Kurdish ground forces, supported by US led airstrikes retook, the Syrian town of Kobane from Islamic State militants, US Lieutenant-General James Terry confirmed on Saturday.

A statement issued by the US military, said, “Kurdish ground forces, supported by our air components, were successful in retaking the town of Kobane.”

“Kurdish forces continue to expand their positions to surrounding areas outside of Kobane by seizing key terrain routes,” the statement added.

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, agreed to imposed new sanctions over Russia's alleged involvement in propping separatist militants in Ukraine, reports Deutche Welle.

The EU Foreign Policy co-ordinator, Federica Mogherini, told reporters in Brussels, on Thursday that she and the bloc's foreign ministers had agreed on a new list of people to be target by sanctions.

Ms Mogherini added that the EU was prepared to take further action , stating,

A bomb blast at a Shia mosque in the Sindh province of Pakistan left at least 40 people dead.

The attack in Shikarpur came soon after Friday prayers and was claimed by Jundullah militants, who are linked to the Pakistani Taliban.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the incident and ordered an immediate investigation into the attack.

Mr Sharif is currently on a visit to Karachi, the capital of the province in the south of the country.

Russia may face new EU sanctions over support to separatist rebels in the east of Ukraine.

EU foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels on Thursday to debate fresh sanctions, on top of the already existing asset freezes and travel bans on Russian officials and Ukrainian separatist leaders.

"If we see no signs of improvement we should proceed with further sanctions," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told the BBC.

"How many people should be killed in order to realise that lines were crossed many times?"

The US also indicated it is considering further sanctions.

"As long as Russia continues its blatant disregard of its obligations... the costs for Russia will continue to rise," US Vice President Joe Biden is reported to have told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, during a phone conversation on Wednesday.

Amnesty International called on the United Nations Security Council to impose targeted sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes against those involved in violating international humanitarian law in Libya, alongside prosecutions through the International Criminal Court (ICC), in a briefing released this week.

“Unless the international community demonstrates the will to investigate war crimes and hold perpetrators accountable, the cycle of abuses and the suffering of victims is likely to worsen,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International. “This climate of impunity compounded by lawlessness must be ended.”

Cuba’s President Raul Castro has called for the return of the military base at Guantanamo Bay from the United States and the lifting of blockades on the country before the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In a speech at a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Castro also called for the removal of Cuba from a terror list and reparations for damages. His speech comes after the two countries agreed to attempt to normalise diplomatic relations last month, with high-level talks being held in Havana last week.

Mr Castro said that “the reestablishment of diplomatic relations is the start of a process of normalising bilateral relations". However, he went on to say, "but this will not be possible while the blockade still exists, while they don't give back the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo naval base."

The prime minister of Papua New Guinea said most of the refugees being held at the Australian-run detention centre in Manus Island are not genuine asylum seekers and are to be deported “within weeks”.

Describing most of the refugees as “economic migrants”, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told ABC,

"Most of the other people who are in the processing centre: we're now talking to their governments and we will start repatriating many of them in a very short time."

Protests involving hundreds of asylum seekers erupted at the detention centre earlier this month, with many stating their asylum claims have not yet been processed.

Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition told the BBC "[Mr O'Neill] is in no place to know whether they are [economic refugees] or not… There has been no determination assessment."

He went on to add that the news of deportation "undermines confidence that there is any respect for refugee law".

The Egyptian government slammed “reviews by some Western countries” over the killing of an Egyptian activist and other protestors in pro-democracy protests last week.

Shaimaa al-Sabbagh, a 31-year-old activist, was shot dead during the protests marking the fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. Her death, captured in graphic images and shared across social networks, was reportedly caused by the firing of guns by Egypt’s security forces and has sparked outrage across the country.

While the Egyptian government initially denied security forces were involved in the death, they have since stated an investigation into the killing has been opened.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry though slammed “Western reports” of the deaths, saying “it is strange how such reviews failed to convey the reality, choosing to turn a blind eye to acts of killing, burning and horror conducted by supporters of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group”.

A voice recording, purportedly by the Islamic State, says a Jordanian pilot held by the group will be executed, if an Iraqi prisoner held by Jordan is not released by sunset on Thursday.

The militant group had demanded the release of failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi in exchange for their Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, but Jordan said it would only free Ms Rishawi if Jordanian air force pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh is also released.

The latest voice clip, which is currently being investigated by Japan, appears to have Mr Goto conveying Islamic State's rejection of the counter offer and demands Ms Rishawi's release.