Thousands of protesters have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a million-person protest called by Egypt's opposition demanding speedier reforms.

South Sudan is counting down the hours until it becomes the world's newest nation on Saturday 9 July as dignitaries arrive for the celebrations.

French prosecutors start a preliminary inquiry into a writer's allegation that former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her in 2003.

The best strikers, defenders and midfield players of robot football gather in Istanbul for the world cup.

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi says he wants former justice minister Angelino Alfano to lead the centre-right into the 2013 election.

Japan's prime minister apologises for confusion caused by his order for nuclear power firms to carry out more safety tests.

Security forces in the Pakistani city of Karachi are ordered to shoot on sight to stem violence in which 70 people have been killed since Tuesday.

Motorbikes are banned from the Nigerian city of Maiduguri to prevent drive-by attacks by the radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram.