A ‘minister’ in Syria's opposition government was among at least 12 people killed in a car bomb attack in the south of the country on Thursday, the body's spokesman said.

Huge blazes erupted in Syria's Aleppo as the city was rocked by fighting and air strikes on Thursday, ahead of last-ditch efforts by world powers to salvage a failed ceasefire.

Saudi-led air strikes killed 20 civilians in the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida late on Wednesday just hours after the rebels celebrated the second anniversary of their seizure of the capital, a government official said.

A boat carrying almost 600 people capsized off Egypt’s coast yesterday, killing at least 43, in the latest disaster among migrants trying to reach Europe.

The UN said yesterday it was ready resume humanitarian convoys in Syria after an attack on aid trucks and a warehouse, which left 20 people dead, triggered a suspension of deliveries.

Iran showed off missiles, warplanes, tanks and marching troops yesterday in a display of military strength in the face of growing regional tensions.

German police arrested a 16-year-old Syrian at a refugee hostel near Cologne on suspicion of having contact with a supporter of Islamic State abroad and expressing his willingness to carry out a bomb attack, authorities said.

Bahrain is to put on trial 11 people accused of attempting to murder a police officer and being part of a "terrorist" group, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Gunmen abducted an American teacher on Tuesday from an English language school in Sanaa, capital of wartorn Yemen, witnesses said, in the latest of a series of kidnappings of foreigners.

The UN Security Council met on Wednesday for crisis talks on Syria as air raids shook Aleppo and diplomatic tensions ran high over an attack on an aid convoy.

A boat carrying migrants capsized Wednesday off the coast of Egypt, killing at least 29 people and sparking an operation in which another 150 were rescued, officials said.

Egyptian state television said on Wednesday it had sacked its head of news after an old interview with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was screened in error.