The northern town of Gao had been controlled by Movement for Oneness and Jihad for months

Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene once again proved his worth at penalties yesterday as the defending champions held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in the African Cup of Nations. Mweene first saw Nigeria's John Obi Mikel send a spot kick onto the outside of the post in the first half after diving the right way and then scored one himself at the other end to equalise in the 85th minute.

One guy grabbed the bag slung over my shoulder as his friend snatched the sunglasses from my face. They held me in place as a mob formed around us on the pavement and everyone started shouting.

France defends allies but calls for troops to be kept 'under control' amid latest allegations

The G8 group of developed countries should agree to “share the burden” of tackling terrorism in flashpoints around the globe, Prime Minister David Cameron said today.

The French military has distanced itself from a photograph taken during its operations in Mali, after the image of a soldier with his face obscured by a menacing skull bandana went viral.

Tony Blair has called on the UK to do “everything we can” to support French military operations in Mali.

The hunt is on in Mali for fugitive rebels who have gone into hiding

Favourites win 2-1 in South Africa

The Shadow Foreign Secretary argues against the use of a tired, imprecise phrase

Malian forces have regained control of the strategic town that was under extreme Islamist rule for four months, as the French-led military intervention pushed northwards in its second week.

English-speaking jihadis seen in Mali, as a Canadian is reported to have co-ordinated Algeria attack

Sarkozy, for good reasons and bad, is partly responsible for what is happening  in Mali