview, as the Palestinian death toll rose to more than 620 on the 15th day of a conflict that has also killed 29 Israelis.

Interpol experts have begun identifying the victims of the Malaysian plane crash victims in eastern Ukraine, reports Itar-Tass. “Members of INTERPOL’s Incident Response Team, IRT, in Kharkiv, Ukraine have started the disaster victim identification, DVI, process following the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17,” Interpol said on its website on Tuesday.

France, not Russia, will come under European sanctions if it breaks the Mistral deal with Moscow, Belgian military analyst Bernard Auger told Itar-Tass. However, if this happens, Russia will demand “not only its money back but also the sterns that were made in Russia. They will have to disassemble them,” Rogozin said adding that “the suspension of the contract would be much less harmful for Russia than it would be for France.”

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo has won Indonesia’s presidential elections, according to the information released by the Central Electoral Commission on Tuesday. In 33 of the country’s 34 provinces, Widodo, who is more known as Jokowi, received 53.15 percent of votes. His competitor, former Lieutenant-General Prabowo Subianto got 46.85 percent.

( Nigeria ) President Goodluck Jonathan has reassured the Chibok community, Borno State that his administration was doing everything humanly possible to rescue the over 200 girls abducted from a college there in April and return them safely to their parents. Speaking at a meeting in the Presidential Villa, Abuja , Tuesday with parents of the abducted girls, some of the girls who escaped from their abductors and leaders of the community, President Jonathan appealed for their patience, understanding and cooperation.

( Nigeria ) Ekiti State Governor-elect, Mr Ayo Fayose, has said that the era of imposition of candidates for elective offices in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was gone. Fayose stated this at a meeting he held with aspirants for legislative and local government elective positions on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti. He said both the national and state chapters of the party had learnt a lot from the process that led to his election as governor.

( Nigeria ) The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, said on Tuesday in Lagos that the Army was winning the war against insurgency in the country. Minimah spoke at 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Bonny Camp, Victoria Island , during his maiden tour of the Army formations.

The Health Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, DNR, said on Tuesday that four people had been killed and as many wounded as a result of a Ukrainian army attack on Donetsk’s residential quarters. “All of them are civilian persons,” the ministry said.

A Taliban suicide attacker riding a motorbike killed five foreign guards in Kabul on Tuesday, the latest blast to rock the Afghan capital during an impasse over presidential election results. The attacker struck a compound near the outer perimeter of Kabul airport, which was targeted last week when insurgents seized a building in the same area and fired towards the airport using automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

  Gunshots have been fired into Al Jazeera’s bureau in the Gaza Strip amid an intensified bombardment campaign on the Palestinian enclave. The shots caused panic among the civilians living in the same building but no casualties have been reported in the incident on Tuesday morning. "Two very precise shots were fired straight into our building", Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the bureau in Gaza said.

Tanzanian police said Tuesday they had arrested eight people after 85 bags stuffed with human body parts including limbs, fingers and skulls were found dumped in a landfill. The black bin bags were discovered Monday in a suburb of the commercial capital Dar es Salaam . "We have arrested eight suspects in connection with the 85 bags found in Kinondoni area of Dar es Salaam ," city police chief Suleiman Kova told AFP.