Israel is continuing to hammer Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian health officials say over 225 people have been killed so far.
Israeli jets and helicopters hit security compounds and buildings in a wave of strikes which began just after midday local time and continued into the night.
Israel said more than 100 tonnes of bombs were dropped on dozens of targets in two intense waves of airstrikes.
There were many civilian casualties, as well as some top Hamas officials. Emergency services were overwhelmed and bodies were dumped in piles …

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) — Bursts of tear gas exploded in downtown Athens as police continued to battle hundreds of young self-styled anarchists rioting Sunday in major cities across Greece.
In a fury over the death of a teenager killed by police on Saturday, angry demonstrations had not abated by late Sunday night.

Zimbabwe’s President is under renewed pressure as officers are told to quell any sign of mutiny by troops who rioted over pay Officers in the Zimbabwean army have been told by their superiors that they will be held responsible for any repeat of the riots in Harare last week, when the capital was rocked by soldiers rampaging through the city in anger at not being paid.
Furious rank-and-file soldiers smashed their way into black-market shops dealing in US dollars and snatched cash from illegal money-changers on the street, prompting hopes in …

JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel said on Friday it will maintain its closure of the Gaza Strip despite international concern over a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the aid-dependent Palestinian territory.
“This decision was taken because of the continuation of Palestinian rocket attacks against southern Israel,” said Peter Lerner, a defence ministry spokesman.
A rocket fired from Gaza exploded near the port city of Ashkelon early on Friday without causing casualties or damage, army radio said.

Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda agreed on Sunday to support a United Nations peace process for eastern Congo, including respecting a ceasefire and creating a humanitarian corridor to aid refugees. After talks with a special U.N. envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, at Jomba in Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, Nkunda said he had agreed to three requests from him — to respect a ceasefire, open a humanitarian corridor and support the U.N. peace initiative.
“We agree,“ Nkunda said in French, but he had asked Obasanjo to tell …

Foreign Secretary David Miliband is flying to the Democratic Republic of Congo, amid fierce fighting between government and rebel forces.
He and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner will also visit Rwanda to impress on both countries the need to find a solution “urgently”.
More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been forced from their homes since fighting resumed in August.