While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 2 edition

Nairobi-based foreign correspondents sitting in front of Egyptian embassy in Nairobi to protest against imprisonment of Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste and his colleagues in Egypt in a file photograph dated Feb 4 last year. According to
Nairobi-based foreign correspondents sitting in front of Egyptian embassy in Nairobi to protest against imprisonment of Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste and his colleagues in Egypt in a file photograph dated Feb 4 last year. According to Egyptian reports, Peter Greste was released and left Cairo for Australia on Sunday after serving 400 days in jail, -- PHOTO: EPA

As jailed journalist Peter Greste leaves Egypt for Australia, fate of colleagues unclear

Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste was released from a Cairo jail on Sunday and left Egypt for his native Australia after 400 days in prison on charges that included aiding a terrorist group, security officials said.

There was no official word on the fate of his two Al Jazeera colleagues - Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed - who were also jailed in the case that provoked an international outcry.

The three were sentenced to seven to 10 years on charges including spreading lies to help a terrorist organisation - a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. One month ago, however, a court ordered their retrial.

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Two 'homemade' bombs explode in Bangkok, one injured: police

Two "homemade" bombs exploded near a popular shopping mall in downtown Bangkok on Sunday evening, leaving one man with minor injuries, police said.

The blasts took place at around 8 pm near the busy shopping centre well visited by tourists and local residents, with police initially reporting they were caused by an electrical fault.

Later Sunday national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said further investigations had revealed the explosions were triggered by two IEDs (improvised explosive devices).

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British Finsbury Park mosque battles bad reputation with tea and biscuits

Could anything be more "British" than meeting the neighbours over a cup of tea and some biscuits? That is what greeted curious visitors on Sunday who came through the doors of London's Finsbury Park mosque, which has long sought to shake off a reputation as a centre of radical Islamism.

"Come in, come in, you are all welcome," retired doctor Mohammed Ali Said told visitors to the mosque, whose former imam Abu Hamza was jailed for life in New York on terrorism charges last month.

"We don't have any bombs," he joked.

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Greek finance minister says eyeing new debt deal by 'end May'

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on Sunday said he wanted to reach a new agreement with international creditors on his country's debt burden "by the end of May".

Between now and then, Greece was "not going to ask for any more loans", he told reporters in Paris, the minister's first stop on a European charm offensive to build support for a renegotiation of his nation's 240-billion-euro (S$$367 billion) bailout by the European Union and the IMF.

Europe, and Berlin in particular, are closely watching the first moves by Greece's new far-left government after the anti-austerity Syriza party swept to victory late last month promising that it would seek to write down half of Greece's debt.

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Football: Rampant Arsenal crush Villa to boost top four bid

Arsenal stepped up their renewed challenge for a top four place in the Premier League with a ruthless 5-0 demolition of struggling Aston Villa on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger's side moved above Tottenham into fifth place and within touching distance of fourth-placed Southampton in the race to qualify for the Champions League thanks to their biggest win of the season.

Olivier Giroud opened the scoring early in the first half at the Emirates Stadium and Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla and Hector Bellerin struck after the interval to seal Arsenal's fifth successive win in all competitions.

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