Chad is beginning to pull its troops out of Mali, Chadian President Idriss Deby said April 15, the BBC reported.

An airstrike by Syrian regime forces killed at least 12 civilians in the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province April 13, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group said, AP reported.

China's Foreign Ministry on April 10 expressed concern after Japan and Taiwan signed a fishing agreement for the seas around the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, Reuters reported.

North Korea says it will fire missiles into the Pacific Ocean on April 10 and that these missiles will pass Japan, Sankei Shimbun reported April 9.

Japan has deployed Patriot missiles to protect Tokyo in response to moves by North Korea, officials said, Al Jazeera reported April 9.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will visit Israel from April 21-23, Reuters reported April 9.