World News from the BBC

State television in Syria says at least nine people have been killed and nearly 30 wounded in an explosion in central Damascus. The TV station has broadcast

footage

of the aftermath of the blast near a mosque in the Midan neighbourhood. The BBC's Rafid Jabboori is in Damascus.

According to what we heard from the Syrian Ministry of Information, the explosion took place right after the Friday prayer. Apparently, an individual

approached

the security officers who were guarding this place in central Damascus. When they asked him about his identification, he

blew up

himself. This place turned very quickly to a pro-government gathering. People here are shouting support for the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Ukrainian authorities say four explosions in an hour in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk were an "act of terrorism". At least 27 people were injured at a

tram

stop and near a cinema. President Yanukovych described the blasts as a new challenge to the nation. The attacks came weeks before Ukraine is to co-host the Euro 2012 European football tournament.

The Mexican senate has approved changes to an agreement with Austria that would allow the temporary return of a

headdress

that was reputedly owned by the last Aztec emperor. The piece, known as Montezuma's headdress, is currently in a museum in Vienna. It's said that it was given by the Aztec emperor to the Spanish Conqueror Hernan Cortes, who sent it to Europe, where it has remained ever since.