The church, which holds 3,000 people, is packed - with many more people crowded outside Thousands of mourners in Nigeria are attending the burial service for people killed at a church on Christmas Day. The BBC’s Chris Ewokor at St Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla near the capital, Abuja, says the service sheets list the names of 43 victims. The militant Islamist group Boko Haram said it carried... 

A gun battle between rival Libyan militia groups has erupted in the capital, Tripoli, officials say. Exchanges of fire were heard and plumes of smoke seen coming from the el-Saadi district in central Tripoli, eyewitnesses reported. An interior ministry official told Reuters news agency the fighting was between militiamen from the city of Misrata, and a group from Zintan. The two militia groups fought... 

US President, Barrack Obama, has confirmed that unmanned drones regularly strike suspected militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas. President Obama Mr. Obama called the strikes a “targeted focused effort at people who are on a list of active terrorists”. The US does not routinely speak publicly about drone operations. Mr. Obama made his comments during an hour-long video “hangout”... 

At least 11 people have been killed in air strikes on al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen, local residents and officials say. One tribal leader said at least four of the dead were local al-Qaeda leaders, Reuters news agency reports. They were reportedly attacked by a drone in Abyan province. Islamists began taking control of parts of Abyan last year. Security forces have tried unsuccessfully to push... 

Thousands rallied in support of Judge Garzon on Sunday The supreme court in Spain has refused a request to throw out a case against Judge Baltasar Garzon, accused of overstepping his authority. Spain’s most famous judge is testifying at his own trial for ordering an inquiry into mass killings by forces loyal to former dictator Gen Franco. Baltasar Garzon is accused by two groups of violating... 

At least 40 people have been killed by armed gunmen in a cattle raid in South Sudan, officials say. Some reports say as many as 100 people could have been killed in the attack on a camp in Warrap state. South Sudan’s interior minister accused the Sudanese government in Khartoum of arming the attackers, a militia group from neighbouring Unity State. Tensions remain high since South Sudan seceded... 

Troop deployments have failed to stem defiance in other parts of Syria The Syrian army is reported to have regained control of some Damascus suburbs recently held by rebel forces. Huge deployments of troops and tanks were used, and the suburb of Saqba is still under bombardment, activists say. The rebel Free Syrian Army has melted away but says it still has a presence in the area. At least 26 people... 

Wali Hazrata is in police custody. She has made no public comment about the allegations A woman in north-eastern Afghanistan has been arrested for allegedly strangling her daughter-in-law for giving birth to a third daughter. The murdered woman’s husband, a member of a local militia, is also suspected of involvement but he has since fled. The murder took place two days ago in Kunduz province.... 

Heavy and 'inappropriate' use of tear gas causing growing concern Amnesty International has called for an investigation into what it says is the misuse of tear gas by Bahraini security forces. The organisation says that more than a dozen deaths may have resulted from the heavy use of tear gas in residential areas. Police are struggling to contain a growing wave of protests in the gulf island... 

The building that collapsed Rescue workers searching rubble from the collapse of three buildings in Rio de Janeiro have found six bodies while at least 16 people remain missing. They said it was unlikely many others would be found alive under the debris in the Brazilian city. Officials are investigating if illegal building works caused structural problems that led to the collapse. The buildings, one...