Staff at embassies in North Korea appeared to be remaining in place yesterday despite an appeal by authorities in Pyongyang for diplomats to consider leaving because of heightened tension after weeks of bellicose exchanges.

One person has been killed as hundreds of thousands of people continued protests in Bangladesh to demand that the government introduce an anti-blasphemy law that would include the death penalty for bloggers who insult Islam.

Protesters torch a police station in Port Said as US Secretary of State John Kerry lands in Cairo for talks.

Kenyan presidential hopefuls have made their final bids to woo voters on the last day of campaigning for the tightly fought today elections.

An opposition leader called yesterday for Egyptians to boycott elections due to start in April, saying the process under Islamist President Mohamed Mursi would be “an act of deception”.

At least 13 Chadian soldiers have been killed in fighting in northern Mali, the heaviest casualties sustained by French-led African troops since the launch of a military campaign against rebels last month, Chad’s army has said.

Pretoris — A look at the assets of Oscar Pistorius, laid out in an affidavit by the athlete and presented to court after he was charged with premeditated murder in the 14 February shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. 

Hundreds of Venezuelans have lit candles, cried and prayed for Hugo Chavez’s health at hillside park near the presidential palace, as the president continues to receive treatment in a military hospital.

London — Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric says priests should be allowed to marry and have children.

North Korea warned the top US military commander stationed in South Korea that his forces would “meet a miserable destruction” if they go ahead with scheduled military drills with South Korean troops, North Korean state media said.

The most prominent Syrian opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), has announced it is pulling out of the upcoming Friends of Syria meeting in Rome and scheduled talks in Russia and the United States.