Police in Rio de Janeiro say a record 2.2 million people have attended the Bola Preta street party, one of the most popular events during the Brazilian city's carnival.

Former US astronaut and Senator John Glenn celebrates the 50th anniversary of his orbit of Earth by chatting with crew on the International Space Station.

Voters in Yemen are set to elect a new president, ending current leader Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year-rule in the unrest-gripped nation.

The US and Mexico agree to work together to develop oil and gas fields that straddle their maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Foreign Correspondents Club in China warns its members after three employees of European media companies were attacked last week.

Rebel-held areas of the central Syrian city of Homs are coming under intense bombardment from the Syrian army, activists say.

Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is being questioned by French police as a suspect in a prostitution ring inquiry, prosecutors say.

A Palestinian prisoner ends his 66-day hunger strike over his detention by Israel in a deal that will see him freed in April, Israeli officials say.