The White House rejects Republican calls to sack the US ambassador to Belgium, Howard Gutman, over remarks he made about anti-Semitism in Europe.

Raj Rajaratnam, a former hedge fund founder, arrives at a federal prison to begin serving the longest-ever sentence for insider trading.

The Communist Party in Chile asks for the remains of the poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda to be exhumed, alleging he may have been poisoned.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi are shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or World Footballer of the Year award, while Wayne Rooney is up for the Goal of the Year award.

Ratings firm Standard and Poor's puts Germany, France and 13 other eurozone countries on "credit watch" due to fears over the impact of the debt crisis.

The UN Security Council toughens sanctions on Eritrea after its East African neighbours accuse it of continuing to provide support to Islamist militants, including al-Shabab.

Sediments drilled from beneath the Dead Sea reveal that the inland waterway had a complete, or near, dry-down 120,000 years ago.

Mexican presidential contender Enrique Pena Nieto of the PRI falters when asked to name three books that have influenced him.