Yaya Toure has been crowned the Confederation of African Football's Player of the Year at a ceremony in the Ghanaian capital Accra.

A Belgian tax raid turns into an animal rescue mission as Flanders police find 11 Nile crocodiles and an alligator hidden in a smart villa.

The US has offered a reward of $10m for information leading to the arrest of a man they say is a key al-Qaeda facilitator and financier operating in Iran.

Argentina's government wins control of newsprint supplies, amid a long-running feud between the president and a major media group.

The first members of a criminal gang said to control much of the drugs trade on Colombia's Eastern Plains hand themselves to the authorities.

Singer Diana Ross, country legend Glen Campbell and late Apple founder Steve Jobs are to honoured for their contributions to the music industry at February's Grammy Awards.

Former US President George H W Bush says Mitt Romney is "the best choice" for the Republican presidential nomination, snubbing rival Rick Perry.

A strong earthquake rocks the New Zealand city of Christchurch, closing the airport and sending residents rushing from buildings.