Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 87, says it would be an act of cowardice for him to retire ahead of elections expected to be held next year.

Peruvian Prime Minister Salomon Lerner resigns unexpectedly, forcing President Ollanta Humala into the first cabinet shuffle of his term.

Ivory Coast prepares for parliamentary polls, a year after disputed presidential elections sparked violence which left thousands dead.

Clashes break out near the airport in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after a convoy with the country's military chief came under attack, the army says.

Pope Benedict XVI will visit Cuba in 2012, only the second visit by a pontiff to the Communist-run island, Vatican officials say.

El Salvador's government apologises for a 1981 massacre in which more than 1,000 people were killed, nearly half of them children.

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Mexico's western Guerrero state, shaking buildings and killing at least two people, officials say.

Republicans competing to be the party's candidate for the US presidential election next year take part in a debate in Iowa.