An election rally attended by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was hit by a suicide bomb, killing at least one and injuring 18.

The rally, in the northern city of Gombe, was held in advance of the presidential election on February 14, where Mr Jonathan will face the former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.

According to residents, the president left the rally three minutes before the explosion.

A local journalist told AFP the explosion had led to unrest in Gombe, with angry youths attacking supporters of Mr Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Sunni disenfranchisement in Iraq must be addressed, whilst the US led coalition nullifies the immediate threat of Islamic State militants, US military officials said on Tuesday.

US military officials urged the Shi’ite majority Iraqi government to reach out to the disenfranchised Sunnis to ensure lasting stability in the region, reports Reuters.

The Farc militants resumed peace talks with the Colombian government in Cuba after a break, reports Agence France Presse.

“We resumed the talks, and are hoping continue to seek an agreement in terms known by the people of Colombia and the whole world,” said a statement by the Farc commander Joaquin Gomez.

Uganda assured the International Criminal Court of “full cooperation” with the case prosecuting the Ugandan rebel commander for mass atrocities.

Uganda’s government would help with investigations as well as identifying potential witness for the case, the country’s attorney general, Peter Nyombi told reporters.

“The ICC may want us to assist them in accessing certain witnesses. We are establishing a technical committee for that purpose,” he said.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry, who plans to visit Ukraine on Thursday, will open discussion on providing lethal aid to the Ukrainian government, reports the New York Times.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey and John Kerry will hold discussion on the matter, officials have told reporters.

The president’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, who has previously resisted calls to provide lethal aid to Ukraine, is now prepared to reconsider the issue, another source told the press.

An Australian Al Jazeera journalist, convicted and jailed by Egypt, has been freed after 400 days in custody.

Peter Greste was freed and deported, while two other Al Jazeera reporters are still being held.

Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, like Mr Greste, were convicted of spreading false news and aiding the Muslim Brotherhood. Some reports indicate Mr Fahmy, who holds dual Canadian-Egyptian nationality will be deported to Canada after having his Egyptian nationality revoked. Egyptian Mr Mohamed's fate remains unclear.

Peace talks between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian militants collapsed on Saturday with no tangible progress towards a new ceasefire between the conflicting parties, reports Reuters.

Ukraine’s representative, Leonid Kuchma, left the talks in Belarus, blaming separatists for undermining the talks by making ultimatums and refusing to discuss plans for a new ceasefire.