PESHAWAR: Pakistani intelligence officials say a US drone has fired two missiles at a compound in a northwestern tribal region, killing eight militants.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak's step-grandmother was on board the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that crashed in violence-wracked Ukraine, the country's defence minister confirmed on Saturday.

SYDNEY: Trade ministers from the world's leading economies met in Sydney on Saturday for the latest round of G20 talks, with the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 threatening to overshadow the summit.

GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israeli shelling killed four Palestinian boys on a Gaza beach on Wednesday, an incident the military called tragic, and Israel and Hamas said they would cease attacks for five hours on Thursday for a humanitarian truce requested by the United Nations.

 WASHINGTON: The United States and Europe significantly strengthened sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine on Wednesday, with Washington for the first time directly targeting Russia's banking, military and energy sectors.

NEW YORK: A US judge sentenced two British men to a combined total of 20.5 years in prison on Wednesday for conspiring to provide and for providing equipment and personnel to the Taliban.

JERUSALEM: Egypt presented a ceasefire plan Monday to end a week of heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip that has left at least 185 people dead, and both sides said they were seriously considering the proposal.

JERUSALEM: Israel briefly deployed ground troops inside the Gaza Strip for the first time early Sunday as its military warned northern Gaza residents to evacuate their homes, part of a widening offensive that's killed more than 160 Palestinians.

 BAGHDAD: At least 133 Sunni militants were killed on Sunday in fierce clashes with security forces across Iraq, officials said.

ISTANBUL: Istanbul's streets were brimming Sunday as around 1,000 pro-Palestinian Turks demonstrated against Israel's latest round of airstrikes on Gaza, which have left over 100 Palestinians dead.