Mortar hits pro-Assad rally in Deraa
Mortar fire has hit a pro-Assad rally in the southern Syrian city of Deraa, killing at least 20 people, state media and activists say. BBC News – Middle East
Craig Taylor
UK report reveals large oil deposits
A report published on Friday is to say there are several billion barrels of oil in shale rocks spanning large parts of southern England, intensifying the debate over “fracking”. BBC News – Business
UN imposes sanctions on Boko Haram
The UN Security Council approves sanctions against the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, five weeks after it kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls. BBC News – Africa
Retail sales growth at 10 year high
UK retail sales rose by 6.9% in April compared with the same month a year earlier, new official figures show. BBC News – Business
Three-year jail sentence for Mubarak
A court in Egypt sentences ousted President Hosni Mubarak to three years in prison after finding him and his two sons guilty of embezzlement. BBC News – Middle East
China and Russia sign huge gas deal
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin agrees a multi-billion dollar, 30-year gas deal with China at a summit between the two in Shanghai. BBC News – Europe