Brazil's former vice-president, Jose Alencar, dies at the age of 79 after a long battle with cancer.

Ivorian incumbent Laurent Gbagbo appeals for an immediate ceasefire after advances by forces loyal to President-elect Ouattara.

The death toll from explosions at an ammunition plant in southern Yemen rises to 150, adding to protests against President Saleh.

An investigation has been launched into how a fake bomb was put on a cargo plane and flown from the UK to Turkey without being detected.

US President Barack Obama says he does not rule out arming the rebels in Libya as government forces push them back.

Qantas Airways warns that profits will be hurt by recent natural disasters in Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez receives a press freedom award in Argentina, angering critics who accuse him of stifling opposition media in Venezuela.

A tongue-in-cheek Twitter user giving 'updates' on a deadly Egyptian cobra missing from a New York zoo now has some 35,000 followers.