Hot Topics from around the world this morning...

1 Mandela checkup: Nelson Mandela, the antiapartheid leader and Nobel laureate, returned to his Johannesburg home on Sunday after spending a night in a hospital for what presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said was a successful medical exam. The 94-year-old, who has grown increasingly frail, was hospitalized for three weeks in December after a procedure to remove gallstones and for treatment of a lung infection.

2 Burma politics: Aung San Suu Kyi was selected Sunday to continue as head of Burma's main opposition party. The Nobel laureate was named head of the National League for Democracy's new executive board on the final day of a party congress attended by 894 delegates from around the country. The congress also expanded the group's Central Executive Committee from seven members to 15, in a revitalization effort ahead of Burma's 2015 general election. The party is seeking to bring in new faces, expertise and diversity without sidelining long-standing members.

3 Deadly fire: A fire broke out Sunday at an apartment building in southwestern Germany, killing a woman and seven of her children, authorities said. Three others were rescued from the building in Backnang, a town near Stuttgart. The family was of Turkish origin. Police said there was no indication that the fire was deliberately set.

4 Syria fighting: Government air strikes killed at least 14 people in the northern province of Raqqa, activists said Sunday. The rebels have greatly expanded the territory they hold in northern Syria, mostly in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. They recently extended their control into Raqqa province, and they seized most of Raqqa city on March 4. Also Sunday, the U.N. chief for refugees, Antonio Guterres, said the number of people fleeing Syria could increase by "two or three times" by the end of the year if the conflict continues. On March 6, the United Nations said the number of Syrian refugees had reached 1 million.

5 Pakistan violence: Hundreds of Christians protesting the burning of homes in Lahore by a Muslim mob over alleged blasphemous remarks made against Islam's prophet Muhammad clashed with police on Sunday. Around 150 people have been arrested for setting dozens of houses on fire after a non-Muslim was accused of making offensive comments about the prophet, police said. Christians across the country rallied against the incident, but the main demonstrations were in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

6 Egyptian violence: Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim declared Sunday he will not allow vigilantes or militias to take over police duties, while admitting his police force has been strained by daily protests, clashes and criticism. Ibrahim spoke a day after protesters rampaged through Cairo, furious over the acquittal of seven of nine police officers in a trial over soccer violence that killed 74 people last year. His declaration followed a statement by an Islamist group that its members would take up policing duties in the southern province of Assiut.

7 Rape case: The main suspect in the gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus committed suicide in jail Monday by hanging himself, police said. Ram Singh was on trial for murder and rape. He was accused of driving the bus on which a 23-year-old student was raped and fatally assaulted by a group of six men in December. The attack horrified the nation and set off protests calling for better protection of women.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/News-of-the-Day-From-Across-the-Globe-4343995.php#ixzz2ND3jNM3i