US President Barack Obama on Wednesday pledged an "eternal" alliance with Israel in the face of the Iranian threat, saying he accepted the Jewish state would not defer to Washington on the question of how to handle it.

Paris was scrambling Wednesday to verify a claim by Al-Qaeda's north African branch that it has executed a French hostage in retaliation for France's military intervention in Mali.

Cyprus ordered banks to stay shut for another five days as ministers scrambled Wednesday to draw up a Plan B aimed at securing a bailout after parliament rejected a controversial tax on savings.

Venezuela said Wednesday it has suspended a "channel of communications" with Washington as it ratchets up tension ahead of elections to replace the late president Hugo Chavez.

Rebels in the Central African Republic on Wednesday rejected as insufficient President Francois Bozize's efforts to stave off renewed fighting by giving in to some of their key demands.

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday warned the Damascus regime it would be held accountable for any use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria in a move which would spark an international response.

A Zimbabwean magistrate on Wednesday denied bail to four aides to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and their lawyer, whose arrests marred a constitutional referendum last weekend.

US President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he does not expect Israel to defer to Washington on the question of how to handle the Iranian nuclear threat or whether to order military action against its facilities.

Central African Republic's President Francois Bozize on Wednesday ordered political prisoners in the country to be freed and a nearly 10-week curfew to be lifted, giving in to rebel threats that they could resume fighting.

China expects progress towards creation of a development bank and a joint foreign reserves fund at the BRICS summit of five emerging powers in South Africa, President Xi Jinping said in remarks released here Wednesday.

Cyprus on Tuesday ordered banks to stay shut for another five days as ministers scrambled to draw up a Plan B aimed at securing a bailout after parliament rejected a controversial tax on savings.

A Saudi prince jailed for life in Britain for murdering his servant has been flown home to serve the rest of his sentence, the British government said Wednesday.

Iran began the Persian New Year on Wednesday with its most senior leader asking the people to stand up to piling Western economic sanctions and also warning that the pressure was unlikely to ease.

French troops will begin pulling out of troubled Mali "from the end of April", French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told parliament on Wednesday.

Prince William's pregnant wife Catherine was given a badge to help expectant mothers get a seat on London's Underground when she accompanied Queen Elizabeth II on a visit Wednesday to mark the train network's 150th anniversary.

Debt-hit Cyprus scrambled on Wednesday to draw up a Plan B to secure an EU bailout after MPs rejected an unprecedented bank deposit levy, while also seeking to limit the amount of money leaving the island.

The party of Kenyan president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday accused European Union election monitors of bias in favour of his rival Raila Odinga, claims dismissed by the EU.

US President Barack Obama has selected the Indiana University Hoosiers as his choice to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's basketball tournament this year.

Most European stock markets rebounded on Wednesday following two days of losses caused by Cyprus' bailout drama.

London shares closed lower on Wednesday as the government announced its intention to stick firmly to a barrage of austerity measures while unveiling the budget.