Egypt has allowed a shipment of construction materials to enter the Gaza Strip through its territory for the first time in 5 years.

Thousands of tonnes of supplies donated by the Gulf state of Qatar were allowed to reach Gaza through Egypt.

Egypt had previously been following strict import restrictions imposed by Israel.
The recent ceasefire deal between Israel and Gaza’s political representatives, Hamas, has allowed for a relaxing of the import laws.

The US embassy in Central African Republic has brought its operation to a halt as the ambassador along with 40 diplomats have left the country on Thursday, due to escalating tensions between the Seleka rebels and the CAR government.

US State Department deputy spokesperson, Patrick Ventrell said in a statement,

“This decision is solely due to concerns about the security of our personnel and has no relation to our continuing and long-standing diplomatic relations with the CAR.”

Suspected Taliban militants lined up and shot 21 policemen on a cricket pitch in Pakistan on Saturday night, although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the killing.

The murdered men were kidnapped last Thursday after rocket-propelled grenade attacks on two security posts.

Naveed Akbar Khan, a local government official, told the AFP news agency:

The United Nations Secretary General has released a statement calling on the Indian government to bring to justice the perpetrators of the rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi, who died from her injuries in the attack.

In a statement released on Saturday a spokesman for the Secretary General said,

"He offers his sincerest condolences to her parents, family and friends, and utterly condemns this brutal crime.

The government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and rebels have agreed to hold talks following recent violence, and gains made by the Seleka rebels with some suggesting that CAR's capital Bangui could be in rebel hands within a 'few days'.

Meanwhile, more troops from the Central African Multinational force (Fomac) are to be deployed to CAR.

Talks are to be held in Libraville, in Gabon, and are said to be free of any pre-conditions.

The Burmese government has announced it will allow privately owned newspapers for the first time in 50 years.

The information ministry said it will take applications by Burmese citizens from February 2013 and would permit the publication in any language from April.

Burma abolished government censorship earlier this year, in a continuation of moves to liberalise the country.

British Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt, has criticised Israel’s announcement of new settlements, stating that they are in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

In a statement released earlier this week Burt said,

Protesters in Delhi on Thursday (The Hindu)

A poll by TrustLaw, a Thomson Reuters news service, has found that India is the worst of the Group of 20 countries to be a woman in.

The Russian government is urging Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to engage with the opposition.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia still refuses to support calls for Assad to step down but pressed Assad to consider all options to end the conflict.

"We actively encouraged... the Syrian leadership to maximally put into action its declared readiness for dialogue with the opposition," Lavrov said to reporters on Thursday, after a meeting with Syria’s deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad.

Russia's invitation for peace talks has been rejected by Syria's opposition leader, dampening international hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Talking on Al Jazeera TV, Moaz Alkhatib said:

"We have clearly said we will not go to Moscow. We could meet in an Arab country if there was a clear agenda,"