Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Saturday he welcomed a US-Russian peace initiative to end Syria's civil war but had no plans to resign.

An aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he will seek military aid from India during a three-day visit this week.

Seeking a regime change in Syria, President Barack Obama on Friday ruled out any unilateral American action against the Assad regime.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in three troubled northern states, where a radical Islamist outfit has been carrying out killings and battling with government forces.

US President Barack Obama has congratulated PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, set to become Pakistan's next Prime Minister, on his election victory and pledged to further strengthen friendly ties with Islamabad.

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye personally apologized on Monday for an "unsavoury" incident during her US summit visit that led to the dismissal of her chief spokesman.

An angry President Barack Obama has sacked the acting head of US Internal Revenue Service over a fast moving scandal which sparked when officials unfairly targeted conservative groups.

Algeria's state news agency says that President Bouteflika has been referred to a Paris hospital for medical treatment following a mini-stroke.

The Syrian news agency, citing initial reports, early on Sunday said that Israeli missiles struck a military research center near the capital Damascus.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to find out the motives behind Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and left about 180 injured in the first major terror attack on American soil after 9/11.