A group of UN peacekeepers, who were captured by the Syrian opposition group, the al-Nusra Front, have been released.

According to a statement by the office of UN Secretary general Ban Ki-moon, the 45 Fijian peacekeepers were handed to UN Disengagement Observer Force (Undof) personnel on Thursday and were “in good condition”.

Militants from Boko Haram have “completely surrounded” the city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state in the northeast of Nigeria, reported the BBC.

The Israeli army are accused of committing war crimes during its offensive on Gaza in a report by New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Barcelona city hall said that some 1.8 million people took to the streets earlier today, as part of a mass rally calling for a Catalonia region independent from Spain.

Dressed in red and yellow, demonstrators formed a giant “V” to represent their support for a planned independence vote on November 9th.

In a statement released this week, the non-governmental organisation said thousands of residents had fled their homes as fighting between militias from Misrata and Zintan continued for control of Tripoli.

2nd lead

Leaders of the three main parties pledged their support to the devolution of greater powers in an effort to bolster the pro-unionist campaign ahead of Scotland's referendum on independence on September 18.

In a joint statement made Tuesday in Edinburgh, Scotland's Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, Labour leader Johann Lamont, and the Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, urged voters to back the call for more powers, instead of independence.

"It is possible to vote 'No' on 18 September and also say you are voting for change, for more powers for the Scottish Parliament," said Lamont. 

Labour leader Ed Miliband urged people across the UK to fly the Scottish flag, the Saltire, as a mark of support for keeping Scotland within the British union.

“Over the next few days we want cities, towns and villages across the UK to send a message to Scotland: stay with us,” he said.

The frantic moves by unionist parties come after polls put the Yes campaign ahead, two weeks before the vote.

Buckingham Palace meanwhile put an end to speculation the Queen will get involved in the debate in the run up to the referendum, after press reports that suggested she was concerned about the breakup of the union.

Troops from the African Union raped women and girls in Mogadishu, a new report by Human Rights Watch says.

The forces are said to have raped women seeking medical aid or water from their bases, with one 15 year old girl having her headscarf ripped off before being raped, the human rights group said.