The father of two missing Swiss twin girls searched websites on guns and poison before killing himself, police say.

A Mexican appeals court upholds the conviction of a French woman, Florence Cassez, whose imprisonment for kidnapping has caused friction with France.

Barack Obama says Egypt has yet to propose a "concrete and unequivocal" path to democracy, as a defiant speech by President Mubarak sparks anger.

Bolivian President Evo Morales abandons a public event in the face of a food protest by miners throwing dynamite.

Microsoft says the latest version of its internet explorer web browser puts it ahead of competitors like Google and Firefox.

An armed US teenager who took hostages during a botched attempt to rob a North Carolina bank is shot dead by police.

China's foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, visits Zimbabwe at the start of a five-nation tour of an increasingly important trading region.

A Pakistani judge extends by another 14 days the detention of a US citizen arrested for killing two men in Lahore last month.