Security forces in Algeria arrested 41 people during protests in the capital Algiers against ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office.

Cyprus gears up for a presidential election next week with incumbent Nicos Anastasiades favourite to win as he pledges a fresh push to reunify the divided island after talks collapsed last year.

Haider al-Abadi's newly created "Victory Alliance" will face the "State of Law" bloc of Nuri al-Maliki, his predecessor, key rival and Shia Dawa party co-member who now holds the post of vice president.

Qatar National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) welcomed the selection of State of Qatar to the UN General Assembly for a second term as a member of the Human Rights Council.

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he had not yet decided whether to run for re-election in 2018, but promised not to change the constitution to allow him to keep on running for Russia's top political post indefinitely.

Defying scepticism and geek-stigma, mobile phone firms are determined this year to sell you a wristwatch wirelessly connected to your mobile phone.