Israel frees new batch of 26 Palestinian inmates
Israel has released the second of four batches of 26 Palestinian prisoners, as part of a deal for the resumption of peace talks.Those freed were all convicted of murders and had spent between 19 and 28 years in prison. Israeli and Palestinian officials resumed direct talks in Jerusalem in August after a three-year hiatus. (BBC)
Egypt arrests Muslim Brotherhood leader
Egyptian authorities have detained senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam El-Erian, an Interior Ministry source said on Wednesday, the latest arrest in a government crackdown against the Islamist movement. (Reuters)
US defends spying on foreign leaders
The head of US intelligence has told lawmakers that discerning foreign leaders' intentions is a key goal of the nation's spying operations. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said such efforts were a "top tenet" of US intelligence policy. But he told the intelligence panel of the House of Representatives the US did not "indiscriminately" spy on nations. (BBC)
United Nations to lead efforts to defend Earth from asteroids
The United Nations is to lead international efforts to create plans to defend the Earth from asteroids that pose a collision risk. The UN’s Action Team on Near Earth Objects is to work with space agencies around the world to draw up potential missions in response to asteroid threats. It will also help to establish a global network to provide an early warning system for any near earth objects that may pose a risk to the Earth. (Telegraph)
UN and health organisations call for ceasefire to deal with polio threat in Syria
Syria's government and rebels were urged on Tuesday to respect "vaccination ceasefires" and permit access to hundreds of thousands of children threatened by an outbreak of polio. Save the Children issued the ceasefire appeal after the World Health Organisation and the Damascus government confirmed an outbreak of the highly contagious disease in eastern Syria, the first for 14 years. (Guardian)
