Suicide bomber attacks Iraq army convoy, killing 25

A suicide bomber attacked an Iraqi army convoy in the northern city of Mosul early on Monday, killing at least 22 soldiers and three passers-by, police said.

The bomber drove a vehicle packed with explosives up to a military convoy in the eastern Kokchali district of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, before blowing himself and his car up."A suicide bomber was following the convoy and when it stopped in the middle of road, he detonated his vehicle right behind it," said a policeman at the scene who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Odisha police gun down three Maoists in Rayagada

Bhubaneswar : Odisha police claimed to have killed three Maoists in an encounter in a forest in Rayagada district, 500 km southwest of capital Bhubaneswar.

Police believe they gunned down six Maoists during the fire exchange in a forest near Kiramdungri village around midnight on Thursday. The higher toll, however, is yet to be confirmed.

Egypt freezes assets of top Islamists

Johannesburg: Egypt's prosecutor has ordered the freezing of assets belonging to 14 top Islamists, as part of an investigation into deadly violence.

Judicial sources said that the order by public prosecutor Hisham Barakat affects nine Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the group's general guide Mohamed Badie.

According to News24, the order will also affect five Islamists from other groups, including ex-militant faction Gamaa Islamiya.