In a west African country where militant and terrorist attacks are “entirely unpredictable”, Irish soldiers are helping to train the Malian army to enforce the rule of law.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has welcomed the surprise declaration by the top leader of the Syrian opposition that he would negotiate with members of President Bashar Assad's regime in an effort to end the civil war.

French and Malian soldiers have won control of the desert city of Timbuktu following the retreat of Islamist extremists,

French troops have encircled a key Malian town to stop radical Islamists from striking closer to the capital, a French official said.