The National:

THE deadliest fire in Paris in more than a decade has killed at least 10 people, prompting a police investigation into voluntary arson resulting in death.

Residents in an eight-story apartment building on Rue Erlanger in the 16th arrondissement fled to the roof to escape the flames before dawn.

A 40-year-old female resident, said to suffer from psychiatric issues, was detained by police.

Firefighters rescued people from the roof as well as others who had clambered out of windows to escape.

The fire was extinguished by late morning. More than 30 people were being treated for “relatively” light injuries, including at least eight firefighters.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the woman detained had “a history of psychiatric problems”.

It is the deadliest fire in Paris since the April 2005 fire at the Paris-Opera hotel that killed 24 people.

The National: Former Afghanistan president Hamid KarzaiFormer Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai

ELSEWHERE, the Taliban have killed 26 security officials during a pre-dawn attack on an army base in Afghanistan.

The raid in the northern Kunduz province came as Taliban representatives were to hold meetings in Moscow with prominent Afghan figures, including former president Hamid Karzai, opposition leaders and tribal elders.

The insurgents have refused to negotiate with the Afghan government, calling it a US puppet.

The Taliban have been staging near-daily attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the embattled Afghan army and security forces. In the Kunduz attack, the Taliban stormed the base at around 2am local time.

There were at least 23 soldiers and three members of the local police force among the dead.

The National:

MEANWHILE, Russia will develop land-based intermediate range missiles within two years, defence minister Sergei Shoigu has said.

His statement follows the US decision to suspend its obligations under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty. Vladimir Putin said Moscow will also abandon the pact.

Russia rejected claims it deployed a missile that violated a ban on land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometres.

But Shoigu said a new land-based hypersonic missile must be built in 2019-2020.

The National: Journalist John Cantlie was captured by Syria in 2012Journalist John Cantlie was captured by Syria in 2012

AND finally, the UK Home Office has said journalist John Cantlie, from England, is alive six years after being kidnapped by Daesh in Syria. Security Minister Ben Wallace did not elaborate on the evidence which prompted the announcement.

Cantlie was captured in 2012 along with US reporter James Foley, who was subsequently beheaded.