Fighters from the Syrian-Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) have declared Kobani as liberated from Islamic State.

Officials said they had driven out the militants, ending four months of intensive fighting in the strategic town on the border with Turkey.

YPG spokesperson Polat Jan said on Twitter: "Congratulations to humanity, Kurdistan, and the people of Kobane on the liberation of Kobane."

Militants from Boko Haram launched an attack on the key city of Maiduguri in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state.

The attack comes during US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Lagos, for talks with President Goodluck Jonathan and the main opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

The fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak was marked by pro-democracy protests across Egypt, with at least eleven deaths after riot police backed by soldiers attempted to quell the protests.

US President Barack Obama has landed in India on Sunday, embarking on a visit that he has hailed as the start of a new era of co-operation between the world’s largest democracies.

Breaking normal protocol, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, welcomed Mr Obama, as he disembarked from the plane.

Speaking ahead of his departure to India Today, Mr Obama said that, "I'd like to think the stars are aligned to finally realize the vision (of) India and America as true global partners."

His upbeat sentiment was echoed by the US ambassador in Delhi, Richard Verma, who said, "There's no question this is a defining time in the US-India relationship. Things not only feel different, they are different."

Mr Obama is set to attend India's Republic Day parade on Monday, becoming the first US President to have been invited. Accompanied by several congressional Democrats, as well as commerce and trade representatives, the issues of trade and security are thought to feature highly in bilateral talks.

Ram Madhav, a foreign-affairs adviser with India Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also emphasised the importance of the trip, saying Mr Obama is “proceeding in a very meticulous manner to place India at a totally different, higher leel in global affairs.”

Chairman of India’s National Security Advisory Board (NSA) Shyam Saran hailed the trip, saying “US-India relations have reached a new height”. “The US is an indispensable partner,” he added.

Commenting on the visit, India's finance minister Arun Jaitley also said that India would “like a much greater understanding with the United States with regards to regional issues", highlighting security issues in the region in particular.

A video has emerged showing the apparent execution of one of the two Japanese hostages held by Islamic State.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the video of hostage Haruna Yakuwa as "outrageous and unacceptable" and demanded for the immediate release of the second hostage.

"This act of terrorism is an outrageous and unacceptable act of violence," he said.

"I again strongly demand the immediate release of Mr Kenji Goto unharmed."

Islamic State on Tuesday released a video, showing the Japanese hostages and demanding $200mn within 72 hours. 

At least 30 people were killed in rocket attacks in the city of Mariupol in the east of Ukraine, as pro-Russian rebels announced a major offensive.

The rockets are thought to have come from rebel-held areas, but Alexander Zakharchenko, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said his forces had not carried out "active operations" against the city until Saturday.

The attacks were widely condemned, including by the EU who warned “would inevitably lead to a further grave deterioration of relations between the EU and Russia”, according to EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini.

The Yemeni president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, quit on Thursday after Houthi rebels advanced upto the presidential palace, plunging the country into deeper crisis.

Mr Hadi said he could not continue in office after the rebels failed to abide by the peace deal. According to the BBC, Mr Hadi's intelligence chief, Ali Hassan al-Ahmedi has also resigned.

Whilst, the Houthi rebels are yet to officially comment on the resignation, Reuters reported that some figures within the rebel group welcomed the move and proposed the creation of a 'ruling council'.

The funeral of two female Kachin teachers, suspected to have been raped and killed by Burmese soldiers, was held today in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state in northern Myanmar.

Maran Lu Ra and Tangbau Khawn Nan Tsin, aged 20 and 21, were in a remote village in Shan state, to teach children on behalf of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KCB), the group's spokesperson Lama Yaw told AFP news agency.

“The victims are dead and can’t point out who did it to them. But everyone in Myanmar -- not only the Kachin people -- knows the truth,” Lama Yawsaid, referring to KBC claims that soldiers were responsible.

Villagers say they were raped and beaten, and that boot prints were found outside their shared home. Activists and local media say Burmese troops were stationed near the village.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al Hussain called on Myanmar’s government to condemn Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu for the sexist insults directed at South Korea’s envoy to the country, Yanghee Lee, who had highlighted anti-Muslim sentiment.

Mr Wirathu of the notorious Buddhist nationalist 969 movement was slammed by Mr Zeid, who called the language employed by the monk as “sexist” and “incitement to hatred”.

"I call on religious and political leaders in Myanmar to unequivocally condemn all forms of incitement to hatred including this abhorrent public personal attack," Mr Zeid said in a statement.

Ms Lee had said the country’s Rohingya Muslims faced discrimination and criticised draft legislation, proposed by a coalition of nationalist Buddhist monks, which includes restrictions on interfaith marriage and religious conversions.

Last week the UN passed a resolution, calling on Myanmar to grant the Rohingya citizenship.

The monk criticised UN “interference” and attacked Ms Lee at a rally last Friday.