Pakistani officials say a pair of U.S. missile strikes has killed at least 20 suspected militants in Pakistan's tribal region of North Waziristan.

Intelligence officials say the missiles were fired from drones within minutes of each other Wednesday, with two of them hitting a vehicle and the other two a nearby compound. The strike took place in the village of Zoynarai in the Shawal area in the mountainous region close to the border with Afghanistan.

Residents in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state say three separate blasts shook the town of Maiduguru on Tuesday.

Witnesses tell VOA the blasts struck two police stations and a government building in the state capital. They also reported hearing gunfire after the explosions.

Authorities did not immediately name suspects in the attack.

The radical Muslim sect Boko Haram has been blamed for similar violence targeting police and religious and political leaders in recent months.

Officials in Pakistan say a blast struck at least four trucks carrying fuel for NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

The blast occurred Tuesday in the northwestern tribal region of Khyber. The tankers were in a parking area at the main border crossing in Torkham.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion. Militants frequently attack NATO supply trucks passing through border areas in Pakistan.

Most supplies and equipment required by foreign troops in Afghanistan are shipped through Pakistan and end up going through Khyber.

Article by VOA News

Egypt has declared the Muslim Brotherhood political movement legal, ending a ban on the group that had been in place for decades.

The organization is one of the country's best organized political groups. Egyptian state media announced the government's decision, which clears the way for the Muslim Brotherhood to field candidates in parliamentary elections set for September.

In May, the Brotherhood announced it had formed a new political entity called the Freedom and Justice Party. A spokesman said the party would contest about half of the parliamentary seats in the upcoming election.

Pakistani intelligence officials say three U.S. drone strikes have killed at least 18 militants in the country's northwest tribal region.

All of Monday's strikes were in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border. Officials say missiles hit a compound, an Islamic seminary and a vehicle near the main town of Wana. Foreign militants, including Arabs and Uzbeks, were said to be among those killed.

The attacks come just days after the reported death of senior al-Qaida operative Ilyas Kashmiri in a U.S. drone strike in same tribal area.

The World Food Program says three Bulgarian contractors kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region have been freed after nearly five months in captivity.

The United Nations agency says the men appear to be in good health and will be flown to Sudan's capital, Khartoum, before traveling to Bulgaria.

In a statement Monday, WFP Regional Director Amer Daoudi thanked the Sudanese government for helping to secure the three men's release.

The men were working with the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service in Darfur when they were abducted by armed men on January 13.

A spokesperson for the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) says the world body is concerned about new fighting in South Kordofan state.

This comes as North Sudan's government over the weekend rejected a call from the U.N. Security Council to pull its troops out of the disputed Abyei region, which it has occupied since May 21st.

Hua Jiang, UNMIS public information director, says the mission has sent out patrols to verify reports of attacks on two towns in South Kordofan State.

The African Union says it is making progress against militants for control of Somalia's capital.

Officials said Saturday African Union and pro-government troops had recaptured strategic districts in Mogadishu from al-Shabab insurgents.

Al-Shabab is trying to overthrow the United Nations-backed government and set up a strict Islamic state. The al-Qaida-linked group has controlled much of the capital and large sections of central and southern Somalia for at least three years.

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh is said to have been wounded in an attack on his compound. Reports indicate the president was lightly injured, while several other government officials were also hurt, some of them more seriously.

Initial reports indicate a shell hit a mosque inside President Saleh's compound in Sana'a during midday prayers Friday. It was not immediately clear who launched the attack, but the city has been ravaged by fighting between government troops and tribal forces for nearly two weeks.