The Lebanese army on Thursday tightened the noose around Islamists at a refugee camp in a bid to end a near 10-week standoff that has cost the lives of 120 soldiers.

A parked car bomb killed 25 people and wounded 115 when it exploded near an intersection in central Baghdad on Thursday and police said the toll could rise as many bodies were believed still buried under rubble.

Palestinian security chief Mohammad Dahlan resigned on Thursday after weeks of criticism over the defeat of his forces by Hamas members in the Gaza Strip in June, senior Palestinian officials said.