Militants from Boko Haram launched an attack on the key city of Maiduguri in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state.

The attack comes during US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Lagos, for talks with President Goodluck Jonathan and the main opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

Residents on the outskirts of Maiduguri told the BBC that "hundreds of thousands of people" were fleeing and that the military was keeping a low profile.

US President Barack Obama has landed in India on Sunday, embarking on a visit that he has hailed as the start of a new era of co-operation between the world’s largest democracies.

Breaking normal protocol, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, welcomed Mr Obama, as he disembarked from the plane.

Speaking ahead of his departure to India Today, Mr Obama said that, "I'd like to think the stars are aligned to finally realize the vision (of) India and America as true global partners."

His upbeat sentiment was echoed by the US ambassador in Delhi, Richard Verma, who said, "There's no question this is a defining time in the US-India relationship. Things not only feel different, they are different."

Mr Obama is set to attend India's Republic Day parade on Monday, becoming the first US President to have been invited. Accompanied by several congressional Democrats, as well as commerce and trade representatives, the issues of trade and security are thought to feature highly in bilateral talks.

Ram Madhav, a foreign-affairs adviser with India Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also emphasised the importance of the trip, saying Mr Obama is “proceeding in a very meticulous manner to place India at a totally different, higher leel in global affairs.”

Chairman of India’s National Security Advisory Board (NSA) Shyam Saran hailed the trip, saying “US-India relations have reached a new height”. “The US is an indispensable partner,” he added.

Commenting on the visit, India's finance minister Arun Jaitley also said that India would “like a much greater understanding with the United States with regards to regional issues", highlighting security issues in the region in particular.

The fifth anniversary of the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak was marked by pro-democracy protests across Egypt, with at least eleven deaths after riot police backed by soldiers attempted to quell the protests.

Clashes erupted on Sunday following the death of activist Shaimaa al Sabbagh, who was shot yesterday during a march by the socialist Popular Alliance party in central Cairo. Photos of her during the peaceful protest and after she was hit by birdshot were widely shared on social media. Fellow activists accused police of shooting Ms al Sabbagh in the back.

At least 30 people were killed in rocket attacks in the city of Mariupol in the east of Ukraine, as pro-Russian rebels announced a major offensive.

The rockets are thought to have come from rebel-held areas, but Alexander Zakharchenko, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said his forces had not carried out "active operations" against the city until Saturday.

The attacks were widely condemned, including by the EU who warned “would inevitably lead to a further grave deterioration of relations between the EU and Russia”, according to EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini.

A video has emerged showing the apparent execution of one of the two Japanese hostages held by Islamic State.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the video of hostage Haruna Yakuwa as "outrageous and unacceptable" and demanded for the immediate release of the second hostage.

"This act of terrorism is an outrageous and unacceptable act of violence," he said.

"I again strongly demand the immediate release of Mr Kenji Goto unharmed."

Islamic State on Tuesday released a video, showing the Japanese hostages and demanding $200mn within 72 hours. 

At least five Lebanese soldiers have been killed after clashes with Islamic militants on the Syrian border, said Lebanon's army.

The fighting took place in the village of Ras Baalbek, with the army saying that a "military base in the Ras Baalbek mountains was attacked by a terrorist group".

The Independent reported a military official as saying “we are targeting their gatherings and positions with artillery shells and helicopter gunships.”

Police in Kosovo fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters calling for the resignation of a minister from the Serb minority, Aleksander Jablanovic.

Approximately 10,000 ethnic Albanian protesters gathered outside a government building with dozens throwing stones and attacking police, injuring 20 police officers, reports Reuters.

The first set of 100 US troops have been ordered to travel to the Middle East to establish training sites for the Syrian opposition, announced the Pentagon on Friday.

The pentagon press secretary, John Kirby, said that the decision, which was authorised last week, would see a 100 troops arriving in countries outside Syria in the next few days, with several hundred other military trainers joining in upcoming weeks.