COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been ordered to defend Kirkuk "at any cost" A deadline allegedly set by Iraq's central government for Kurdish fighters to withdraw from key sites in the disputed city of Kirkuk has passed. Kurdish security officials said the deadline had been set for early on Sunday but Iraqi authorities denied it. Some reports now suggest the deadline has been extended by 24 hours. Both sides have sent troops to Kirkuk and brief clashes have already erupted between Kurds and Shia militia backing the government. Peshmerga fighters say they are preparing to defend positions in the city against possible attack by Iraqi forces. Tensions have been on the rise since Kurds held a referendum on independence last month, which Iraq called illegal. Iraqi Kurds decisively back independence Independence: What is at stake? The Iraqi parliament asked Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send troops to Kirkuk and othe...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption The suspect was paraded in front of the truck for the media Police in the Afghan capital Kabul say they have arrested a would-be suicide truck bomber, averting a major attack on the city. The truck was carrying nearly three tonnes of explosives and two bombs which had been hidden under boxes of tomatoes, a senior official said. When police acting on a tip-off tried to stop the driver at a checkpoint, he drove on and was shot and injured. A truck bomb killed more than 150 people in Kabul in May. The police officers' timely action on Saturday, a police official said, had saved the city from a great tragedy. Thirty yellow and orange plastic containers filled with explosive material and two bombs each weighing 100kg (220lb) were found in the truck, AFP news agency reports, quoting the interior ministry. Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Two bombs could be seen in the back of the truck A Western security source told the agency that...

Media caption The aftermath of the explosion in Mogadishu A massive bomb attack in a busy area of the Somali capital Mogadishu has killed at least 85 people, officials say. Dozens more were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives detonated near the entrance of a hotel. Police say two people were killed in a second bomb attack in the Madina district of the city. It is not clear who staged the attacks. Mogadishu is a regular target for the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab group, which is battling the government. President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the blast. Local media reported families were gathering in the area on Sunday morning, looking for missing loved ones amidst the ruins of one of the largest bombs ever to strike the city. Image copyright AFP Image caption The death toll continues to rise after the deadly blast Image copyright REUTERS Image caption There are fears people are...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Sebastian Kurz has taken the conservatives further to the right Austrians are voting in a general election in which the frontrunner, conservative People's Party (ÖVP) leader Sebastian Kurz, is just 31. The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) and Social Democrats are competing for second place, opinion polls suggest. The Social Democrats led the outgoing coalition with the ÖVP. Immigration has been a dominant issue in the campaign and the FPÖ is thought to have its best chance in years of returning to government. The party narrowly missed out on the presidency in December when Norbert Hofer was defeated by Alexander Van der Bellen, head of the Greens, who won with about 53% of the votes. The election comes amid anxiety in Europe over the huge influx of undocumented migrants and refugees in 2015, which fuelled  an electoral breakthrough by the far right in neighbouring Germany  last month. Parties clash in final TV debate Austrian ban...