Egyptian authorities have authorised police to use deadly force to protect themselves and key state institutions from attacks.

Egypt’s military has moved to tighten its control on key institutions in preparation for an almost certain push to remove the country’s Islamist president when its ultimatum expires.

Iran has shrugged off America’s request for the return of its spy drone and instead demanded an apology.

Authorities in Thailand are preparing to stop 99 elephants and thousands of villagers from protesting against the possible dissolution of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s political party.

The Thai prime minister fired his agriculture and defence ministers today as part of a high-level shake-up aimed at tackling a deadly outbreak of bird flu and a bloody separatist insurgency in the Muslim-dominated south.