The Pentagon has described the Taliban seizure of the northern Afghan city of Konduz on Monday as a setback, but says it's confident that the Afghan military can retake it. The US defense spokesman Peter Cook said a counter offensive was under way. We strongly condemn the attacks in Konduz and stand with the Afghan people in our commitment to Afghan's peace and security. The situation in Konduz remains fluid, and we are continuing to follow the situation closely. We have confidence in the Afghan national security forces. He said American forces had carried out an air strike on the outskirts of Konduz, but a BBC correspondent says the Taliban are in residential areas of the city center which the Afghan government is unwilling to bomb for fears of causing civilian casualties.
The interim authorities in Burkina Faso say the army has taken control of the barracks of elite force behind a failed coup earlier this month. There is no word on any casualties. Thomas Fessy reports. Government troops fired artillery and used tanks to dislodge members of the presidential guards who refused to disarm. They had earlier surrounded their camps giving them a last chance to surrender. The interim authorities now consider it a job done, but the man behind the recent coup general Diendere, who had earlier called on elite soldiers to lay down their weapons, is nowhere to be found. It is suspecting,however, they sought refuge in a compound that belonged to the Vatican's diplomatic mission.
The authorities in the Central Africa Republic say residents of the capital Bangui are observing a night time curfew following days of intense fighting between Christian and Muslim groups. The interior minister told the BBC that the government was in control, but the situation remained volatile.
The Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has confirmed that he intends to remain in personal control of the oil ministry, as he pursues an anti-corruption campaign. He has previously said he would trace and recover the mind-boggling sums of money that have been stolen from the oil sector.
The United States has announced sanctions against 35 people in groups associated with Islamic state movement to try to cut off their sources of funding. From New York, Barbara Plett Usher has the details. The sanctions are aimed at disrupting how Islamic state operates. They target financial,logistical and recruiting operatives. And they demonstrate how widely the group has spread its influence. The list includes regional spinoffs from Egypt to the Russian Caucasus, and individuals from Indonesia to Pakistan, as well as a number from Britain and France. Some of them including the Britons were among those added to the UN's al-Qaeda sanction list this week. The announcement in Washington coincided with the UN summit on expanding the fight against terrorism chaired by President Barack Obama. Barbara Plett Usher reporting. You are listening to world news from the BBC.
President Obama and the Cuban President Raul Castro have held talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, their first meeting on US soil. The two men discussed some of the steps towards reconciliation that had been made in recent months.
Doctors in Britain have secured the approval to carry out the country's first tempted womb transplants as part of a clinical trial. Last year, a baby in Sweden became the first in the world to be delivered following a successful womb transplant, Fergus Walsh reports. Around one in 5000 women is born without uterus, and already more than 100 potential transplant recipients have been identified by the UK team. Unlike in Sweden where the womb was donated by a friend of the recipient, the British team will use organs from deceased donors. The woman will need to take immunosuppress drugs to prevent the womb being rejected. These carry long term health risks, so surgeons will remove the womb either 6 months after birth or once they have tried for a second baby.
The Indian capital city Deli is suffering its worst outbreak of dengue fever for years. Officials say about 25,000 people have been infected by the mosquito borne disease which can be fatal. But a BBC correspondent in Deli says the real number is thought to be far higher. He says fights have broken out among those waiting for treatment at one hospital where 9/10 people have been turned away because of a shortage of resources.
The fugitive US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has attracted more than 700,000 followers within hours of opening an account on the social media site twitter. In one of his first twits, Mr. Snowden described himself as just a citizen with voice. The US government filed espionage charges against him after he exposed details of its surveillance program. BBC news.