There are reports of continued fighting in and around the Syrian city of Idlib, close to the border with Turkey. Opposition groups said at least 10 government soldiers were killed in an ambush by rebel fighters, and at least four civilians died in shelling by the Syrian army. Idlib has been largely in the control of rebels in recent months. The United Nations refugee agency has meanwhile said that 230,000 Syrians have fled their homes since the start of the uprising last year.
The European Parliament has backed calls for a quota system to increase the representation of women in corporate boardrooms if voluntary national measures fail to achieve success. The European Commission has already said it may put forward a proposal for quotas later this year. From Brussels, Chris Morris reports.
Only about 12% of board members at large listed EU companies are women. The EU wants to increase that to 40%, but progress has often been slow. Now the European Parliament has backed the idea that mandatory quotas should be imposed if the current pace of change doesn't accelerate. Some European countries already have quotas with penalties for companies which fail to comply, but there is also substantial opposition to the idea of introducing Europe-wide legislation on this issue.
Chris Morris
Polls are taking place in the southern American states of Mississippi and Alabama in the latest round to choose a Republican candidate to challenge President Barack Obama in November. Mitt Romney is the current front-runner in the Republican race with Rick Santorum, his closest rival. The third-placed candidate, the former House of Representative Speaker Newt Gingrich, has said he hopes to increase support in his southern heartland.