Across the World: Somalia

24 die in fighting

Fighting erupted between Islamist rebels, government forces and African Union peacekeepers in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Friday, killing at least 24 people, witnesses and medical staff said.

Battles broke out around the city's strategic K4 junction after the insurgents launched a pre-dawn attack on an AU base and on government troops. Witnesses said most of the dead were civilians.