A senior Spanish prosecutor told US officials that Russia, Belarus and Chechnya had become virtual "mafia states", fresh Wikileaks disclosures show.

Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs is arraigned in a courtroom in Texas on charges of sexual assault and bigamy, after being extradited from Utah.

Cuba launches a public debate on plans to transform its socialist economy, saying everyone should be able to voice opinions on the future of the country.

US Federal Reserve names the companies that used its emergency loan facilities during the financial crisis and reveals how much they borrowed.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell presses the US Senate quickly to ratify a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia.

A leading British debating society says that it is cancelling a talk by President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka because of "security concerns".

The UK Foreign Office kept quiet about a loophole that allows the US to store cluster bombs on British territory despite a ban, a classified US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks suggests.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has promised to stop the infiltration of drug money into the country's professional football clubs.