Germany to send 650 troops to Mali to relieve France

Berlin: Germany will send up to 650 soldiers to Mali, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said, to provide some relief to France in its global fight against the Islamic State jihadists. Von der Leyen made the announcement hours before German Chancellor Angela Merkel travels to Paris to meet President Francois Hollande to discuss support in the wake of the deadly November 13 attacks by the Islamic State group in the French capital. AFP

Ukraine bans Russian planes from crossing its airspace 

Kiev: Ukraine on Wednesday banned all Russian airlines from crossing its airspace, the latest escalation between the two neighbours 19 months into a separatist war in the east of the former Soviet state. The announcement by Kiev's pro-Western government came only moments after Russia said it was once again halting gas shipments to energy-dependent Ukraine starting on Thursday. AFP

Afghan army launches op to rescue 18 hostages

Mazar-i-Sharif: The Afghan army launched an operation on Wednesday to rescue 18 hostages captured by the Taliban after their helicopter crash-landed in the north, as the private firm operating the aircraft said it was shot down. The Taliban killed three of those on board, two Afghans and a foreigner, in an initial firefight and took the rest captive after the crash. AFP

Muslim school in UK practising gender segregation

London: A Muslim school in the UK was found practising gender segregation after it forced a woman governor to sit in a separate room and talk through an open doorway during official meetings. The segregation was discovered by Britain's schools inspectorate during a visit to Darul Uloom Islamic high school in Birmingham. PTI